Minnesota Junior Miss Scholarship Program

Description

America's Junior Miss Scholarship Program was founded in Mobile, Alabama by the city's Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Jaycees. In the late 1950's, the Jaycees established a national scholarship program, and incorporated it in 1957. In 1958, Mobile was the home of the first national program, with representatives from 18 states. Today, the national program spans the country with contestants from all 50 states. More than 5,000 young women participate at the local and state levels each year.

In addition to college scholarships, AJMs receive a medallion to symbolize their achievements in the classroom and in extracurricular activities. There are no fees to enter the program.

AJM promotes the Be Your Best Self program, an outreach aimed at encouraging self-esteem in young people from all over the country. BYBS emphasizes five elements: Be Healthy, Be Studious, Be Responsible, Be Ambitious, and Be Involved. Junior Misses make appearances across the country to share the message of the BYBS program and encourage young people to implement these five elements into their own lives.