power. purpose. passion.

So I get asked this question a lot....

"What exactly is the Princess Program?"

Wow. Hmm. That shouldn't be a difficult question. I mean, c'mon. I live and breathe this Program. I love this Program. I was a part of this Program. But I mean, honestly...how do I describe the Princess Program without taking up 4 to 5 hours of the person's time??

And 4 to 5  hours is just a low-ball time estimate.

It's extremely difficult to describe the Princess Program in just one sentence. But how about just 5 words....

The 500 Festival Princess Program is about empowering women. We hope all of our Princesses feel like we gave them the tools and resources to take over the world. We want them to feel equipped to lead, to change, to advance, to drive, to launch. We want to be a culture that gives college women every advantage possible. 

More importantly (or equally as important) our Princesses have power. They have purpose. They have passion. We want every young women who comes through our program to know/embrace/understand/embody power, purpose and passion. 

So what exactly is the Princess Program? 

Great question. I'm glad you asked.

It's about empowering women through power, purpose and passion. 
And we have the time of our lives doing it!

creating unforgettable memories.

So many words come to mind when I think of the Princess Program. 

My time as a Princess was, hands down, the best time I've experienced so far. Literally. My love for the Princess Program runs deep...and it's because of the beautiful memories I have from wearing that sash and tiara on my head. And I know most, if not all, of our Princess Alumnae would agree with me.

Creating Unforgettable Memories.

That's what this program is all about.

Empowering Women.
Power. Purpose. Passion.

celebrating each other.

I have a vision. 

It's not a new concept. It's not a difficult concept.

But it's a vision nonetheless.

Women celebrating women. 

See? I told you it was simple.

My vision for the Princess Program is to be a group of women who aren't each other's worst enemies. But instead to be a group of women who choose celebration. 

Above jealously.

Above insecurity.

Above resentfulness.

We chose celebration!

We chose to celebrate each other's victories. Successes. Accomplishments.

Let's empower each other. Because (as Beyonce says) Girls Rule The World!!

the luck of the Irish!

Per tradition, the 500 Festival Princesses were asked to participate in the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Monday, March 17th.

It never fails...it's always a cold, windy day! But these girls rocked it with smiles on their faces in their black and white and green!

Unfortuantely for us, St. Patrick's Day always falls during one of the two weeks we have Princesses on Spring Break--but the Princesses who showed up got their very first experience with waving to people in a parade! I think they are going to be ready for the IPL 500 Festival Parade in no time!!

The Princesses with WTHR-Channel 13 report AnneMarie Tiernon...also known as Princess Emma's mom!!

Sure. Becca and I did happen to ride in the very warm Timing Vehicle during the parade. I have no shame in admitting that. Also, this is typically my face when dealing with these 33 rugrats! (I joke. I joke.)

We started a new tradition last year of climbing on top one of the IFD's ladders for a picture. A dangerous moment, but what the heck?

This girl. Good grief. Love me some Becca!!

Becca playing Head's Up with the girls before the parade. Anything to keep warm.

The parade was followed by a fabulous lunch at our fabulous sponsor The Sanctuary on Penn!

Princess For A Day!

One of the most favorite and most anticipated events for the Princesses is the "Princess For A Day" event, benefiting Flashes of Hope! (Side note: if you haven't heard of Flashes of Hope....listen for them flashesofhope.org. But really.)

But really. The girls lovelovelove this event, and I always have a ton of girls who want to participate in this! Of course, this year the event was originally snowed out....typical of this HORRIBLE winter. But don't worry, they rescheduled it and it was still an amazing event!!

Gotta love this. My good friend Jovanna and her awesome cakes from The Cakehole were in attendance. So this girl is my favorite. She's amaze-balls. (Cake balls).

Why is this so perfect? Princess Patia's face is my favie!

Purdue WIB Conference!

Bucket List Item.....CHECK!

On March 8th, I was asked to be one of the keynote speakers at the Purdue University Women In Business conference.

Say what?? 

What the heck do I know about business? I mean, I do know a lot about Purdue (thankyouverymuch)...but business, not so much. Regardless, I agreed to give it my best shot.

And of course I turned it into an appearance for some of the Purdue Princesses (new and old). I loved every second of spending time at my beloved alma mater. I loved every second of spending time with my beloved Becca (2013 Princess). I loved every second of spending time with my beloved Princesses.

Oh and awkwardly enough, I loved every moment of speaking in front of people. Loved it. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Seriously. It was the MOST fun.

10K Training Series!

On Saturday, March 1st, the 500 Festival had their 10K Training Series presented by OrthoIndy. The Princesses, along with volunteers from the Hilton Hotel, worked a water/Gatorade station in between mile 3 and 4.

It was a super cold morning. It was an early morning.

But these little nuggets looked gorgeous and smiled and laughed their way through the whole morning. I can't imagine how much fun we're going to have at the Mini, if we had this much fun at the 10K!