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May 9, 2011 in City
Face Time: Lilac Queen reflects on responsibilities, opportunities
MacKenzie Johnson from Mead High School is the 2011 Lilac Queen.
(Full-size photo)
MacKenzie Johnson, a senior at Mead High School, is this year’s Spokane Lilac Festival Association Lilac Queen. In an interview last week, Johnson, 18, looked forward to the busy weeks ahead.
Q. Describe everything on your plate right now.
A. Right now it’s AP (Advanced Placement) testing. Two tests this week. Two next week. I’m also a valedictorian this year. I think we have 27.
These next few weeks with Lilac, it will be public relations stuff, and we’ll also visit a lot of retirement homes, and then festival week will be filled with lunches and dinners.
Q. Do you feel a Lilac queen is still relevant in our culture?
A. I’ve lived here my entire life. I’ve joined different clubs and played sports, but I’ve never really done anything for Spokane. In this position, I’ve been able to give back and visit areas of the city I’ve never been before. I’ve visited retirement homes and have learned how things have changed.
Hearing (residents’) stories, I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given. Fifty years ago, women didn’t have as many opportunities in the city and being a Lilac queen was a huge accomplishment. The queen still has a big role to play.
Q. What will you do with your Spokane Lilac Festival Association scholarship money?
A. The $3,750 is going straight for college. I’m going to the University of Washington next fall. My goal is to double major in biology and chemistry. I want to be a general surgeon. It’s a long haul to get there and a lot of money. So the scholarship is definitely a bonus, along with all the other experiences and life lessons I’m learning along the way.
Q. In an earlier interview with The Spokesman-Review, you mentioned you wanted to have lunch with Dr. Timothy Icenogle, the heart transplant pioneer in Spokane. What questions would you ask him?
A. What inspired him to be a heart transplant surgeon? What was the hardest thing about medical school? Where would he suggest going to medical school? Can I have a letter of recommendation? What’s the No. 1 tip he would offer to a potential surgeon?
Q. With Kate Middleton getting married, we resurrected some princess energy in our culture. Why is that princess imagery still so powerful?
A. Because it’s a fairy tale. We grow up with Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. It’s a fun, ideal fantasy that we hold onto as part of our childhood.
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Thoreau on May 09 at 12:37 p.m.
27 valedictorians in a school!?
And everybody gets a trophy….we all win the lottery……all get accepted at colleges…….the unemployed all find work……
What a farce!
nebelbeans on May 09 at 12:41 p.m.
Thoreau…that is all I saw in this article as well! What a joke…I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old. Nice to know they really have no chance to fail ;)
gotriddabush on May 09 at 12:44 p.m.
Amen guys…27 Valedictorians is ridiculous. 27 kids the teachers were to afraid to give the first “B” too.
Thoreau on May 09 at 12:48 p.m.
Actually, I’d assume the school needs to redefine the formula for who is THE Valedictorian. It sounds like the criteria is simply based on GPA, and these 27 kids all had 4.0.
Why not throw some more factors in the formula? Types of courses taken? SAT scores? Volunteer work? etc….
gotriddabush on May 09 at 12:57 p.m.
If 27 kids had a 4.0 it definitively states the curriculum is too easy! Also that the teachers were too afraid of being the ones to issue all these geniuses there first B
Byrdie714 on May 09 at 3:59 p.m.
I think its time that we do away with this pageant of Lilac princesses, Lilac Queens, etc, etc.
The patriachial society that we live in has to have these “ideals” of what a woman should be, look like, walk, talk, behave, etc. When the real fact is that the majority of women don’t even measure up to the ideals of the Lilac Queen.
It’s nothing but a show of sexism, parading Lilac Queens and Princesses like some cow at an auction. Sending degrading messages to women everywhere.
It’s old, it’s outdated, and time for it to go!
MrNatural on May 09 at 4:07 p.m.
Well…sorry to be the dissenting vote here but I saw this as my Monday morning feel good about our town story…Glad to hear so many students excelled in this graduating class and I’m very glad that Spokane upholds this wonderful tradition of Lilac Queen and Princesses and has the wonderful Torchlight Parade. To me this is what makes this country a great place to live and raise your children…
Well done young lady and best of luck with your future…
Dazzeetrader11 on May 09 at 9:13 p.m.
Nat….jealousy and ill will from the fringe who can barely spell….sorta. I wonder where Ms J is in all this important stuff. Old hags forget how nice it is to be a young fun loving girl.