500 Festival Princesses volunteer at the Indy Mini Marathon May 6.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
For some, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a second home.
But this month, the Indy 500 and its festivities have taken on a new meaning for five Johnson County women who spent their childhoods attending the race. Julia Boston, Elaina Connell, Caitlyn Ebert, Meredith Fain and Magdalene Joseph are among 33 young women selected as 500 Festival Princesses.
With this distinction, they’ve participated in community service opportunities and been paired with mentors from the 500 Festival Board of Directors. They will also receive $1,000 scholarships and will take part in the revelry of the 500 Festival Parade on May 27 in downtown Indianapolis and the 107th Indy 500 the next day.
The women were selected after two rounds of interviews, including questions about their personal goals, community service experience and their desire to be a 500 Festival Princess.
Julia Boston
Boston, a Center Grove graduate who attends Purdue University, said being a 500 Festival Princess was a lifelong dream after spending her childhood at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, or IMS. She first visited the track when she was two months old, when her mother welcomed foreign exchange students from Switzerland and wanted to show them the speedway.
“I grew up at IMS. The entire month of May is a holiday for my family. I knew from a very young age, interacting with the princesses was my favorite part of the month,” she said. “Since I was a little girl, it’s been a lifelong dream and goal of mine to be a princess because of how much time I spent there.”
Boston said she is most fascinated by the history of the Indy 500, which goes back to the early 20th century.
“When you think of Indiana, you think of the 500,” she said.
As part of her community outreach, Boston went back to her elementary school, Pleasant Grove, to discuss the Indy 500. She also visited The Debtones with fellow Center Grove alumni Fain and Joseph, she said.
Boston said her time as a princess has reconnected her with her former classmates and helped her accomplish a goal she’s had most of her life.
“It’s been one of the best opportunities I could ask for,” she said.
Elaina Connell
Connell, a Franklin College sophomore who graduated from Indian Creek, isn’t the first person in her family to be a 500 Festival Princess. Her mother held the honor in 1996.
“[Family on] my mom’s side [are] huge race fans, my grandfather was at every race,” Connell said. “The race was a huge deal and I went to the track many times before being a princess. I thought this was a good year to try for it and luckily I got it.”
As a princess, Connell revisited Indian Creek, where she talked to students involved with Unified Sports, part of the Special Olympics, which she used to help with when she was a student.
“My mentor brought out the festival car. It got them really excited for the month of May and it was amazing seeing their faces light up. To see something I was passionate about in high school become intertwined with this was perfect,” Connell said.
Connell’s status as a 500 Festival Princess has taken on a special meaning because of her grandfather, who passed away when she was a child.
“It means so much to me. I’m not only excited to reconnect with my mom because she (was a princess), but it feels like in a way I can reconnect with (my grandfather), doing something he loved on a personal level,” Connell said.
Caitlyn Ebert
Ebert, a Center Grove graduate and junior at the University of Southern Indiana, said she’s been telling people she would be a 500 Festival Princess since she was a child. She started applying freshman year of college, and the third time was the charm.
“I’m not a cookie-cutter princess, I love anime and have an art degree. I love metal and rock music, and I’m a complete dork,” Ebert said. “I’ve been going to 500 practices and the race since I was a little girl. The first practice I went to, I was technically in the womb. The track was my Disney World. I didn’t care about Disney World, but this was my happiness and my special place.”
Ebert wants to use her platform as a 500 Festival Princess to bring attention to sexual assault and domestic violence on campus, she said.
“The more you talk about it, the more people will have knowledge about how to prevent it or resources for getting the help they need to they need,” Ebert said.
As a princess, she’s also spread awareness for the Indy 500 in Evansville, almost three hours away from IMS.
“My favorite part has been being able to give back to the college community in Evansville,” Ebert said. “Not a lot of people know about the 500 Festival or events or about the Indy Motor Speedway, and to bring awareness to something not a lot of people know about is fun.”
Meredith Fain
Fain just finished her junior year at Indiana University and is a Center Grove graduate.
She started attending the Indy 500 in 2016, the race’s 100th running.
“I grew up with a really big 500 family. More people came into town for that than Christmas,” Fain said. “My older sister was a Festival Princess when I was in high school, and she encouraged me to think about the opportunity.”
As a 500 Festival Princess who is majoring in computer science, Fain wants to use the opportunity to represent women in STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math. As one of her community service activities, she visited the Center Grove High School robotics team.
“One of the cool things is how much technology is used to run the cars,” Fain said. “A personal goal of mine is to do as many outreaches as I can involving STEM. I talked to the robotics team about opportunities in STEM at the Motor Speedway and in racing. It’s connected with Hoosier heritage and I’m trying to get people in STEM to consider motorsports.”
Being a 500 Festival Princess has given Fain an opportunity to share her interests with other people, she said.
“It’s been really rewarding to talk to so many people about something I’ve been passionate about my whole life,” Fain said. “It’s what makes the 500 special in the Hoosier community.”
Magdalene Joseph
Joseph, a junior at Indiana Wesleyan University and Center Grove graduate, also comes from a 500 family. Her grandfather works at the IMS Museum and her father has been going to the race with him for 50 years, Joseph said.
Joseph said she didn’t know much about the 500 Festival Princess opportunity until her grandparents encouraged her to apply, but said the experience has been rewarding. She recently went back to her elementary school, Pleasant Grove, to answer their questions about the Indy 500.
“At each event, you share what the 500 Festival is about, spreading a message of professionalism and leadership,” she said.
Joseph connected with mentor Juan Gonzalez, President of Key Bank in Central Indiana, who has helped Joseph network with members of the board of directors at IU Health and Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis, she said.
As part of the Festival, she’s been able to connect with people not just in her career field, but with other Festival Princesses across all walks of life, Joseph said.
“Each girl comes from a different background and they talk about their lives, goals and passions,” she said. “It’s been really inspirational for everybody and we’ve gotten really close at our events.”
