I’m so excited to be a princess," Amirose "Rosie" Mallet, 17, Rose Festival princess representing St. Mary’s Academy, exclaimed on a lunch break from her job at a mattress store. Princess Rosie had just returned to Portland after a visit to Illinois Wesleyan University, where she will begin work on her Bachelor of Nursing degree in the fall. "I’m excited about life," she continued. "There’s so much ahead of me."

Princess Rosie has done more living already than some of us ever get to do. Born in Changzhou, China, she was adopted at nine months old. "I didn’t know how to swallow," she explained in her disarmingly down-to-earth manner, then quipped, "but I’m big on food now."

Rosie’s parents met late in life, and had her sister Sophie when Rosie’s mother was 39. Adopting a second child made sense, and the family looked first to Guatemala for their newest member, but the process was time consuming. It was Sophie’s fervent declaration, "I want a baby sister!" that turned the search toward China.

A group of families from Portland flew to China together to meet their babies and bring them home, Rosie’s mother among them. "We’ve stayed in contact," said Rosie. "Two girls go to St. Mary’s and another went to middle school with me."

When Rosie was 10, her family travelled to China, visiting Beijing, the Great Wall, Xi’an, Suzhou, and Changzhou, where Rosie was thrilled that her sister got to see "where I come from, my roots." When the family went to the orphanage from which Rosie was adopted, Rosie met the woman who had taken care of her there. While she understands that some children have difficulty adjusting to their adoption, Rosie has never had that problem. "I really want to adopt a child," she said, "have one and adopt one, the way my parents did."

When Rosie was in seventh grade, her mother lost her nine-year battle with breast cancer. While Rosie went on to find inspiration in her mother’s life, at the time, she said, "It was a blur. I got to St. Mary’s without a lot of self-esteem or confidence, and I saw it as an opportunity to reinvent myself."

Sister Sophie, then a junior at St. Mary’s, encouraged Rosie to become a class officer, and Rosie took her sister’s advice. She also became involved in the Doernbecher Committee and Poverty Awareness Day Committee, eventually co-chairing both. Rosie is a member of the National Honor Society and the History Club, a History Department intern, co-chair of the St. Mary’s Ambassador Committee, an Outdoor School student leader, and a mentor captain for Teaching, Integrating, and Exploring Science (T.I.E.S.). She is especially enthusiastic about her position as co-president of her school’s Human Rights Club, which her sister also held.

"Speaking as a parent," said Rosie’s father Don Mallett, "I feel blessed to be Rosie’s dad. She has great values and lives with integrity and compassion. She has avoided the pitfalls that some have fallen victim to, and made my job as a parent an overwhelmingly positive one. I expect wonderful things from her life adventure, despite all of the challenges of our current world."

Said Sophie Mallett, "Ever since Rosie was young, she has had some truly altruistic qualities about her. She is an incredibly strong young woman who has gone through the great hardship of losing our mom and still continues to be a positive, grateful person. Rosie always makes a positive impact on situations and is guaranteed to fight for the things she believes in. I could not be more proud to call myself her big sister!"

"Since fourth grade, Rosie and I have won first place in an Improv competition, designed our own summer camp that has run for three years, seen at least 10 musicals together, and gone out to ice cream more than I can count," said Zoe Bluffstone. "Through her momentous struggles, Rosie has never wavered in her generosity, creativity, or thoughtfulness, which is a testament to the incredibly strong and inherently good person that she is. I am positive that from having the pleasure of calling Rosie my best friend, I have absolutely been changed for the better."

"What a joy it is to have Rosie in the St. Mary’s community," said science teacher Cindi Hounton. "She exemplifies what we would like our students to achieve. She is passionate and caring. She has excellent leadership skills and she contributes positively to our community. Her smile and enthusiasm are infectious and she really understands that education is a pathway to a successful professional and personal life."

Maureen Daschel, chemistry teacher and T.I.E.S. director at St. Mary’s Academy called Rosie "a wonderful mentor and mentor captain," and said that she will represent both St. Mary’s and Portland "extremely well. She is extremely on the ball, will make lots of friends, and have fun."

What Rosie looks forward to most as a Rose Festival princess is getting to know the other princesses. No doubt she will inspire their respect at the same time she puts them at ease. This is an extraordinary ability, but perhaps not such a surprising one in a young woman who reinvented herself at age 14.

A Rose Festival princess represents her school and acts as the "face of the Rose Festival" at many events in the community, including parades, volunteer activities, luncheons with community and business leaders, and more. The Portland Rose Festival Foundation awards each court member a $3,500 scholarship, courtesy of The Randall Group.

To qualify for the Rose Festival Court, a candidate must be a full-time junior or senior at a 4A, 5A, or 6A high school in Multnomah, Washington, or Clackamas county and have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. Potential princesses are evaluated on citizenship, scholastic achievement, school activities, civic involvement, volunteer projects, communication skills, and overall impression.

The Portland Rose Festival Queen is chosen from all of the court members at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, June 9 at 8:30am. To learn more, call (503) 227-2681 or visit <www.rosefestival.org>.