Jacob Farmer / jfarmer@yelmonline.com
The second her aunt and uncle became her legal guardians, Jazzlyn Shumate knew her life would change forever.
Shumate had experienced many challenges in the years leading up to this moment. Her parents struggled with addiction. She moved frequently. At times, she felt like the roles in her family were reversed; she found herself caring for her mother more than being cared for.
As she took the main stage during Capital Lakefair’s Royalty Night on Thursday, July 17, the soon-to-be Rainier High School senior took some time to reflect on the transitions that helped shape her into the person she is today. Transitions that led to her becoming a Capital Lakefair Princess.
“These challenging circumstances taught me resilience and revealed how growing up in tough times can spark a deep motivation to strive for success and become someone capable of achieving great things,” Shumate told the audience.
Once she moved to Rainier, Shumate capitalized on the fresh start. She embraced being the “new girl,” and learned it was okay to accept the changes that had occurred.
“I was accepted into a family who didn’t use me or create bad memories in my life, but did nothing more than help me succeed in my life goals,” Shumate said.
The Lakefair Princess — and Rainier track star — concluded with a note of wisdom: “In order to follow through with the process of change throughout your life, you have to be ready to untangle many positive and negative encounters throughout your journey in order to find acceptance. I am a strong example of how overcoming obstacles can ultimately make you a stronger person.”
The Nisqually Valley News caught up with Shumate after her speech to check in about her experience as a member of Capital Lakefair Royalty.
“We started our coronation in February, so it’s been really great,” Shumate said, adding that the experience has given her the opportunity to branch out into new environments, meet new people and get more involved with the community.
She’ll also be bringing new skills into her senior year.
“I think that my leadership skills have definitely grown,” Shumate said. “And I’ve been able to take on more responsibility and I’m seeing things more clearly now. I have goals for myself and I feel like this has kind of driven me to continue that and keep that up.”
Shumate added that the process has resulted in a lot of self-growth, reflection and independence.
“Your family is not involved,” Shumate said. “So, like all of us, when we go on trips, our family will come to our parades, but we’re not with them. And so, we definitely have learned to grow by ourselves and kind of get ready for the real world and move on to college.”
Jayleen Totten is a Lakefair Princess representing Rochester. This year, Totten became the first-ever member of Lakefair Royalty chosen from Rochester High School. The tradition dates all the way back to 1958 with the Lakefair’s first parade.
“It’s been really unique and very special to be able to represent my community in that way,” Totten told the Nisqually Valley News.
Like Shumate, this experience has allowed Totten the opportunity to branch out.
“And I know it’s something different,” Totten said. “I don’t do a lot of stuff in Olympia. I kind of stay in my own bubble to, like, Lewis County. And it’s been a lot of fun, genuinely. My heart is very full by doing anything like this.”
Totten said that, although she’s always been confident, she felt the shock of being the “little small-town girl” going out to big Olympia events. So, she worked hard to memorize her speeches and prepare herself.
“And it was just like, wow, this is actually what life is about,” Totten said. “This is the whole point.”
Totten, a cheerleader and track and field athlete, said she’s bringing a number of things she learned into her senior year.
“100 percent, I’m bringing friends,” Totten said. “And also, I’m bringing more ideas for, like, our senior events. So, getting to know what everybody does and being able to meet vendors has been really very good for being able to plan our football games and our homecoming assemblies… It’s been very beneficial, not only for me, but also for our community. And I’m also bringing more confidence in myself and my work and everything.”
As members of the court, both Shumate and Totten receive a $3,000 scholarship that can be applied toward any form of higher education. This year’s queen, Aisha Kamboj, of Tumwater High School, receives $5,000. The other princesses are Ellie Brown, of Capital High School, and Carmela Parascand, of Black Hills High School. The process for selecting the court began last year when students were chosen by their respective schools.
