Sierrah Owen, 15, is the daughter of Greg and Carolyn Owen.
Owen is one of five princesses on the Sportsman’s Holiday Court. The others are Faith Black, Kayleen Keeney, Lilly Parker and Isabelle Stratman. One will be chosen as queen on July 11 and the court will serve during the Sportsman’s Holiday celebration July 12.
Owen said she is participating in the Sportsman’s Holiday Court because “I felt I had the qualities that were sought after in a court princess. The workshops that I have been able to attend, both this year and last, were fabulously informative and excellent learning experiences. I believe interviewing for the Sportsman’s Holiday Court last year helped me to prepare to apply for my lifeguard job and to build my resume as a potential National Honor Society member.”
Following high school she plans to go to college.
“I’m still weighing a few options, but going to college and getting a degree is something I have been looking forward to for awhile. I also plan to go on a (church) mission when I turn 19, so I have to keep that in mind when looking for the right college.”
She wants to study “anything artsy,” such as theater or music or animation.
“The job market in these areas is scary and causes me some anxiety. I plan to major in mathematics and then minor something I enjoy so that I can have a back-up plan and a bit of peace of mind.”
Her parents, Owen said, are her biggest influences.
“I grew up watching my mom draw, and I have always wanted to be able to draw like she could. She is also a very neat person – as in clean, but she’s also pretty neat as in cool as well, and because of that, I have learned hard work and self-reliance. My dad taught me to love reading and math. He read to me and my sister before bed, and he taught me how to do simple math before I started kindergarten. I have always wanted to be as smart as my dad, and I am still trying. I know it’s a bit cliche, but, with the same DNA in my cells, I would not be half the person I am now without them.”
Ten years from now, she said, she could be do anything.
“I could be a famous actress on the big screen or on Broadway. I could be working a quiet desk job by day and painting masterpieces by night. I might meet a cute guy, get married and raise the world’s most fantastic kids.
“I know I want to travel, to see different cities and countries, but I also know that I want a nice, quiet town, like Sweet Home, to return to from my adventures. Wherever I’ll be in 10 years, I will be making the most of it; I have this bug of stubborn determination to never lie stagnant for too long, so I know that I’ll always be working towards my best self.”
Owen has four siblings: Kaylee, 18; Zerin, 13; and twin brothers Jayce and Jarett, 12.
A senior-to-be at Sweet Home High School, she has participated in cross-country, swimming, track and field, Swing Dance Club and Concert Band, and has served as Band Council secretary, Laurel Class secretary and with the Sweet Home Auditorium Restoration Committee.
She is a National Honor Society member, Academic All-American, and has received an Honorable Mention American Legion School Award and a Silver Key Scholastic Art and Writing Award.