By Corvo Rohwer, Puyallup Tribal News
Lailah Loucks was selected as the Chief Leschi Schools Daffodil Princess for 2025 on Oct. 16. Puyallup Tribal Council Members Anna Bean and Monica Miller were present to provide their support, alongside visiting princesses from other high schools, as well as Daffodilian volunteers.
The selection event was organized by the CLS 2013 princess Makayla Flores, who introduced student emcee Alex George before the CLS Drum and Dance group took the stage to begin the event with a prayer.
Former 2017 Daffodil Queen and current Daffodil Festival President Marin Sasaki-Boyce followed up with a brief introduction of the theme for the coming year: Grown Locally.
“I chose this year’s theme, grown locally, to honor our local growers and farmers to highlight those who helped establish the Daffodil Festival 92 years ago,” Sasaki-Boyce said. “I hope that, in the coming year, we celebrate the work of those who continue to invest in our local communities, and honor the hundreds of Daffodil Princesses who came before us, who, through this experience, chose to reinvest in their communities.”
The Daffodil Festival program will welcome in 24 princesses to its royal court this year, coming from high schools throughout Pierce County. Candidates are judged on a variety of factors, including academic history, volunteering and community involvement.
During the selection event, candidates were asked to deliver a one-minute speech centered around the festival theme and what it means to them.
“I believe that it is important that we grow life into our community, as well as ourselves,” Loucks said. “When something is important, you take care of it differently. By putting time, energy and love into it, it can flourish. I feel like this is what my Tribal community has done for me.”
Judges then followed up with an impromptu question, asking Loucks to speak about a student in her school that she admires, and explain why she chose this person.
“It is very hard for me to pick just one person because I feel that everyone at our school is amazing but I would like to acknowledge our drum and dance group, because they are all young and stepping up into roles that they have never done before,” Loucks said.
As final speeches were delivered and closed out, the official crowning began soon thereafter. Loucks received her crown from last year’s outgoing CLS Princess, Taiah Mitchell, who wished her well on her journey of service in the upcoming year.
While attendance of the annual Daffodil Festival is a major part of being a Daffodil Princess, their opportunities extend beyond just parade attendance.
The organization has a strong focus on personal development, whether that be providing princesses the chance to network with officials and practice their public speaking, or by interacting with their community at local libraries and youth clubs.
Despite being an extracurricular responsibility, the nonprofit program champions higher education with a robust scholarship program, awarding scholarships to princesses in 2022 divided from a fund of just more than $24,000.
Loucks currently plans on continuing her education at Pacific Lutheran University to study Art History and Anthropology with hopes to one day pursue a career within the Puyallup Tribe Historic Preservation Department.
