Hayleigh Colombo
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Every little girl grows up wishing to be a princess and two Butler University students get their chance as 500 Festival Princesses for the Indianapolis 500 on March 31.
Along with 31 other women, junior Rebecca Ozols and sophomore Brittany Dorsett were chosen from more than 240 Indiana college students competing for the opportunity.
The 500 Festival Princesses are considered ambassadors for the 500 Festival, meaning they are responsible for planning and participating in outreach programs, volunteering at special events and, of course, being there as a support system at the biggest event of the festival: the 2010 Indianapolis 500 Race.
“It’s our job to get the whole community involved and excited,” Dorsett, a marketing major, said. “We just want to boost morale for the 500 Festival and all the events that go on during it.”
This is both Ozols’ and Dorsett’s first time participating in the program as princesses, although Dorsett participated in the 500 Festival as a high school cheerleader from Terre Haute, Ind.
However, she said she never had the opportunity to just enjoy the festival until last year when her sister, Butler alumna Abigail Dorsett, was chosen as a princess.
“I saw how much it changed my sister as a person and all the opportunities she had through the program,” Dorsett said. “I thought it was the perfect thing for me to do.”
In preparation for this year’s race, which takes place May 31, Ozols and Dorsett are choosing outreach programs to participate in.
Ozols, a psychology major, said she is excited to visit Riley Children’s Hospital and visit the elementary school she attended in Columbus, Ind.
"I gave back a lot at home,” Ozols said. “But it’s a little harder to get involved in Indianapolis so this is a great way to volunteer and wear a crown while I do it. Who doesn’t love that?”
Dorsett said she is tentatively planning to team up with the Indiana School for the Blind at one of her sorority’s upcoming events, as well as possibly going to an elementary school toget children and families excited about the 500 Festival.
“What [we want] to push is that the entire festival is a month long,” Dorsett said. “People come from all over the nation and make a day out of it.”
Although the 33 women aren’t paid to participate in the 500 Festival, Ozols said local sponsors of the event, like G. Thrapp Jewelers, have been generous.
“The community’s been really great about giving back,” Ozols said.
Ozols and Dorsett didn’t know each other before meeting at the event’s orientation last Saturday, but both said they are excited to share the experience with another Butler student.
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