Franklin College junior Jessica Haggard was recently crowned an Indianapolis 500 Princess.
Haggard is an elementary education major. She is also a member of Pi Beta Phi, Spanish club, Student Foundation and the Education Club treasurer.
Haggard has been going to the Indianapolis 500 race since she was very young and racing has always been a part of her family.
“I remember as a little girl going to the parade and waving to the princesses,” Haggard said.
Initially Haggard had never been interested in applying to be a princess, but last year, when three FC women were part of the process, it caught her attention.
Haggard applied online over Thanksgiving break, filling out basic information and writing an essay about her most treasured community service effort. Then there were two separate interviews, starting with 247 girls. After that a cut was made to only 66 girls. At the second interview candidates are interviewed in two different ways; there is a panel interview and a group interview.
The judging panel is made out of people who are influential in the Indy area. These are people like small business owners, people involved in the community, and influential women. The judges decide 33 young women to compete to become the Indy 500 Princess. The number 33 symbolizes the 33 drivers that compete in the actual Indianapolis 500 race.
Starting in the beginning of March, Haggard and the rest of the princesses will be in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, participating in group community service efforts and involved in basically anything in Indianapolis that they need a representative for until late April.
As a princess, Haggard is required to do at least three community outreach programs herself. But Haggard said that if she would want to be crowned queen that she would have to do more than that.
“But being an education major I have so many teachers that have asked me to come back that I already have five or six community outreach programs planned,” Haggard said. “You can do anything in the world. The one I am most excited for, my dad has a friend whose daughter had a benign tumor but has put a lot of pressure on her spine and neck, and she is only six. So she can’t talk, she can’t walk, she is bedridden. So I am going to have a princess-for-a-day with her, spend the day with her and bring her a tiara and read a princess book,” Haggard said.
On April 19, Haggard will attend a get-together as a celebration for everyone involved. She will participate in a 30 second speech along with the other princesses in the contest. Those points will be used to determine who is crowned Queen.
This experience is especially important to Haggard, because she will not only be a princess but also will be participating in the Indy Mini Marathon for the first time ever.
“I knew I wanted to run for princess, but I thought I would try to do both because I did not think that I would get princess the first try,” Haggard said.