Editor's note: Distinguished Young Women contestants each year submit diary entries to AL.com/Press-Register throughout the competition. The best entry of the day is printed online along with a video diary from the contestant. One overall winner will be chosen for a $1,000 scholarship provided by the newspaper. Today's winner is Ally Malone of Oregon.

Ally Malone of Oregon is day two's winner of the AL.com/Press Register diary competition submitted Wednesday, June 19. (Fara Illich/fillich@al.com)

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Having faith can be risky, according to Ally Malone, the

finalist from Oregon. She says trusting others is not something that came easy when she first arrived in Mobile on Sunday, along with 49 of her competitors.

Before the three-day scholarship competition, which begins Thursday, June 27, the girls spend nearly two weeks team-building and volunteering as part of their national finals experience. It was during a team-building exercise at Camp Grace that Malone says she finally let down her walls, and learned how to let others in.

Ally Malone's Winning Diary

Having faith is an intimidating risk. It is one of the hardest things that I have had to overcome. However, last night I realized the irreplaceable growth that can result from utter faith.

The sight of Camp Grace took my breath away. I was entranced with the green grass, vivacious trees and the reflective lake. It was a picturesque setting that seemed to belong in a romantic novel. Immediately I felt a sense of peace. This peace infected my mind and quickly replaced all anxiety over the competition. In result, I dropped my protective walls: the first step to faith.

We went to a rope course that required a group to constantly work with each other. The hardest obstacle was jumping across wood planks that were five to seven feet apart. On the first step, we held on to one another so tight that my finger joints were sore and my palms were dripping with perspiration. Looking down I saw the danger of our height. I imagined helplessly falling. Looking up, I caught the eye of the young woman next to me. Her eyes were bright blue and her face was red from her dislike of heights. Although there was fear in her eyes, there was an undeniable sense of trust. It was clear that she trusted our rope family to help her across. I was instantly inspired to be someone that she could trust.

We took our first leap easily by pulling each other across, but I always held on the side rope for extra protection. On the longest distance, the other girls almost fell while they made the leap. I was the last to go. The protection of the side rope was not possible on this one. My heart was racing. What if they don't catch me, I thought. The idea of putting my safety into the hands of someone else made my knees weak. So I stood, petrified on the plank while the girls on the other side were waiting. I could feel my protective walls returning. Before they engulfed me I made eye contact with the bright blue-eyed girl. I remembered the trust that was in them earlier. Instantly the protective walls crumbled. I actually trusted her to catch me. In that moment, not even stopping to breathe, I made the leap of faith.

This leap of faith led to the bonding of our rope family. Not only did my protective covering fall, but also I made six new best friends that I felt a strong connection to. Faith is a strong emotion. It brings growth, friendship and unbelievable confidence. This will be a memory that I will always look back on for encouragement and inspiration.