INDIANAPOLIS (May 16, 2015) – The 500 Festival announced today that Ali Mathena of Whiteland was crowned the 2015 500 Festival Queen at the Breakfast at the Brickyard, presented by Midwestern Engineers, Inc. Mathena is a junior at Purdue University where she is studying Public Health. She is one of 33 young women who were selected for the 2015 500 Festival Princess Program, where they serve as ambassadors for the 500 Festival. She is a graduate of Whiteland Community High School.

Princess Natalie Lorenzano of Indianapolis, who is pursuing a M.S. in Biology at IUPUI, and Princess Alexis Nash of Indianapolis, a senior at Indiana University Kokomo majoring in Communications, were selected as 2015 500 Festival Princess Court members. 500 Festival Princess  Abby Lauck of Greenwood, a senior at IUPUI studying Health Services Management, was named Miss Congeniality. 

The 500 Festival Queen and Princesses attend 500 Festival events and volunteer throughout the month of May. In addition, the 33 princesses are involved with statewide outreach programs of their choosing. Princesses also participate in the Indianapolis 500 Victory Circle celebration.

As 500 Festival Queen, Mathena is the recipient of a $1,500 educational scholarship from the 500 Festival. In addition, Mathena will wear a jeweled crown, provided by G. Thrapp Jewelers, at 500 Festival events and the Indianapolis 500. She will participate in a variety of appearances throughout the week and participate in the Indianapolis 500 pre-race and Victory Circle celebrations. She will continue to represent the 500 Festival at various functions throughout the year.

The 500 Festival Princess Program has a long history of celebrating Indiana’s most civic-minded, poised, academically driven college-aged women. Serving as a 500 Festival Princess provides young women with once-in-a-life-time experiences and countless opportunities for leadership and professional development. New in 2015, each 500 Festival Princess will receive a $1,000 scholarship, made possible in part by Marlyne Sexton, an Indianapolis philanthropist and president of The Sexton Companies.

The 2015 500 Festival Princesses represent nine Indiana colleges and universities and 29 cities and towns across the state. With a cumulative GPA of 3.4, this year’s 500 Festival Princesses were selected from hundreds of applicants based upon on their communication skills, poise, academic performance and community involvement.

To be eligible for the 500 Festival Princess Program, applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 23, single and legal residents of Indiana. Candidates must also be full-time students in a fully-accredited Indiana college or university and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

G.Thrapp Jewelers is a sponsor of the 500 Festival Princess Program. Additional support of the program is provided by: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Vera Bradley, The Sanctuary on Penn, retro 101, Macy’s, and the 500 Festival Foundation.  

EDITOR’S NOTES:

To download photos of Ali Mathena, Alexis Nash,  Natalie Lorenzano, or Abby Lauck click their names.

Individual and group photos can be downloaded at: https://www.500festival.com/2015princesses.

About the 500 Festival

Founded in 1957, the 500 Festival is a not-for-profit organization that produces more than 50 life-enriching events and programs while celebrating the spirit and legacy of the Indianapolis 500 and fostering positive impact on the city of Indianapolis and state of Indiana. One of the largest festivals in the nation, each year more than half a million people attend an event or program produced by the 500 Festival. Since its founding, the 500 Festival has contributed more than $350 million in economic value to Indianapolis. To learn more about the 500 Festival, please visit www.500festival.com, follow us on Twitter @500festival, or on Facebook.

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Press Contact:
Sabrina List
500 Festival VP of Marketing & Communication
slist@500festival.com
Office: 317.614.6141