Royalty of Ripon

Taitem Brown, Journalist|March 1, 2019

Almond Blossom Queen, Molly Ysit

Every February the citizens of Ripon look forward to all of the almond orchards blossoming and all the festivities that go along with it. Everything from the cold, late nights at the carnival to the Saturday afternoon parade. However, for a select few girls, all their attention is focused on gaining the title of Almond Blossom Queen. This year nine girls entered and only one came out victorious.

The application process and all the events provided such a tremendous experience for all the girls to remember for years to come. Running for Almond Blossom Queen is a once in a lifetime opportunity that impacts girls for a long time after.

“I am beyond grateful for the experience I had running for Almond Blossom Queen. I learned so many things about Ripon and gained a new appreciation for the community as a whole as well as those who are apart of it,” queen candidate and first runner up Annalise Welsh said.

Being in a situation like running for Almond Blossom Queen you meet lots of new people that benefit our relationships with the community. Being a candidate for Almond Blossom gives the girls an opportunity to meet people they never would have if they didn’t run.

“I think I have grown closer to people I probably wouldn’t have met if it weren’t for this,” queen candidate Maria Soto stated.

After the hard work that all the girls put in only one reached the accomplishment of becoming queen. She went above all the other girls and stood out. She will be trusted with many tasks to come with this new title. The 2019 Almond Blossom Queen is Molly Ysit.

“When they first called out my name I said out loud, ‘Did they really just call out my name?’ I tried my best with everything we did but everyone was so qualified and deserving of Miss Almond Blossom and we all worked so hard for the past couple of months, so I was shocked and excited when I heard my name,” Almond Blossom Queen Molly Ysit said.

The title of Almond Blossom Queen comes with great responsibility that very few people have been able to proudly own. The Almond Blossom Queens are ambassadors for Ripon and what the city represents.

Ysit claims “I hope to be a good representative of Ripon and reach out in the community to make new connections and serve our city where I can.”