(Seguin) — A Navarro High School junior has earned the title of 2026 Distinguished Young Woman of Seguin following the community’s 61st annual scholarship program held Sunday, March 1, at the Texas Theatre.
Kaylee Henley captured the top honor during the Distinguished Young Women/Junior Miss Scholarship Program, which featured 15 contestants who were recognized for their academic achievements, talents, leadership and poise. In addition to being crowned the program’s newest titleholder, Henley also earned the Self Expression award.
The annual program awards scholarship money to help participants pursue their college education while celebrating well-rounded young women from across the Seguin area. Henley was awarded a $1,250 scholarship and a $8,000 scholarship to Texas Lutheran University (TLU). She was also recognized with a $200 award for winning the Self-Expression category.
Henley, the daughter of Tiffany and Brandon Henley, says the moment her name was announced as the winner was both emotional and humbling as she stood alongside many other deserving contestants.
“Honestly, I wasn’t upset that I didn’t get called for a runner-up. I was very happy for the first runner up. She is my friend. Her name is Kimberly Patino. It was just such an emotional moment really because there’s so many deserving – so many wonderful young women sharing the stage an when they called my name, honestly, I was trying to not cry. If you look back on videos, you can see me put my head down for a second, but I just felt really honored and I was proud outside of myself – but I was also proud of the other women that represented themselves that day,” said Henley.
As the newly crowned Distinguished Young Woman of Seguin, Henley will spend the coming year representing the program throughout the community while promoting its mission of leadership, scholarship and service.
Henley says she hopes to use her title to make a meaningful impact in the community and continue building on the values the program represents.
“This coming year, I know for the Distinguished Woman last year – her name is Eleanor (Crettenden) and I know she goes and competes in state and we do a lot of the parades but I want to see maybe about doing some community service projects just to put DYW out there and to showcase to young women that hey this is something you can do,” said Henley.
As part of sharing awareness on the program, Henley encourages younger students to consider participating in the program in the future. She says the experience offers confidence, friendships and opportunities that extend far beyond the stage.
“I think it’s a great program. I made a lot of really great friends. It’s honestly very empowering, very inspiring just to share the whole experience with these outstanding young women and I highly encourage any young girl considering the program to just go for it,’ said Henley.
Henley was joined on stage by several other young ladies who were also recognized for their talents.
Kimberly Patino was named first runner-up, while Eva Sarmiento earned second runner-up honors and received the Scholastic award. Rylee Hyatt was selected as third runner-up and also captured the Spirit and Talent awards.
Program organizers says this year’s event showcased an impressive group of young women who demonstrated talent, academic excellence and leadership while competing for scholarship awards to support their future college goals.
The Distinguished Young Women program, formerly known as Junior Miss, has celebrated young women in the Seguin community for more than six decades, continuing its mission to empower participants and recognize their achievements both on and off the stage.