Be it in a JROTC uniform or a Daffodil Festival tiara, Queen Vivian knows what it takes to be a leader!
On Saturday, March 4th, the annual Daffodil Festival Queen’s Coronation event took place in the auditorium of Mt. Tahoma High School, in order to crown the 2023 Queen of the Royal Court.
One by one, each of the twenty-four Daffodil Princesses took to the stage, giving speeches oriented around this year’s festival theme: “90 Years Around the Sound,” honoring nine decades of the Daffodil Festival’s involvement and community support throughout the Puget Sound area. They also answered an impromptu question, about what values they thought made a great leader. After each Princess was finished, she took her seat in the audience, ready to enjoy the rest of the Royal Court’s answers.
They continued on, until only one seat in the Princess section was left empty: that belonging to Princess Vivian, of Lakes High School, who was still backstage, ready to give speech #24.
Not that this phased her at all. If anything, it gave her some time to get to know her fellow Royal Court members even better.
“In the dressing room, I spent the majority of the time talking with the Princesses,” she says. “Like how excited and nervous we were, and our goals for the future. I really learned a lot about them, and I think that the short experience brought us even closer together.”
The Daffodilians who were assisting backstage were also on hand to keep each Princess calm, and give some much-appreciated advice.
“Mabel [Thompson, the 2023 Director of Royalty] had taught us that whatever happened, we still had our spot at the table, and nobody can take that away… I strongly believed that whatever happened at the end of the night, I wouldn’t lose, because the most important thing to me is the experience of serving others, and I would still be able to do just that, as a Queen or a Princess.”
Despite the delay, her motivation and excitement to take the stage didn’t change. Even while held at the doors to the auditorium – the ones that would shortly open, and allow her to walk to the stage to give her speech – she was bouncing on the balls of her feet, ready to go, joking that once the path was clear, she would get to the mic as quickly as possible.
Less than half an hour later, Queen Vivian was proclaimed the new figurehead of the Daffodil Festival for the 2023 Royal Court!
BACK TO THE BEGINNING
It might surprise you to hear that Vivian hadn’t been as sure about competing for her school’s title in the first place, back in November, when Lakes High School held their Selection.
“From the beginning, I was hesitant to run for Daffodil Princess,” she says. “Just a week earlier, I had been selected to compete for the NCO of the Quarter in JROTC, but I didn’t win. Truthfully, I had lost a little confidence in myself. In the end, I was surrounded by so many people that didn’t hesitate to remind me that I was meant for great things, and I wanted to make them proud.”
Even once she had won the Princess title, and found herself a representative of the Daffodil Festival, she was still surprised by what sort of opportunities would come her way.
“My expectations for becoming a Princess were completely different from what actually happened. I knew I was going to serve the community, but I didn’t expect to have such life-changing interactions throughout my reign.”
For instance, take Princess Practices. These weekly hours-long training sessions – taking place on Saturdays in January – help prepare the Royal Court for their duties as public figures and Official Ambassadors of Pierce County, with self-confidence and professional development held at the forefront.
For Vivian, the most impactful part of these lessons was the number of volunteers willing to dedicate their time and effort to their programming.
“My favorite part of Princess Practices was seeing how many people worked so hard to support the Royal Court. I wrote so many thank you cards, and each one was a reminder to me that there are people that are looking towards us [with] support.”
A little over a month ago, in February, was Princess Promenade, which marked the first official public appearances of the Daffodil Princesses for the festival season, when they are officially crowned with their full title and regalia. Once again, one of the most noteworthy moments for Vivian, had to do with the people who were there to help mark the occasion.
“My favorite part of Promenade is divided in between two things,” she says. “First, I had my First Sergeant there as my escort. He has motivated me from the beginning, and I was so glad that he was able to be there when I crossed the finish line. Second, was the moment that I was getting tapped in as an official Princess. In that moment everything became real to me, and I knew that within the next year I was going to do great things, especially if I had [this] wonderful Court by my side.”
“I WOULD NOT BE WHERE I AM TODAY, IF IT WASN’T FOR THE PEOPLE AROUND ME”
Much of Vivian’s appreciation for her Festival journey thus far has had to do with the people she’s met along the way, but also, those who have been there to support her from the beginning: her family, some of whom were on hand to celebrate at Queen’s Coronation.
“I had my family, including my mom and my two brothers. My Dad, being in the military, was unable to attend in person, but he did watch the live stream, and we even video called as soon as the ceremony was over.”
Vivian also credits her father with instilling some of the values of leadership in her, which will be put to good use during her 2023 Festival reign.
“I grew up watching my dad being a leader, so I always had him as an example. He taught me that leadership is all about how you communicate, and putting others first. He also taught me that the most important thing is effectively leading others, not just what others perceive of you as a leader.”
Having such a vital support system behind her is something for which Vivian will always be thankful.
“My family always goes above and beyond to show their support,” she says, “and I know that they are always cheering me on. I could not be more thankful to them for surrounding me with so much love and support, and that I know I can always rely on them.”
Another nearby leader setting an example was 2023 Daffodil Festival President, Madison Riddle, herself a fellow Lakes alumna, as well as a past Princess of the 2012 Daffodil Festival Royal Court.
Having someone who shares so much in common with Vivian’s own Princess experience has really made an impact on her views of leadership, as well.
“It is a huge inspiration for me, to see such a successful woman coming from similar roots to mine. She is strong, determined, and inspirational and I really look up to her as a role model.”
In fact, Riddle played a part in Vivian’s positive backstage experience at Coronation, too. Before the event had started, President Madison decided to practice her own President’s speech in front of her Royal Court, before they took the stage for their own.
“She took the time to give us her speech in the dressing room, because she knew we wouldn’t be able to hear it later on,” says Vivian. “Her speech was from the heart, and it showed to all of the Court that she was rooting for all of us. Her strength to talk about her own trials during her time in the Court was really heartwarming, and it meant a lot to me to know that she was there for us, regardless of the outcome.”
READY TO LEAD, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
This Spring will no doubt be busy for Queen Vivian. Not only is she tasked with numerous Court appearances and leading the Grand Floral Parade down the streets of Pierce County, but she is also responsible for leading a very different group of local student leadership, too: Vivian is a Second Lieutenant in the Lakes High School JROTC program, takes part in both the Archery and Raiders teams, and serves as Platoon Leader for Alpha Company 3.
“Being part of JROTC has been a major point in my high school experience because the program is always pushing me to go out of my comfort zone, and go above my expectations for myself,” says Vivian. “There are multiple things that I thought I wouldn’t be able to do, such as lead a platoon of over 40 cadets, but my Colonel believed I was a great leader, and he encouraged me to take the position.
“Now I lead all my cadets with confidence, in both my abilities and in theirs. I think JROTC not only teaches you about the importance of the uniform and about leadership, but if a student takes full advantage of it, they can really learn more about themselves, and even about life in general.”
In fact, Vivian’s JROTC participation has already begun to shape her Royal Court experience, as she learns how to dedicate time to both commitments. While it’s expected that Princesses may have had to get excused from classes or club participation to take part in Formal Interviews with the Judging Panel for Coronation, Vivian had to make a few phone calls, too: to find a replacement for that afternoon’s scheduled uniform inspection.
Needless to say, the hard work certainly seems to have been worth it. Because she’s used to the crisp uniforms of JROTC, keeping the white Queen’s dress appearance-ready should be no problem at all!
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE
Now that Coronation is over, and with the rest of the 2023 Daffodil Festival Princesses by her side, Queen Vivian is ready for a Spring full of events and new experiences, one of which will be leading the Grand Floral Parade down the streets of Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, and Orting, on Saturday, April 1st.
It’s a unique experience for festival lovers, and for Vivian, will make for a very special first. Many Daffodil fans might agree that there couldn’t be a better seat in the Parade route for your first time, than that found at the top of the Queen’s Float.
“Unfortunately, I have not been to the Parade before,” she admits. “However, I am still really looking forward to the new experience awaiting me during the annual parade this year!”
It’s not the only parade on Queen Vivian’s line-up, though: as both the Festival figurehead, and in keeping with the Princess’ designation as Official Ambassadors of Pierce County, Vivian will find herself traveling to many out-of-town parades around the Pacific Northwest, representing the Daffodil Festival.
For this, Vivian is prepared as well.
“I grew up traveling, and I can’t imagine my life any other way,” she says. “I love learning about people, and I feel like the best way to do that is by learning about where they come from, including their culture.”
Her ideal travel destination, though, is a bit further off the Daffodil Festival map: Puerto Rico. It may take a little longer for Vivian to get there, but it’s been on her mind for a long time, as it is part of her family history.
“I want to visit Puerto Rico. Despite the fact that I grew up celebrating my heritage and cultural traditions, I left when I was two years old, so I don’t have too many experiences of my beautiful island.”
Since then, thanks to her father’s military background, she’s been able to travel extensively, having visited thirteen countries across the course of her life. She’s also been to nineteen states, and hopes to someday have traveled to all fifty! Puerto Rico, though, will always be in her heart.
“Being connected to my culture is important to me, so in the future I want to go see where my culture originated from.”
While that might be a dream for the future, it’s one of many: Queen Vivian has big plans for after she graduates from Lakes High School this Spring, like pursuing a degree in Business Administration (with a focus in Human Resources) from Western Governors University.
She certainly doesn’t plan on moving on from the Festival quickly, though. In fact, she wants to give back to future members of Festival Royalty, the same ways that past Princesses have supported her.
“I hope to come back to Lakes High School, and help the next Princess candidates prepare for their Selection night,” she says. “And become a Golden Buddy to some Princesses in the future.”
We cannot wait to see all that she will accomplish, during her reign and beyond. Congratulations, Queen Vivian!
Want to see Queen Vivian and the rest of our spectacular 2023 Daffodil Festival Royal Court in action? You can keep up to date with all of our royalty appearances by following the Daffodil Festival on our social media pages, like our Facebook and Instagram!
Our annual Daffodil Festival Grand Floral Parade is coming up on Saturday, April 1st, come rain or shine! And that’s no foolin’. You can see all of our Princesses, as well as local clubs and organizations, high school marching bands, and more, take to the streets of Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, and Orting for our favorite way to celebrate Spring. For more information, click here.
Mark your calendars for other springtime events with Daffodil Princesses, like the Tacoma Yacht Club Marine Parade, which will go sailing down the Thea Foss Waterway on Sunday, April 16th. You can also enjoy the Proctor Junior Daffodil Parade, on Saturday, April 22nd. Tickets for the annual Daffodil Festival Princess Tea go on sale the first week of April, so be ready to snag a few for you and your favorite little princesses, too!