Sophomore interior design major Jennifer Eakins walked in the Indianapolis St. Patrick's Day Parade as a representative of the Indianapolis 500 Festival Tuesday.
She passed out candy to children lining the streets, watched the crowd celebrate St. Patrick's Day and said she enjoyed "seeing the hype of the city."
Eakins and senior speech pathology and audiology major Jeanette Young are among 33 young women from Indiana selected to be Indianapolis 500 Festival Princesses.
Although the St. Patrick's Day Parade wasn't a mandatory event for the princesses, Eakins said she made the trip because she wants to be involved in as many events as she can during her reign.
"You get what you put in," she said.
Eakins said she decided to apply for the position after watching her roommate go through the application process last year.
The girls were among 245 applicants, Eakins said. They underwent what she called an "intense interview process," consisting of two rounds of four-minute sessions.
Young said her confidence and campus involvement helped her stand out among the competition. She said she volunteers time to "Motivate Our Minds," a program dedicated to serving underserved children in Delaware County.
During the interview process, Eakins said the hardest question for her to answer was why she wanted to be a Festival princess. For Eakins, the race is much more than just that. She said her family has been attending the event for the past 13 years and that it has been a memorable part of her life.
The princesses were announced Feb. 21. The princesses represent 10 colleges and 25 cities within the state.
Since being selected, the girls have attended an orientation where they began learning about the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They were also paired with a previous princess who acts as a mentor for the incoming princesses during their reign.
Young said despite the title of "princess," the position has nothing to do with a beauty pageant.
"Learning about one of the greatest experiences in racing, networking and being able to help and give back to the celebration of Indianapolis is great," Young said.
Because she's a senior, this year was Young's last year to be eligible for the title. She said she would have done it earlier if she'd known about the opportunity and encourages all young women to look into the program as a way to get more involved in Indiana.
The 33 women will participate in a number of community programs during May, including educating kids about the importance of the race, passing out drinks at the mini-marathon race and cleaning up the city of Indianapolis, Eakins said.
Young said she is most looking forward to race weekend and the Festival Parade, in which the princesses will be walking.
"I love the atmosphere that the race brings to Indy," Young said.
A Festival Queen will be selected from the group and crowned the week before the Indy 500 at the Breakfast at the Brickyard. The queen will receive a $2,500 scholarship, according to 500festival.com.
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