Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to The Buzz: Blog and our Alumnae Spotlights! We are reigniting this effort by starting with a short interview with the 2025 Daffodil Festival President, Marin Sasaki-Boyce! Marin served as the Orting Princess in 2017 under President Ernie Ouellette. Their theme, Daffodil Paradise, brought the warm sun to our chilly Pacific Northwest spring. She was crowned Daffodil Queen that year and has been personally involved with the Festival ever since! In the past, Marin has also served as the Festival’s Director of Events. This year she chose the theme “Growing Locally” to recognize both those involved in the local economy and the Daffodil princesses who grow and invest in the Pierce County community. Her main goal for this year? “I just want it to be fun!”
Q: Tell us about your journey with the Daffodil Festival.
A: “My family has been involved with the Daffodil Festival for generations. My great-great-aunt Mae Sasaki was one of the first four Daffodil Princesses from Orting High School in 1950- when Orting provided four Princesses for the Festival. Then, my great-aunt Denise Sasaki was an Orting Daffodil Princess in 1972, and my aunt Stephanie Sasaki was a Daffodil Princess in 1983, also representing Orting. I then became the Orting Daffodil Princess in 2017 and was later crowned the Daffodil Queen. After my year as Daffodil Queen concluded, I stayed involved with the Festival helping support social media efforts and events. I eventually served on the Board of Directors as the Director of Events and was elected President this past Fall. I feel so lucky to represent not only my long familial lineage of Daffodil Princesses but our beloved Festival as a whole.”
Fun fact: Marin’s aunt Stephanie joined us this year as a judge for Princess selections! Thank you, Stephanie!
Q: Tell us why the Daffodil Festival is important to you.
A: “I had a great experience as a Daffodil Princess and I want to continue the possibility of this experience for other girls. The Festival now represents 24 Pierce County high schools, which is incredible. The Daffodil Festival is such an influential pillar in our community and it’s important to me to keep it alive. I love the things we do for our community, and I love being able to work for our cause alongside some of my best friends! It’s important to me to see the festival continue to support the young women in our communities and empower them to give back locally.”
Fun fact: Marin serves on the Daffodil Festival Board with two other members from her court! Her bestie, Katie Bell (Fife), serves as our Director of Membership, and 2017’s Miss Congeniality, Meghan LaLiberte (Rogers), serves as our Director of Events!
Q: Why did you want to become Festival President?
A: “I never thought I would be Festival President this soon… I really thought that maybe I would run for President in 2030 or even later. It kind of fell into my lap and I was surprised, but I also thought it was something that is a great opportunity. The Festival is important to me and I enjoy giving back, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to invest in my community and grow my leadership and organizational skills.”
When Marin says it fell into her lap, she really means it! Marin was prepared to continue serving as the Director of Events when she was nominated for President-Elect. She took this surprise in stride and has done an excellent job leading the Festival so far this term!
Q: What lessons did you learn as Royalty that helped you in adulthood?
A: “I gained so many skills during my time as Daffodil Royalty but something that sticks with me to this day is organization, time management, and just the appreciation of people from all walks of life. As a Daffodil Princess, I was running from school to appearances, to practices, so it was a pivotal experience in learning how to juggle many things.”
And she’s still running and managing a busy, exciting life! Marin currently lives in Bellingham and yet she was able to make the trip from up North 14 times for this Selection Season.
Q: Which Daffodilians inspired you the most and why?
A: “I have so much adoration for all of the Daffodilians! Each Daffodilian has made an impression on my life in one way or another. I think that is what’s so special about the Daffodil Festival- the people involved are truly kind, caring, strong, smart, and supportive. I can’t pick just one!”
We can’t agree more! Interested in becoming a part of this Pierce County tradition? Fill out this form to get involved: https://thedaffodilfestival.org/get-involved/
Q: Tell us about your life outside of the Festival. What do you do for work and for fun?
A: “I work full time as a Senior Program Manager for a Pharma Marketing company based in Seattle. I manage internal teams and financials for various clients. And I work fully remote, which majorly contributes to my ability to be so flexible and involved with the Festival. Outside of my job and my many hours dedicated to the Daffodil Festival, I love spending time with my wonderful husband Greg, my dad, my friends, and my family. On the rare occasion I have free time, I like to ski Mt. Baker, sew, craft, bake sourdough, & try new recipes! One of my favorite things is to explore local events, breweries, bakeries & markets in our area.”
P.S. Marin’s sourdough is DELICIOUS. Those hours spent baking certainly pay off!
Thank you, President Marin, for your time answering our questions and your dedication to the Daffodil Festival! We can’t wait to see how you lead us through the 2025 Festival season!
Watch the Grand Floral parade from Marin’s year as Queen! You can fast forward to the Queen’s float at 6:55. https://youtu.be/c4cFEaH0DSU?si=9l7ekknHe796HRDb