The annual crowning of the Rose Festival Court Queen is a long-standing tradition across Portland. After a multi-step process involving applications, interviews, public speaking and school-wide voting, the winning “princess” from each high school receives mentorship opportunities and a $5,000 scholarship. One princess is eventually chosen as the Rose Festival Court Queen by a panel of judges based on their leadership skills, school activities and civic involvement.
Grant High School students will be able to vote to elect one of the following three candidates to be the Grant Rose Princess after an assembly on Wednesday, March 11. The winning candidate will represent Grant in the 2026 Rose Festival.
Brie Michaud
Brie Michaud is no stranger to pageants. Michaud’s cousin, Daniela Gray, was Grant’s Rose Princess in 2024. Additionally, some of her aunts tried out for the Rose Princess, and one was the winner of Miss Oregon.
Michaud has been attending the Rose Parade with her “nana” since she was a little kid. “I think it really connected her to Portland,” she says, “because she’s an immigrant from Italy, so she needed to find some connection to where she moved.”
Michaud wants to study within the medical field, and hopes that, by becoming Grant’s Rose Princess, she will be able to participate in a mentorship with a medical professional from Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU).
Marleigh Pikoos
Marleigh Pikoos first discovered the Rose Princess program through a connection: She knew Eleanor Isles, the Rose Princess from last year. “She seemed to have a good time,” Pikoos says. “It was a great experience.”
Pikoos is interested in engineering and patent law, and is already involved in a mentorship with the Architecture Construction Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program. If she wins, she aims to take advantage of the opportunity so she can work with engineering mentors.
Additionally, Pikoos emphasizes the importance of being a role model. “For younger students and younger girls,” she says, “it’s important to see a bunch of different people that they can look up to for role models, and also it allows you to connect more with the community.”
Olivia Spencer-Wilson
Olivia Spencer-Wilson has family ties to the Rose Princess role; her sister won Rose Princess at Jefferson High School, and two of her aunts tried out as well.
Spencer-Wilson also has an interest in pursuing the medical field. As of now, she is shadowing a pediatric nurse at OHSU.
To prepare for the assembly, she has been practicing her speech with her family.
Ultimately, Spencer-Wilson is trying out to become the Rose Princess because she wants to “inspire young women in Portland.”
However, she’s most excited for the process: “I’m super excited to make all these new connections and all these new friendships with people,” she says. “Even if I don’t win, I still have the experience.”
