When Lexi Bumah ‘25 walked onto the TedxYouth stage in downtown Dayton in 2021, she talked about taking chances. During her talk, “YOLO,” she explained why taking risks in life is important. Towards the end of her talk, she said, “Please remember this, you can’t control what chances you’ll receive, but we do know that we should: one, weigh the risk versus reward, and two, go for it if the reward seems greater than the risk.”
Bumah stood by her own advice which has resulted in many achievements including placing second runner-up for November’s 2025 Distinguished Young Women (DYW) of Ohio competition. After being selected as the 2025 Distinguished Young Women of Montgomery County, she had the opportunity to compete in the statewide program last November in Maryville, Ohio and was awarded a $2,000 cash scholarship.
“As a student leader in our school, Lexi is a wonderful candidate for this honor,” said Greg Mueller, principal. “She continues demonstrating her leadership skills in school and the greater Dayton community. I look forward to watching Lexi continue to lead after she graduates as a member of the CJ Class of 2025.”
Last summer, Bumah discovered the DYW program while researching how to be an ideal candidate for a sorority once at college. Looking at the DYW website, she liked the organization’s mission, “To positively impact the lives of young women by providing a transformative experience that promotes leadership and talent.”
Bumah decided to fill out the application to be a candidate for Montgomery County last August. After her interview with DYW representatives in September, she learned in October that she had been selected to represent Montgomery County and would attend the DYW orientation in preparation for the November competition.
On November 16, Bumah and nine other high school seniors across Ohio traveled to Maryville’s Veteran Memorial Auditorium to compete for the opportunity to represent the state as the Distinguished Young Woman of Ohio for 2025.
These young women were evaluated by a panel of five judges in the categories of scholastics, interview, talent, fitness, and self-expression. Bumah played the violin in addition to performing a spoken word poem she had written for her talent entry, and danced a routine for the fitness portion.
“Lexie’s success as second runner-up in Ohio’s Distinguished Young Women program was well deserved,” said Wendy Nuspl, the state chairperson of Distinguished Young Women of Ohio. “She won the categories of Interview and Self-Expression, both of which attest to her confidence, poise and ability to communicate. Her public speaking experience prepared her well for that component of the program. She truly epitomized the motto that the DYW program upholds, ‘Be Your Best Self.’ It was a pleasure to work with Lexie and see her push herself to bring her best to the program!”
“I loved the experience,” said Bumah. “Everyone was so sweet. We all bonded at a pizza and paint party and I learned the importance of collaborating with a group throughout the competition.”
The DYW recognition was just one of the many new experiences that Bumah gained by “going for it.” After giving her TED talk in 2021, she was invited to be the master of ceremony at the 2022 Ted Youth event. Serving on the TEDXYouth Dayton Committee for the past two years, she and the rest of the committee select youth speakers and help them perfect their presentations. She is also a member of the High IQ Society, Mensa, and is the gifted youth ambassador for Mensa’s chapter in Dayton.
Bumah developed a passion for journalism while working as a 2019 Time for Kids (TFK) kid reporter. From this experience, she was chosen to host the first-ever TIME-produced podcast, TFK Explains. She is a columnist and former marketing manager for iWRITE Youth Club, an online kids’ magazine.
Giving back to her community is important to Bumah. Her volunteer experiences include working on special projects like “Letters of Love,” where she designed cards for children with chronic health conditions at Dayton Children’s Hospital. Bumah also enjoys helping young students work on their homework at Adventure Central, an after-school program at Wesleyan Metropark, and finds time to tutor grade school students in reading and writing.
At Chaminade Julienne, Bumah is a Faith Leader in God’s Hands Today (FLIGHT) Leader and a Living in Faith Experiences (LIFE) Leader in CJ’s ministry department. She was a co-founder of the initiative to bring ‘jubilee’ style debates to junior religion classes last year. According to the Jubilee Youtube channel, they gather folks with different views to debate in hopes it will “provoke understanding while creating human connection.” As a Senior Events and Activities Team (SEAT) member, a neighborhood council representative, and Eagle Ambassador, Lexi stays active in the CJ community. After graduating this spring, Bumah plans to study business management and finance during college, with designs on attending Harvard Law afterward.
Bumah encourages her fellow CJ students to “go for it” and search and apply for great opportunities out in the community. From her TED talk bio: “Success in life requires taking risks, but telling the smart risks from the not-so-smart risks takes humility, growth, and bravery.”