Page 8 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
Community
June 5, 2017
Love of art, music inspires St. Mary’s
Academy’s Rose Festival princess
By Maileen Hamto
The Asian Reporter
epresenting St. Mary’s Academy (SMA) —
Oregon’s only all-female high school — on the
Portland Rose Festival Court is a special honor
for 2017 princess Lucy Sagoo. Sharing and building
community with driven and determined young women in
a rigorous academic environment truly creates
tomorrow’s leaders, which happens to be the motto at
SMA.
“I think in an all-girls environment, women are much
more focused and confident, which makes for interesting
and mature classes,” Lucy said. “I feel it is one of the most
empowering and enriching experiences a young woman
can have.”
At St. Mary’s, Lucy has been part of the elite,
audition-only Marian Singers choir. She was among the
50-member choir that made history in 2015, becoming the
first all-women’s choir to win the Oregon School Activities
Association (OSAA) championship, besting larger choirs
throughout the state.
“Winning state with the Marian Singers is a memory
that stands out among the rest,” Lucy said.
“Art is a crucial part of education. Whether it’s painting,
drawing, or singing, I think art is something that each and
every high school student should be involved in. To me, art
is one of the most important things in life, especially
music.”
Lucy credits her grandmother for instilling a love of
music at an early age. It was also her grandmother who
first introduced her to the Portland Rose Festival.
“My grandma used to take me to the Rose Festival and
we would watch the parades together,” she said. “Since
then, I have wanted to contribute all I can to Portland’s
wonderful celebration. When the opportunity became
available, I jumped at the chance to represent my school.”
This year, Lucy is among seven princesses who identify
as Asian Pacific Islander (API), representing the Rose
Festival’s largest contingent of young women with an API
background.
“My ethnic background is mixed,” she said. “My father
is Indian and my mother is Irish, so I have always lived
between two cultures. I am proud to identify with both
sides of my heritage.”
Embracing her South Asian heritage has allowed Lucy
to connect with family members on the other side of the
globe, she explained. “I am proud of every single aspect of
Photo/Prince Charming Photography
Photo courtesy of the Portland Rose Festival Foundation
R
SINGER & STUDENT. Lucy Sagoo, St. Mary’s Academy’s 2017
Rose Festival princess, rides a horse at the Pendleton Round-Up venue
in Pendleton, Oregon while travelling around the state of Oregon with the
2017 Portland Rose Festival Court. Lucy’s grandmother first introduced
her to the Portland Rose Festival. “My grandma used to take me to the
Rose Festival and we would watch the parades together,” Sagoo said.
The Portland Rose Festival’s Queen’s Coronation takes place Saturday,
June 10 at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
my culture and I am more than happy to represent it every
day.”
Bringing her full self to the Rose Festival has been a
learning opportunity for Lucy, who thrives in the different
experiences offered by serving on the court. Beyond
appearances at community and business events
throughout the state, each princess also benefits from
having a mentor — a woman executive who volunteers her
time to provide college and career advice.
“I am really looking forward to working with my job
shadow. The Rose Festival has given us the opportunity to
shadow a person who is currently working in the field we
are interested in,” she said. “I am personally excited to
learn all I can so I am prepared with a notion of what I
want to do heading to college this fall.”
A Rose Festival princess represents her school and acts as the
“face of the Rose Festival” at many events in the community, including
parades, volunteer activities, luncheons with community and business
leaders, and more. The Portland Rose Festival Foundation awards each
court member a $3,500 scholarship, courtesy of The Randall Group.
To qualify for the Rose Festival Court, a candidate must be a full-time
junior or senior at a 4A, 5A, or 6A high school in Multnomah,
Washington, or Clackamas county and have a minimum cumulative
grade point average of 3.0. Potential princesses are evaluated on
citizenship, scholastic achievement, school activities, civic involvement,
volunteer projects, communication skills, and overall impression.
The Portland Rose Festival Queen is chosen from all of the
court members at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum on
Saturday, June 10 from 8:30am to 9:30am. To learn more,
call (503) 227-2681 or visit <www.rosefestival.org>.
To learn about other Asian representatives on the 2017 Rose Festival
Court — Maggie Beutler of Wilson High School, Tiffany Nguyen of
David Douglas High School, Keeley Nguyen of Franklin High School,
and Michaela Canete of Century High School (Metro West) —
visit <www.asianreporter.com/nwlocal.htm>. Please also read about
Mele Kavapalu of Madison High School and Madisyn Montgomery of
Oregon City High School (Metro East) on pages 9 and 11.
COME GROW WITH US
Learning Biblically - Growing Spiritually - Living Purposefully
MULTIETHNIC / MULTIGENERATIONAL
New Life
w
w
Community Fellowship w
w
Church
A Place to Belong and to Be Loved
A Place to Grow Spiritually
A Place to Grow Relationally
A Place Where You Matter
Worship: Sunday, 10:30am
Bible Study: Wed., 6:00 - 7:30pm
(503) 282-0232 Forest Grove Senior & Community Center
ncflife.org
2037 Douglas St., Forest Grove, OR 97116
GRASS-FED
BEEF FOR SALE
Tr ansfor m ing Pain into Pow er
GU N V I O LEN CE AS A PU BLI C H EALTH I SSU E FO RU M I I I : TH E RO LE O F BU SI N ESS
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
8 to 10 a.m . – br eakfast at 7:30
Collabor ative Life Sciences Building - 2730 SW M oody Ave on Por tland’s South Water fr ont
Call (503) 980-5900 for details
GRASS-FED & GRASS-FINISHED BEEF
Raised in Newberg, Oregon
Beef available as:
q Quarter cow q Half cow q Whole cow
Beef is processed by a Portland butcher.
Pickup available in June at N.E. Sandy Blvd. location.
OHSU and PSU invites business and civic leader s to discuss the im pacts of gun
violence and how to shift the conver sation fr om inevitability to pr eventability.
Regist rat ion and informat ion at w w w.ohsu.edu/ st andt oget her
Wondering what events are going on this week?
Check out The Asian Reporter’s Community and A.C.E. Calendar sections, on pages 10 and 12.