Arizona’s Katelyn Cai was named the Distinguished Young
Woman of America for 2022, during the 65th Annual
National Finals.
Katelyn is a graduate of BASIS Scottsdale. Her academic
honors include being named a 2022 U.S. Presidential
Scholar, National AP Scholar, Robertson Scholar, Bank of
America Student Leader, and one of Arizona’s 18 under 18.
Outside of the classroom, Katelyn is passionate about
education and equality. The project she devotes most of her
time to is a nonprofit she founded, “Invest in Her.” The idea
was sparked from watching her mother fight for her own
right to an education, inspiring Katelyn to provide equitable
opportunities for women to be successful.
Katelyn enjoys pouring her whole heart into everything she
does. Aside from her nonprofit, Katelyn is also extremely
passionate about speech and debate. She was ranked
Number 2 in the country for extemporaneous speaking.
In the fall, Katelyn will attend Duke University on a full-ride
scholarship as a Robertson Scholar. She will be majoring
in Public Policy and Economics with goals to attend law
school in the future and pursue a career in legislature. After
completing high school with a graduating class of only 77
students, Katelyn says she’s excited to meet lots of new
people and experience life in a new environment!
Winning $46,000 in cash scholarships and a gold medallion
at the national program, Katelyn will represent the Class of
2022 as the Distinguished Young Woman of America during
this year