Who will represent Indiana?

Twenty-four girls are competing this week for the title of Indiana Junior Miss, including two from Porter County.

Kayla Weston, of Valparaiso, and Nessa Junyanid, of Portage, are ready for the week of competitions.

Weston, 17, and a senior at Valparaiso High School, is the daughter of Mickey and Lisa Weston.

"I'm really excited to be a part of this, and am a little nervous about all the preliminary days," she said. "But this is a fun experience."

Weston said she has already formed friendships, and feels they will last a very long time.

"These girls are amazing," Weston said.

Weston is excited about the talent portion because she loves to perform in front of people. She will play a piece on the piano for the competition.

She is most nervous about the opening number because the girls will have to dance to Michael Jackson's "Beat It."

"I'm an athlete, not a dancer so that is my biggest challenge," she said.

Junyanid, a senior at Portage High School, is the daughter of Tippy and Nat Junyanid of Portage.

"I am more excited than nervous to be here," Junyanid said. "Today is our second day and Monday we learned our opening number."

Junyanid is most nervous about the self-expression portion of the competition.

"That is where we get a questions a couple of hours before the show and we answer it on stage," she said. "I am not much of a public speaker."

For the talent portion Junyanid will be singing an original song she wrote.

"I performed it for the local competition and changed it a little for this one," she said.

Both girls will be judged throughout the week on scholastics, interview, talent, fitness and self expression. The finals take place Saturday.

Indiana’s Junior Miss Scholarship Program is an official preliminary of America’s Junior Miss, a scholarship program for high school senior girls.

The winner at the state level will compete June 24 in the AJM National Finals in Mobile, Ala.

The people competing in Frankfort are Haylei Banister (Anderson), Natalie Grimes (Avon), Casey Hueni (Bremen), Morgan Austgen (Cedar Lake), Courtney Jameson (Clinton County), Rachel Hoyt (Delaware County), Megan Wade (Elkhart), Carolyn Konopa (Howard County), Caitlin Mills (Jackson County), Anna Malaika NtiAsare (LaPorte), Abby Thorne (Lawrence County), Laura Gray (Ligonier), Cassandra Schnelle and Hillary Hardesty (Lowell), Adeline Jackson (Miami County), Alyssa Bourdon (Middlebury), Kelsea Simpson (Montgomery County), Casey Thomas (Plainfield), Nessa Junyanid (Portage), Allynn McInerney (Greater Tippecanoe County), Morgan McClarnon (Triton), Megan Sheppard (Tri-West), Kayla Weston (Valparaiso) and Mindi Hoffman (Whitley County).