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2009 Derby Festival Princesses Selected
Back to News- Date Published:01/13/2009
The five women selected to serve as Princesses in the 2009 Kentucky Derby Festival's Royal Court were announced today. They are:
Harini Chenne of Owensboro, KY is a senior majoring in Psychology and Pre-Med at the University of Louisville. She is a member of the Arts and Sciences Student Council, a member of the Phi Eta Sigma honor society and is a Guaranteed Entrance into Medical School Scholar.
Sydney Crawley of Lancaster, KY is a sophomore double majoring in Biology and Theatre at Transylvania University in Lexington. She is a member of the Cross Country and Track Teams, recipient of the 2007 Drama Award of Excellence and a member of the School's Dean's List.
Laura Hamilton of Elizabethtown, KY is a senior majoring in Biology at the University of Kentucky. She is a Presidential Scholar, President of the Student Development Council and serves as an Ambassador for UK's college of Arts and Sciences.
Meghan Lampe of Louisville, KY is a senior double-majoring in English and Spanish at Transylvania University in Lexington. She serves as a Resident Advisor, is Captain of the Varsity Field Hockey Team and a member of Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Honor Society.
Sarah Schneider of Jeffersonville, IN is a senior majoring in Communications at the University of Louisville. She is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, has been a member of the school's Dean's List since 2005 and is a volunteer with Kosair Children's Hospital Foundation.
Julia Meador of Shelbyville, KY was chosen as the first alternate. Elizabeth Self of Louisville, 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 2009 Derby Festival, attending nearly 70 events over a two-week period. Twenty-seven were selected as finalists out of the more than 90 original applicants for the five Princess positions, and all attended the final judging this week. 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 Your Community Bank Poster Premiere on January 22 to their appearance in the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade on April 30. 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 17 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 Royal Court Program is coordinated by The Fillies, Inc., a volunteer group that works closely with the Festival. Fillies President Jeanette Aboud joined 2009 Derby Festival Chairman Chris Dickinson 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 four 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.
Harini Chenne of Owensboro, KY is a senior majoring in Psychology and Pre-Med at the University of Louisville. She is a member of the Arts and Sciences Student Council, a member of the Phi Eta Sigma honor society and is a Guaranteed Entrance into Medical School Scholar.
Sydney Crawley of Lancaster, KY is a sophomore double majoring in Biology and Theatre at Transylvania University in Lexington. She is a member of the Cross Country and Track Teams, recipient of the 2007 Drama Award of Excellence and a member of the School's Dean's List.
Laura Hamilton of Elizabethtown, KY is a senior majoring in Biology at the University of Kentucky. She is a Presidential Scholar, President of the Student Development Council and serves as an Ambassador for UK's college of Arts and Sciences.
Meghan Lampe of Louisville, KY is a senior double-majoring in English and Spanish at Transylvania University in Lexington. She serves as a Resident Advisor, is Captain of the Varsity Field Hockey Team and a member of Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Honor Society.
Sarah Schneider of Jeffersonville, IN is a senior majoring in Communications at the University of Louisville. She is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, has been a member of the school's Dean's List since 2005 and is a volunteer with Kosair Children's Hospital Foundation.
Julia Meador of Shelbyville, KY was chosen as the first alternate. Elizabeth Self of Louisville, 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 2009 Derby Festival, attending nearly 70 events over a two-week period. Twenty-seven were selected as finalists out of the more than 90 original applicants for the five Princess positions, and all attended the final judging this week. 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 Your Community Bank Poster Premiere on January 22 to their appearance in the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade on April 30. 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 17 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 Royal Court Program is coordinated by The Fillies, Inc., a volunteer group that works closely with the Festival. Fillies President Jeanette Aboud joined 2009 Derby Festival Chairman Chris Dickinson 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 four 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.
