Driggs is Timberlake's Distinguished Young Woman

SPIRIT LAKE - For 90 seconds, Amber Driggs stood on a stage at Timberlake High School and recited Shakespeare's "Shall I compare thee to a summer's dream?"

In Spanish.

The 16-year old junior had memorized the wordy sonnet, practicing whenever she could find a spare moment.

"At work and in downtime, I was sitting there reciting it to myself," said Amber, who lives in Spirit Lake.

Her persistence paid off. On Saturday night, Amber was named Timberlake's Distinguished Young Woman. She will travel to southern Idaho next October for the state competition.

"I think she did a beautiful job," said Becky Radenz, the DYW program director at Timberlake.

Amber and 10 other young women competed in talent, physical fitness and self-expression categories, hoping to impress a panel of judges. When she was announced as the winner, Amber was "completely shocked," she said.

"I was just trying to hold back tears ... so happy. It was like a bombardment of hugs after that."

Once she graduates from Timberlake, Amber plans to attend either the University of Oregon or Eastern Washington University. She hopes to one day become an event coordinator.

"It was definitely one of the most fun things I've ever done," Amber said of the Distinguished Young Woman program. "Very nerve-wracking standing up there."

She hung out with some new friends, participated in an exciting event and learned a few things about herself, she said.

"I really like to be talking to people and meeting new people. I learned that my friends and my family are extremely supportive of me. I have a very strong support system."

Other young women took home awards as well. Sam Simmons was named the alternate Distinguished Young Woman, won the Fitness Award and shared the Spirit Award with Ryan Reese.

After performing a soccer routine set to music, Hailey Emerson won the Talent Award. Michaela Allen earned the Self-Expression Award, while Blair Nowlan was the Scholastic Award winner.

"It was a wonderful year," Radenz said. "The girls did so good. It was just a really fun year. I was very proud of all the girls."

Amber will help coordinate next year's Distinguished Young Woman contest, a duty that jibes with her future profession. She will travel to either Boise or Pocatello for the state DYW event Oct. 6-8; the site is to be determined.

"I think I will be (ready)," Amber said. "I think it's definitely going to be a really unique experience."