Photo provided Melissa Aceves, Columbus, was named the 2022 Marlyne Sexton 500 Festival Queen Scholar Saturday at the 500 Festival Breakfast at the Brickyard. Earlier, she was one of 33 Indiana college-aged women chosen for the 2022 500 Festival Princess Program.
Columbus native Melissa Aceves was in shock upon hearing she’d been named the 2022 Marlyne Sexton 500 Festival Queen Scholar.
However, after her initial disbelief wore off, she was thrilled — so much so that she said, “My cheeks are swollen because I’ve been smiling so much.”
Aceves was named queen scholar Saturday at the 500 Festival Breakfast at the Brickyard, presented by Midwestern Engineers, Inc. and held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Earlier, she was one of 33 Indiana college-aged women chosen for the 2022 500 Festival Princess Program, presented by The National Bank of Indianapolis.
Aceves moved to Columbus at age 5 and graduated from Columbus North High School. She is a 2022 graduate of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where she earned a bachelor’s of science in public health with a concentration in community health.
She was also involved in Undergraduate Student Government, the Chancellor’s Student Advisory Board and the Alliance for Immigrant Justice.
Now that she’s out of college, Aceves is applying for jobs and hopes to find an organization with values similar to her own. Her interests include creating initiatives that help the community and serve underrepresented groups.
She said she is excited to use her role as queen to make a difference and inspire others.
“I feel so honored,” she said. “…I am able to represent Latinas in the community and just be able to show that with hard work, dedication and passion, a lot of great things can come. And a lot of change can happen when you have that passion for our community.”
500 Festival Princesses serve as ambassadors for the festival, as well as their hometowns and colleges. The 2022 group represents 15 Indiana colleges and universities and 22 cities and towns across the state.
“With a cumulative GPA of 3.62, this year’s 500 Festival Princesses were selected from hundreds of applicants based on communication skills, academic performance, community involvement, commitment to service, and leadership,” said festival officials.
The program provides participants with opportunities for leadership, networking and professional development, such as through the 500 Festival Leadership Development Program presented by BKD.
Each princess also receives a $1,000 scholarship. These gifts are made possible by Marlyne Sexton, an Indianapolis philanthropist and president of The Sexton Companies, and the 500 Festival Foundation. As the queen scholar, Aceves receives an additional $1,500 scholarship from the foundation.
She will also participate in a number of activities during race week, including the Indianapolis 500 pre-race and Victory Circle celebrations, and continue to represent the festival at various events throughout the year.
Aceves said that some of her race week activities will include cheering on the Indy 500 winner, taking a lap around the race track on race day, participating in the festival parade, meeting drivers and interacting with the community.
In the months leading up to May, the princesses did outreach with community organizations, volunteered at festival events and participated in Indianapolis Motor Speedway functions.
Aceves’ service included outreach to Brooke’s Place, an Indianapolis nonprofit that provides grief support and services to a number of different age groups. The organization has a personal connection for her, as she attends a support group multiple times a month.
“It has been a place and an organization I hold very close to my heart and has helped me out so much,” she said. “And when I learned that we could do outreaches or events for the community, I decided to do some of mine with Brooke’s Place because of the impact they have had on my life.”
A few years ago, Aceves’ father and a dear friend died in the span of two months. During her recent outreach, she was able to provide support for children and teens at the center and also tell them her story.
Being able to help kids with similar experiences and create a “space of solidarity” was a profound experience, said Aceves. She said it inspired her to apply for the role of queen scholar.
“I promised a 5-year-old girl who lost her parents, who hugged me and told me she never wanted to let go,” she said. “I promised a 14-year-old boy who spoke about his loved one for the first time and expressed that his mom loved cars. I promised the children at Brooke’s Place that I would apply to be the Marlyne Sexton 500 Festival Queen Scholar. A key message I have learned and will take to my life is that although being vulnerable is difficult, that is how we can connect and transform our pain into hope and love for our community.”
