Being a princess for the Indy 500 Festival in Indianapolis means more than just attending events and parading in May.
Young women selected as one of the 33 princesses must be full-time college students willing to give their time to volunteering and outreach to the community.
Three Ball State University students were selected to participate as princesses this year. Beginning in April, they will volunteer and give speeches to their communities about the legacy of the Indianapolis 500.
In May, these students will participate in several activities, including the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and the IPL 500 Festival parade.
Kristen Connor
As a senior marketing major, Connor said she wants to work in sports marketing when she graduates, and the Indy 500 Festival is a good way to get involved in her area of interest.
"I had a couple sorority sisters that went through the program and absolutely loved it and came back and talked to us several times about it. It sounded like a really great experience," she said.
Connor said being a part of the festival means much to her.
"It's a great honor to get to represent the festival and the city of Indianapolis as a whole, and it's a big volunteering opportunity," she said.
Connor said her family has been her main support throughout the process. Her mother encouraged her to apply and has been helping her in the process to organize her outreach speeches and tours.
Connor will speak with elementary students in April about the race and how volunteering affects the community. She said she had previous volunteering experiences before, but not such a big scale.
"I'm nervous a little, but I am way more excited about participating," she said.
Lindsey Moistner
Moistner grew up with a family in which the Indy 500 Festival is an important event. Her father is a drag racer and she got into drag racing when she was 10 years old. Since she was young, her family would take her to the 500 Festival events in May.
"I liked watching other princesses when I was younger, and I always wanted to do that," she said. "I love being a representative. I really like having the role model experience."
Moistner was the Wayne County 4-H Queen when she was younger. Her experience as a role model was one she wanted to repeat, she said.
"What you can give back is so important," she said. "The leadership responsibility and the opportunity to give back to the community were great."
The junior meteorology and climate major works at the Ball State meteorology lab and as a tutor for underclassmen. She also has a part-time job at American Eagle. Her extracurricular activities include serving as secretary of the Ball State Storm Chase team and weather forecaster for NewsLink and NewsWatch.
Her busy schedule has helped Moistner with time management.
"I just learned a lot from that," she said. "I've learned time management skills and responsibility."
Lauren Petersen
For Petersen, becoming one of the 33 princesses of the Indy 500 Festival is another opportunity to reach out to the community and commit to an organization.
Peterson was named Miss Ball State in early 2009 and Homecoming Queen in the fall of that year. This semester, Petersen moved to Indianapolis to intern at the state House of Representatives.
The urban planning major said her experience working with legislators and other political figures has been an opportunity for her to be in a more professional environment.
"I'm really passionate about being an advocate for my community and I'm excited really just to draw to the commitment of excellence," she said.
Petersen said her sister has been a major support in the process; Petersen's sister was a princess in 2009.
"She is so supportive of me being selected and it's great to have learned from her experiences" she said. "And now she can be my No. 1 fan like I was there for her last year."
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