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Covington County’s Distinguished Young Woman and Straughn High School senior Cameron Stephens will make the trip to Montgomery, Friday night, to spend the entire week prepping for the DYW state competition.

“I am very excited,” Stephens said. “I am also a little nervous, but the closer to time it gets, I get more excited than I do nervous. Honestly, I am most nervous about being away from my mom for a week. She is my biggest supporter and my biggest cheerleader. So, not having easy access to her will be tough.”

Stephens will spend the week with a host family and she won’t be able to use her cell phone at all during the week.

To prepare for the competition, Stephens has spent a lot of time working on interview skills and in the dance studio to work on her talent.

“I have been mostly in the dance studio because my talent is dancing,” Stephens said. “I have also taken the ACT a couple of more times and tried to keep my grades up. I have also been in the gym numerous times to get fit for the fitness portion of the competition.”

In the interview portion of the contest, Stephens wants to make sure that she stays true to herself.

“Especially if they challenge me on a specific point, I want to be able to stand up for what I believe in,” Stephens said. “I don’t want to back down on anything they throw at me.”

Last Sunday, past Covington County DYW’s, the DYW board and several friends and family had a send-off tea for Stephens at the Andalusia Country Club.

“It was very humbling to see just how many people that came and even the people that didn’t come but still made a point to let me know that they are supporting me,” Stephens said. “It was very sweet to see how supported I am by my community and how loved I am.”

To Stephens, representing Covington County is a dream come true.

“I know how cheesy that sounds,” Stephens said. “But I can’t think of another better feeling.”

While some seniors in high school may turn in the towel early spring semester, Stephens made it a point to stack up more on her plate to stay busy.

“I really didn’t want to coast through the end of my senior year,” Stephens said. “So, I joined the physics team and joined the track team. I plan to keep on trucking through the end.”

Stephens said she is looking forward to making new friends during the competition the most.

“Just in the county competition, I gained so many sisters through DYW,” Stephens said. “Two of my future roommates in college are girls that I met through DYW. So, I am just ready to experience that on a higher level.”

Stephens plans to attend Auburn University after graduation and major in biomedical sciences. She is the daughter of Sandi Hall and Scott Stephens.

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