(Seguin) – Being named the 2023 Guadalupe County Distinguished Young Woman is more than just earning a title. It also comes with the responsibility of serving others –– at least that’s been the case for Seguin High School Junior Taelor Jo Krueger. Since Krueger won the contest better known in this area as Junior Miss this past March, she has been making an impact by rolling out the official platform for the program “Be Your Best Self.”
The “Be Your Best Self,” nationwide AJM effort works to reinforce self-esteem and personal responsibility in young people.
Krueger says the outreach efforts’ recipients were a group of fifth graders at Koennecke Elementary School.
“The experience was great. The fifth graders ended up loving it. I actually got invited by the ACE coordinator here at Koennecke Elementary School to present other things such as being your best self which she loved the presentation. She was there during all of it, and she enjoyed seeing the kids have fun while still loving how to present themselves in a positive way,” said Krueger.
Krueger says the kids spent their time investing in what makes them great.
“I just talked to them about how important it was to be your best self and they really enjoyed some interactive activities that we got to do, and we ended up making a poster board here for Koennecke Elementary School where it showed how each kid viewed themselves in a positive way. So, we had each student write a way that they viewed themselves positively,” said Krueger.
Krueger says she was thankful to have shared this outreach program with the kids. She says their appreciation for the message was priceless.
“I personally enjoyed it a lot. I found it that it was great to actually see the kids incorporating something that is not only in my Junior Miss but it’s worldwide through all Junior Miss and so I found it really rewarding and a great way to be able to see that even though it was a small little presentation, the kids were able to learn something from it and that they came out with a better positive outlook upon themselves and those around them,” said Krueger. “All of the fifth graders, when I asked them about their feedback afterwards, they said that they all loved it and they told the ACE coordinator would I be doing something like that again. So, they were super ecstatic about it.”
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Krueger says she especially thanks Denali Diaz, the ACE coordinator at Koennecke, for helping coordinate the efforts.
Distinguished Young Women is a national non-profit organization providing scholarships to high school senior girls. The program is designed to give young women the opportunity and support to succeed before, during, and after college.