The 500 Festival announced that Shivani Bajpai of Zionsville has been named the 500 Festival Queen for 2017. The announcement was made at the 500 Festival Breakfast at the. Brickyard May 20.
Bajpai is a recent graduate of IUPUI where she majored in Biology and minored in Spanish, Chemistry, Medical Humanities and Health studies. She is one of 33 young women who were selected for the 500 Festival Princess Program this year, presented by Reis-Nichols, where they serve as ambassadors for the 500 Festival. Bajpai is a graduate of Carmel High School and is the daughter of Sarita and Anil Bajpai.
According to a news release, 500 Festival Queen and Princesses are involved with the 500 Festival’s statewide community outreach programs, volunteer at 500 Festival events and participate in various Indianapolis Motor Speedway functions, including the pre-race ceremonies and Victory Circle celebration for the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. In addition, each 500 Festival Princess receives a $1,000 scholarship, made possible by Marlyne Sexton, an Indianapolis philanthropist and president of The Sexton Companies, in conjunction with individual donors and the 500 Festival Foundation.
As 500 Festival Queen, Bajpai is the recipient of an additional $1,500 educational scholarship from the 500 Festival. In addition, she will wear the one-of-a-kind 500 Festival Queen’s crown 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 Princesses of 2017 represent 13 Indiana colleges and universities and 22 cities and towns across the state. With a cumulative GPA of 3.7, this year’s 500 Festival Princesses were selected from hundreds of applicants based upon communication skills, commitment to service, leadership, scholarship, professionalism.
For more, visit www.500festival.com/princessprogram or search #PrincessProgram on social media.
