Lexy Brooks, 18, is Whitehall’s valedictorian, vies in national ‘Young Woman’ contest in June

By Sandra Hutchinson, Chronicle Chief Operating Officer

Alexa Brooks of Whitehall has packed a lot of accomplishments into her 18 years.

She’s the valedictorian at Whitehall High School and will attend the Honors College at SUNY Albany next fall, majoring in human biology, with a minor in Spanish. Her career goal is to be a physician assistant, specializing in orthopedic surgery.

She has volunteered at Rutland Hospital since before her freshman year, and she spent her senior year of high school in the BOCES New Visions Health Careers Exploration program. This summer she has a paid internship at Rutland Hospital.

Lexy is also an equestrian who has competed nationally.

Formerly it was Junior Miss

And next month, Lexy will represent New York State at the national Distinguished Young Women (DYW) competition in Mobile, Alabama, formerly known as America’s Junior Miss.

Already Lexy has won $5,700 in scholarship money. Last spring she won the local competition among seven contestants in Whitehall. Then, last August, she won the New York State competition in Cohoes, where there were six contestants.

Lexy says the program is dwindling in New York, which disappoints her since she says it “teaches you so many life skills…I would recommend this program to anyone.”

“At some point in your life,” she says, “you’re going to have to get up and speak in front of people. At some point in your life you’re going to have to do an interview.” The DYW program teaches those skills.

The national competition in Mobile begins on June 17, and goes for two weeks. Lexy will fly home to graduate in Whitehall on June 23, then return to Alabama.

There will be 51 contestants — one from each state and the District of Columbia. Lexy says the two weeks at the nationals incorporate team building, activities like line dancing, community service work, and working with Girl Scouts on the “Be Your Best Self” program.

The actual competition is three days long, from June 29 to July 1.

Nurse & doctor inspired her

Lexy, the daughter of Kim and James Brooks and brother of Tyler, 12, says she became interested in the Distinguished Young Women program in third grade, in Whitehall.

“I was paired with a contestant for that year,” she says. “My ‘big sister’ was such an inspiration to me that I knew I wanted to be in the program. I got to go on stage and see what it means to ‘be my best self’.”

Lexy says that “big sister” Caitlin Hayward is now a registered nurse at The Snuggery at Glens Falls Hospital.

Lexy said her other big inspiration has been Dr. Melbourne Boynton, an orthopedic surgeon at Rutland Hospital. As a freshman in high school, she watched him perform a total knee replacement.

“He’s an awesome teacher and a great man,” says Lexy says of Dr. Boynton.

This summer, Lexy said she’ll do a paid internship at Rutland Hospital that will rotate her through aspects of the surgical unit, including the OR and anesthesia unit.

Asked why her goal is to be a physician assistant instead of an orthopedic surgeon, Lexy says, “PAs have more patient contact, the hours are more stable, there’s less schooling and it’s more conducive to having a family.”

Looking toward college, Lexy said she was excited to learn about SUNY Albany’s emergency medical technician service, called 5 Quad, that serves the campus and a two-mile radius. No surprise — she already plans to take the required classes to become an EMT so she can join the squad.

Won $5,700 in scholarships so far

Distinguished Young Women contestants are judged in scholastics, interview, fitness, talent and self-expression.

Lexy won the scholastics, interview and self-expression categories at both the local and state levels.

At the state, she also won the “Be Your Best Self Award,” based on a presentation she gave in Cohoes to a group of Girl Scouts. She told “how horseback riding taught me to be my best self. The moral is that you can learn to be your best self through your hobbies and activities you do.”

Lexy said that in self-expression, you’re judged on poise and grace, and how you answer a question, on stage.

At the local level, she was asked whether she felt the country is ready for a female President. Lexy says she replied that yes, the country has been ready for a long time, but not necessarily for Hillary Clinton.

At the state level, she says, the question usually concerns a problem in society and ethical debates. Her question was, “Do you believe health care is a right or a privilege?” She says she answered that “as a future health care professional, I believe health care is a right, but as with other rights, that can be abused.”

Jokes, couldn’t bring horse so I sang

In the scholastic portion, participants are judged on how well they have done, as well as the rigor of their program. Lexy, the class valedictorian, says she has a 98.52 unweighted grade point average.

Besides doing the BOCES New Visions Health Careers Exploration program this year, she’s taken college level human anatomy through SUNY Adirondack and two college level Spanish classes, taught by her regular Spanish teacher at Whitehall.

For the talent portion, contestants only have 90 seconds to showcase a talent.

Lexy is an accomplished equestrian, and has competed extensively through both 4-H and the Pond Hill Interscholastic Equestrian Team, based at her stable near Castleton, Vt., as well as nationally.

She quips, “I couldn’t bring my horse on the stage, so I sang” — at the local level Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” at the state level, Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

For the interview, contestants are interviewed off-stage for 10 minutes by a panel of judges, who ask multiple questions.

Encourages girls to enter

Lexy notes that if a school doesn’t offer the Distinguished Young Woman program, a girl can compete on an at-large basis.

Cheryl Putorti of Whitehall, who with her husband Fra has long been a leader in the program, says she can be reached for information at 499-2812 or go to the program Web site http://distinguishedyw.org, through which you can reach New York State chair Pam Moser of Ticonderoga .

Cheryl says “Lexy makes a great role model for the Be Your Best Self program, which is part of the DYW program.”

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