Nebraska Society of Washington Selects Chadron Student as 2006 Cherry Blossom Princess Story by Shelly Blake On February 27th, the Nebraska Society of Washington announced that it has selected Andrea Todd of Chadron as the state's 2006 Cherry Blossom Princess. Todd will represent Nebraska in the Annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which is held in Washington, D.C. every Spring. The Nebraska Society of Washington extends its warmest congratulations to Andrea. We look forward to seeing her next month in Washington." Andrea currently attends Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. A sophomore at CSC, she majors in Business and is pursuing a minor in Art. Andrea has maintained a high grade point average and has been named to the Dean's list each semester. In addition to her studies, Andrea holds several part-time positions including an Assistant Dance Instructor at the 7th Street Dance Studio. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family in addition to being active in her community and church. Andrea is the daughter of Jim and Karen Todd of Alliance, Nebraska. The Annual Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the gift of 3,000 cherry trees given to the District of Columbia by the mayor of Tokyo in 1912. Each state society selects a student to serve as a princess during the Festival, a tradition that began in 1948. These princesses are then joined by their international counterparts in Washington for the Festival. The Cherry Blossom Princess program is sponsored by the National Conference of State Societies (NCSS) and is designed to be an educational, leadership development, and cultural exchange opportunity. In past years, the students have met with First Lady Laura Bush, Supreme Court Justices William Rehnquist and Sandra Day O'Connor, as well as members of the Washington diplomatic core. As a princess, Todd will participate in a number of ceremonial and public events including the lighting of the Festival lantern at the Tidal Basin, a Congressional reception, and the Cherry Blossom parade. Events begin April 3rd and run through April 9th. If selected as Cherry Blossom Queen, Todd would represent the NCSS at various public events over the next year.

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