Contact: Pam Tate, Tucker & Associates (214) 252-0900, ext. 23
Cassidy Grimes, AJM (251) 622-5335

AMERICA’S JUNIOR MISS AIMS TO REMOVE MISCONCEPTIONS AND BARRIERS TO SUCCESS WITH NAME CHANGE AND PROGRAM UPDATES

Changes To Oldest And Largest National Scholarship Program For High School Girls To Be Unveiled At AJM National Finals, June 24 – 26, 2010

Mobile, ALABAMA (June 15, 2010) – What’s in a name? For America’s Junior Miss Scholarship Program (AJM), often times the wrong impression, misconceptions and barriers to success.
For Michelle Rodgers of Kentucky, it meant a lot of explaining. When she introduced herself this past year to a variety of people as “America’s Junior Miss 2009,” she received such comments as, “Oh, like a beauty pageant?” or, “Is this like Junior Miss America?”

To continue its mission for another 50 years and beyond, AJM’s Board of Directors is taking a proactive approach and is in the process of repositioning the program, including a name change to better reflect the organization and its efforts to remain relevant and keep pace with the needs and interests of today’s young women. The name change and other program updates will be announced and highlighted at the AJM National Finals, June 24 – 26, 2010, in Mobile, Ala.

“We want to leverage the full potential and extraordinary value of the AJM experience,” said Becky Jo Peterson, Executive Director of America’s Junior Miss Scholarship Program. “There are no fees to enter the program because AJM strives to give every young woman the opportunity to further her education and prepare for a successful future. We provide opportunities for personal growth through team building activities, presentations by organizations like the League of Women Voters, interaction with prominent women who lead successful and service-oriented lives, and community service.”

AJM More Important To Young Women Today Than Ever

America’s Junior Miss is the oldest and largest national scholarship program of its type for high school females. Headquartered in Mobile, Ala., AJM has provided life- changing experiences for more than 200,000 young women and more than $90 million in scholarships for college during its 52 years of operation.
The mission of AJM is to empower outstanding high school women by providing scholarship opportunities, developing life skills, and encouraging positive values, and to impact the lives of all young women through its “Be Your Best Self” outreach program. Many participants earn scholarships for college, but all learn life skills to help them interview for jobs, stay in school, develop healthy relationships, and have increased confidence.

During AJM’s 52-year history, the organization’s members have watched the interests and needs of young women change and grow dramatically. Research today shows that more young women than ever are attending and graduating from college, studying math and science, and scoring higher grade point averages than their male counterparts.
However, research today also shows that this group of young women is under an increasing number of pressures related to their appearance and how they view themselves and their relationships with others. Other pressures involve engaging in negative activities, such as underage drinking. Collectively, these pressures can take a toll on self-esteem in young women and negatively impact their physical and mental health. The result in some cases is increased rates of depression, eating disorders, self injury and even suicide.

These findings, both positive and negative, make the mission of AJM all the more important today. Unfortunately, the name – America’s Junior Miss – has become a barrier to the continued success of the organization. Like the experience of AJM 2009 Michelle Rodgers, America’s Junior Miss requires a great deal of explanation about what it actually is (a program that rewards scholarship, leadership and talent) and what it is not (a beauty pageant). This confusion has increasingly conjured up negative images for many potential supporters, sponsors, and participants, including Rodgers; images that some feel are demeaning to young women today.

“Junior Miss Is Something So Different”

So many people have misconceptions about the Junior Miss program, and Rodgers admits that not long ago she could have counted herself as one of them. She learned what the program was really about after a friend participated in a local competition.

“I soon realized that Junior Miss is something so different,” explained Rodgers. “It’s a scholarship program that helps young women recognize their own potential, display their years of hard work and dedication, and make friends with other young women with whom they share a passion and drive.”

As America’s Junior Miss 2009, Rodgers received $60,000 in scholarships, as well as a medallion (not a crown and a sash) to symbolize her achievements in the classroom and in extracurricular activities. Rodgers is currently attending Northwestern University, where she is majoring in theater (her passion) and business (as a practical matter) and minoring in Spanish (to prepare her for a future Peace Corps stint in a Spanish-speaking country).

Other Junior Misses are just as impressive and truly represent what the AJM program is all about: Lindsey Brinton of Utah, AJM 2008, is studying biochemical engineering at Harvard University; Nora Ali of Minnesota, AJM 2007, is studying statistics/quantitative finance and engineering at Harvard University, and Taylor Phillips of Kentucky, AJM 2006, is studying human biology and psychology at Stanford University.
Concluded Rodgers, “Such an exceptional and rewarding program shouldn’t have a name that it’s fighting against. It should have a name that aids it and enhances its meaning.”

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Founded in 1958 in Mobile, Ala., America’s Junior Miss Scholarship Program (AJM) is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school females. During its 53 years of operation, AJM has provided life-changing experiences for more than 700,000 young women and more than $90 million in college scholarships. This year, AJM provided more than $65 million in cash and college scholarship opportunities to more than 4,400 young women across the nation. AJM inspires high school girls to develop their full, individual potential through a fun, transformative experience that cumulates in a celebratory showcase of the accomplishments by:

  • Encouraging continued education and providing college scholarships.
  • Developing self-confidence and the abilities to interview effectively, to speak in public, to perform on stage and to build interpersonal relationships.
  • Encouraging and showcasing excellence in academic achievement, physical fitness, on-stage performance skills, and the ability to think and communicate clearly.
  • Creating opportunities to beneficially inspire and lives of others.

For more information about AJM, contact Cassidy Grimes of AJM at (251) 622-5335 or cassidy@ajm.org or visit the AJM Web site at www.ajm.org. Or, contact Pam Tate of Tucker & Associates at (214) 252-0900, ext. 23 or pam@tuckerpr.com. Photography is available by calling (214) 252-0900.