Hallie Wofford, nervous, stepped into the spotlight on stage at the Keizer Distinguished Young Women event.

For weeks, she had practiced her solo, a musical theater ballad called “She Used to be Mine.”

She had added her own twist to the song, singing the song louder and with more emotion than typically done.

Wofford, a junior at McNary High School, finished the song and walked off stage, feeling she hadn’t done as well as in rehearsals.

But a program organizer told her, “That’s the best you ever performed.”

And with that performance and other competition elements, Wofford on Saturday, May 24, was announced as the 2025 Distinguished Young Woman of the Year.

“When I heard my name called, I was really shocked,” Wofford said.

Four other McNary juniors competed in a scholarship event, first done in Keizer 51 years ago. The four included Kalo Utaatu, Emma Lindstrom, Alayna Garcia and Megan Curran.

Wofford also won the Spirit, Fitness and Interview Awards. Lindstrom won the Self-Expression category, Curran the Scholastic category and Utaatu was selected first alternate.

Now, Wofford goes back to rehearsals and practice in the coming weeks. She will be one of 18 competing for the state title in August in an event scheduled at West Salem High School.

She heard about the program her freshman year from a McNary senior in her orchestra class. She was enticed by the program’s scholarships and other opportunities.

“Everybody can gain something,” Wofford said. “I heard that the experience was truly amazing.”

Wofford plays violin and performs in theater.

As she considered the Keizer program, she opted against playing the violin for her talent portion. 

“I did think about doing that for my talent,” she said. However, she realized she “didn’t have time to go and search for a solo.”

Instead she browsed musical theater tunes, listening to some songs over and over.

“This is the one,” she finally concluded about “She Used To Be Mine.”

The song was written by Sara Bareilles for her 2015 musical “Waitress.” The lyrics are a waitress’s lament about her challenging life.

Wofford learned the lyrics and then studied the music. She pulled up the song on a karaoke device. 

“I was signing it over and over,” Wofford said – in her bedroom at home and in her car.

When no one was home, she practiced in the living room with the music “super-duper loud. I was singing my heart out.”

The day of the event, Wofford slept in a bit later than usual.

“I took a second to breathe – today’s the day,” she said about her preparations.

There were final rehearsals before the crowd arrived for the program, held at Church on the Hill in Keizer.

The competition included self-expression in response to questions from the judges. The five had practiced responding on the spot, coached in how to put their heart into the answers.

Ahead of the event, the contestants were given the questions.

Wofford thought she was ready.

Then, “When we got up on stage and I was given a question, my mind completely blanked. I could have done a lot better.”

That misgiving aside, Wofford went on to win the title.

With the event over, it was back the following week to the routine of classes at McNary.

She has dual ambitions in life.

She is drawn to music theater.

“I just love the joy of performing and being in a character,” she said.

She plans to study music theater in college, aspiring to one day be an actress on Broadway.

Or maybe she’ll be a scientist.

  She’s also interested in biomedical chemistry and sees a possible career engaged in “the research of human disease, formulating new types of medications to address diseases.”

For now, she anticipates a double major in college.

“If I had to choose one over the other, it would probably be musical theater,” she said.

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