Junior Alyssa Welsh will be one of this year’s Indy 500 princesses..

The Communication major is one of 33 young college-age women – including six from Purdue West Lafayette – who were selected to participate in events and activities promoting the May 25 race. She will represent PNW and her hometown of Union Mills, Indiana.

“I feel really honored to be selected and be in the same social bubble as so many successful women,” Welsh said. 

The 500 Festival Princess Program, sponsored by the National Bank of Indianapolis, creates a team of women from across the state who participate in various service activities throughout the year, including school visits, volunteer work and other public appearances.

Welsh said it was a rigorous selection process, which included several interviews.

“For the first round, I drove two and a half hours to Indianapolis and had two five-minute interview sessions with three different judges each time,” she said. “I made sure to prepare well and provide thorough answers that demonstrated my knowledge and enthusiasm.”

Welsh nearly missed her second interview, but it eventually worked out.

 “I made sure to give my best performance, and three days later, I found out I was selected,” she said.

Although not directly involved in racing, Welsh sees the festival as an opportunity to honor Indiana’s deep-rooted motorsports culture.

“My grandpa has always been a big … racing fan, and he would always talk about the Indianapolis 500,” she said. “He has a racing poster in his living room and loves racing games, so I grew up hearing about it.”

As part of her role, Welsh will attend the race and participate in the 500 Festival Parade.

Beyond the race, she must complete four community outreach initiatives. One project is hosting a spaghetti dinner at her church, where she will educate attendees about the 500 Festival and its significance. She also plans to visit a kindergarten class to read a racing-themed book and provide interactive activities for young students.

Each princess will receive a $1,500 scholarship, and an additional princess will be announced as the 500 Festival Queen Scholar and awarded another $1,500 scholarship.

“Our goal is to educate communities about the festival,” Welsh said. “Many people … aren’t aware of the 500 Festival Princess Program. I want to inspire young women to pursue this opportunity in the future.”