Jackson resident to compete in Junior Miss program

Holly Bauer of Jackson will be among 10 young women competing in the 2003 Missouri's Junior Miss scholarship program at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Pattonville High School in St. Louis.

The America's Junior Miss program was founded in 1957 and is the oldest and largest scholarship program for high school senior girls. More than 700,000 young women have competed at local, state and national levels. More than $1.8 million in cash scholarships and $32 million in college-granted scholarships are available each year.

During the past 45 years, America's Junior Miss has awarded scholarships totaling $83.6 million to girls from across the nation. Past participants include Diane Sawyer of ABC News, Deborah Norville of Inside Edition and Debra Messing, co-star of NBC's Will & Grace.

The categories in which each contestant is evaluated are: scholastics (20 percent), interview (25 percent), talent (25 percent), fitness (15 percent) and poise (15 percent). The program's goal is to honor young women who excel in all these areas as well as encourage them to continue on the path of excellence by completing their college educations and assuming roles of leadership.

Tickets are still available for the competition. Call (314) 962-2801 for more information.

Local sponsors of Missouri's Junior Miss include Coca-Cola and HealthSouth. Colleges offering scholarships include Lindenwood University, Truman State University, Culver-Stockton College, Southeast Missouri State University, Northwest Missouri State University and Missouri Baptist College.

The 46th annual America's Junior Miss National Finals will be held in Mobile, Ala., in June.

For more information on America's Junior Miss, contact Leslie Powell, public relations director at (251) 438-3621, (800) 256-5435, leslie@ajm.org or visit the AJM Web site at www.ajm.org.