Lakes High School senior Vivian Llorens Hernandez has been selected to represent Pierce County as the 86th Daffodil Queen. Vivian is the first queen selected from CPSD in 19 years.
The 2023 Daffodil Festival marks its 90th year. There has been a parade every year since 1934, with the exception of 1943, 1944, 1945 and 2020.
At the beginning of the selection process, school administrators looked for students who had a competitive GPA and served as positive leaders in class to nominate them for the Daffodil Festival’s Royalty Leadership Program. Vivian, who boasts a strong GPA, attends Running Start classes at Pierce College and is a second lieutenant and platoon leader in Lakes High School’s JROTC program, was a great candidate to represent Lakes.
After becoming a daffodil princess, Vivian began participating in the many hours of community service that are required of each member of the Royalty Leadership Program as they are declared Official Ambassadors of Pierce County. Vivian visited nursing homes, attended luncheons, worked with children, celebrated Read Across America Day at elementary schools and even attended Washington State Senate meetings.
When Vivian was selected as queen, she couldn’t believe it and took a moment to process her victory. “I wasn’t expecting it at all,” she said. “Then I saw this little girl, who was the sweetest thing ever, look up at me with awe on her face, and it hit me. Seeing her and the other children I worked with throughout this program has absolutely been my favorite part of becoming a princess and queen,” she said.
By becoming queen, Vivian earned a $5,000 scholarship from the Washington State Fair Foundation as well as a $1,000 scholarship from the Daffodil Scholarship Foundation.
Vivian will be honored at the upcoming Grand Floral Parade on Saturday, April 1, which will tour four cities. The parade will stop at Tacoma at 10:15 a.m., Puyallup at 12:25 p.m., Sumner at 2:30 p.m. and in Orting at 5 p.m.
For more details about the Daffodil Parade and Daffodil Festival visit daffodilfestival.org.