Two Miss JSUs Receive Duke of Edinburgh Award Medal from Prince Edward

04/30/2012

Some of Jacksonville State University's royalty met some of England's royal family on Saturday, April 28 as Whitney Curtis, Miss JSU 2011, and Beth Milam, Miss JSU 2012, received the Duke of Edinburgh's Award medal at a garden party in Mountain Brook, Alabama.

His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, youngest son of Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth II, made the presentation personally, according to a press release from the Miss Alabama organization.

The women have been working for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award for the past two years. To qualify, they participated in a program that focuses on four points - Community Service, Special Skills, Physical Fitness, and Great Expeditions or Adventurous Journeys. Two organizations- the Miss America Pageant and the Boy Scouts of America- introduced the program to the United States. It is available to anyone ages 14 to 24 who desires to become a more well-rounded individual while learning to work as a team. 

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was introduced in 1956 by His Royal Highness, Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, to the United Kingdom. The award has over seven million recipients in 132 countries. The medals are awarded on three levels-- the bronze, the silver and the gold-- and each level of achievement can take anywhere from six months to several years to complete. The adventurous journey, which is the final step in the achievement process, can be anything from an camping retreat to crossing the Atlantic in a yacht.  To learn more about the award, visit www.usaward.org.

Also receiving their awards were Miss Alabama Courtney Porter, eight other state titleholders and 30 Miss Alabama contestants. 

Photo: From left, Miss JSU 2012 Beth Milam and Miss JSU 2011 Whitney Curtis with their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. (courtesy- Whitney Curtis)