Magnolia resident Kiana Ye Mayumi Kobayashi, 20, is one of four contestants in the 50th-annual Greater Seattle Japanese Community Queen Scholarship Program.
The golden anniversary will be highlighted by a reunion of past queens and courts preceding this year's coronation, which will be held at Benaroya Hall in the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, 200 University St., on May 23. The program begins at 7 p.m. Admission is $25.
Kobayashi is a graduate of Ballard High School and attends the University of Washington. She and the three other contestants who make up the 2009 court were introduced at the Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival at Seattle Center.
She is the daughter of Betty Jean and Robert Kobayashi.
The scholarship program offers young collegiate Japanese-American women of the greater Seattle region scholarships and prizes, and the opportunity to enhance their cultural and community awareness.
Throughout the yearlong reign, the queen and her court represent the Greater Seattle Japanese community at local community events, as well as at the Cherry Blossom Festivals in San Francisco and Honolulu, and the Nisei Week Japanese Festival in Los Angeles.[[In-content Ad]]
