Comet staff report

Zawisza Jenn Zawisza of West Lafayette said she was very excited to find out she was selected as one of 33 princesses for the Indy 500 Festival P r i n c e s s Program. She said she is a huge fan of the race.

During the next couple of months, Zawisza will make public appearances and volunteer in schools, nursing homes, hospitals and public events "in order to give back to our great state of Indiana and to spread the word about how wonderful a tradition the Indy 500 race is to our state," she said.

Zawisza is a junior at Purdue University, majoring in apparel design and minoring in fine arts. She belongs to Chi Omega Sorority, and serves on the philanthropy committee for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She is a Lilly Endowment Scholar and an alumnae of the Purdue President's Leadership Class. She's also a member of the Purdue Fashion Association. Outside of campus activities, she is a member of the fundraising and events committee for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society of Greater Lafayette.

Zawisza works part-time at Rubia Flower Market in West Lafayette as a floral designer and models part-time with the Ford Modeling Agency in Chicago.

Other activities she will be involved in as a princess are the Indianapolis Mini Marathon, the Indy 500 Parade, the Purdue Grand Prix race, the Little 500, the Snakepit Ball and the Indianapolis Memorial Day Service.

She said, "It's true that there will be only one queen, and it would be a big honor to hold that title since she will be the main media representative the week of the race, and she will also receive a scholarship. However, it is more of an ambassador program than a pageant, and I'm so appreciative to be a part of it!"

Zawisza is the daughter of Rita Dittman Zawisza, formerly of Camden.