Trine student Olivia Parker named 500 Festival Princess

By Mackenzie Rosenau
English ’26

Olivia Parker, a Trine University junior from Lebanon, Indiana, majoring in exercise science, was recently chosen to be a 500 Festival Princess.

Each year, 33 college-aged women are chosen to be 500 Festival Princesses and to serve as ambassadors for the Indy 500 and the 500 Festival. Achieving this position is a high honor and allows those chosen to spread their knowledge about the Indy 500 and give back to their hometowns.

Olivia said, “My role is to help educate people about the 500 Festival and all the incredible events it puts on. I can also help teach people about the history behind the 500 and its traditions. I am so excited to teach people more about the 500 and its importance to Indiana.”

Olivia has known about the 500 Festival Princess program for many years due to her father and brothers being involved with setting up for the 500 Festival Parade in her youth. As a result, she grew up attending the parade and was always inspired by the 500 Festival Princesses, hoping to one day become one herself.

She said, “My favorite part of the parade has always been seeing the princesses.”

When making the decision to apply for this role, Olivia’s passion to help the community influenced her choice. She wanted to make an impact on the community at Trine but also give back to her home of Boone County, Indiana.

She said, “Boone County has been instrumental in shaping me into the person I am today, as well as providing me with incredible experiences to further myself. I wanted to give back to my community and help teach younger girls that they can do anything they set their minds to.”

Olivia is especially looking forward to helping out with her old elementary school’s Kindy 500, where the students construct their own cardboard cars and race them to celebrate the Indy 500.

“I am so excited to go back home and help teach these kids more about the 500 and help them get ready for the incredible month that is May in Indiana,” Olivia said.

The application process to become a 500 Festival Princess was no easy task. Olivia had to go through three stages of evaluation before being selected as one of the princesses. She first submitted an online questionnaire detailing her leadership and community service experience, which then led her to being chosen for a short in-person interview with a panel of judges in Indianapolis. Finally, she moved on to the last stage in the process, a short five-minute Zoom interview.

Olivia was excited to be selected as one of the 500 Festival Princesses and see her hard work and dedication pay off.

She said, “It felt incredible to be selected. This has been something that I have wanted to apply for since my sophomore year of college and I am so excited for the chance to be able to represent my hometown and Boone County as well as Trine University.”