HANCOCK COUNTY — Two women, hailing from Fortville and New Palestine, were recently named as 2017 500 Festival princesses.
The women are Ashley Spears and Allie Watson.
Spears, of Fortville, is a graduate of Mt. Vernon High School and a senior at IUPUI majoring in human resource management and business management. Watson, of New Palestine, is a graduate of New Palestine High School and a graduate student at Butler University studying to be a physician’s assistant.
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The 500 Festival Princess Program aims to celebrate Indiana’s most civic-minded, academically driven college-aged women.
Serving as a 500 Festival Princess provides young women with opportunities for leadership, networking and professional development. The 500 Festival Princesses will participate in the 500 Festival Leadership Development Program, which empowers participants to make a profound impact within their community and Indiana.
The 500 Festival Princess Program provides each princess a $1,000 scholarship.
“With more than 50 years of history, the program provides each young woman an extraordinary experience,” said Kathy Cabello, 500 Festival board member and Princess Program committee co-chair. “The 500 Festival is proud to guide Indiana’s next generation of leaders.”
The 2017 Festival Princesses represents 13 universities and 22 cities and towns across the state. Averaging a cumulative GPA of 3.7, the princesses were selected among hundreds of other applicants based on communication skills, leadership, scholarship, commitment to service and professionalism.
Among the 33 2017 Festival Princesses, one princess will be selected as The 500 Festival Queen and will receive an additional $1,500 scholarship. The queen will be crowned May 20 during the morning of the 500 Festival Breakfast at the Brickyard.
To learn more about the 500 Festival’s Princess Program and the 2017 Princesses, visit500 festival.com/princessprogram.
