Derby Princess Diaries (Courier-Journal)
These five young women were selected to serve as Princesses for the 2008 Kentucky Derby Festival. They are:
Kathryn (Katie) Elizabeth Allen of Louisville, KY is a senior majoring in Management at Belmont University in Nashville. She is a Phi Mu Presidential Award Recipient, a member of the school’s Dean’s List since 2004 and a Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital intern.
Charis Elaine Botelho of Ft. Campbell, KY is a senior majoring in Biology at the University of Louisville. She is a Provost’s Hallmark Award Scholar, a McConnell Scholar, a Cardinal Host for the U of L President’s Office and a Salvation Army volunteer.
Talea Renee Drummer of Lexington, KY and Cleveland, OH is a Master’s Student majoring in College Student Personnel at the University of Louisville. She is a member of the Kappa Delta Pi International Honors Society for Education, a former National Pan-Hellenic Council President at Miami University and a volunteer with the undergraduate Inter-Fraternity Institute.
Christin Herbst of Columbia, KY is a senior majoring in Agricultural Biotechnology at the University of Kentucky. She is a member of the University of Kentucky Block and Bridle Club, a recipient of a National Science Foundation Fellowship and a volunteer at the Kentucky Horse Park.
December Dawn Parker of Benton, KY is a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering/Pre-Dental at the University of Louisville. She is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, a member of the school’s Dean’s List for six consecutive semesters and a coach for Girls on the Run of Louisville.
Carly Schneider of Louisville, KY was chosen as the first alternate. Kendra Leigh Clayton of Benton, KY was chosen as the second alternate. They will become Princesses if one of the other women is unable to serve.
The five young women selected as Princesses will act as ambassadors for the 2008 Derby Festival, attending nearly 70 events over a three-week period. Fifteen were selected as finalists out of the more than 90 original applicants for the five Princess positions, and all 15 attended the final judging this week at the Old Medical School Building. None of them knew in advance who had been selected.
The court will represent the Derby Festival and the city of Louisville as official ambassadors for the springtime tradition of the Kentucky Derby Festival. They will attend nearly every official Derby Festival event beginning with the Poster Premiere on January 31 to their appearance in the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade on May 1. In addition, they will attend the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and make visits to schools to discuss the importance of volunteerism.
One of the five women will be crowned the Derby Festival Queen by a spin-of-the-wheel at the annual Fillies’ Derby Ball on April 18 at the Galt House East Grand Ballroom. Each woman will receive a $2000 scholarship ($1000 from the Fillies and $1000 from the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation).
The Derby Festival’s Princess Program is coordinated by The Fillies, Inc., a volunteer group that works closely with the Festival. Fillies President Nancy Rust joined 2008 Derby Festival Chairman Nancy Norris in crowning the newly appointed court.
Candidates for the Princess Program must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade-point average and are selected by a panel of three out-of-state judges. Criteria for selection includes knowledge of the Derby Festival, poise, intelligence, personality and campus and community involvement. The first Derby Festival Princess was crowned in 1957, the second year of the Festival. Previous Princesses have included former Kentucky Governor Martha Layne Collins and Gail Gorski, the first female pilot ever hired by United Airlines.
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
