A New Queen of Hope was crowned March 29, and a group of pageant competitors and the crowd that assembled to witness them left the proceedings with a little more knowledge about the fight against cancer.

Krista Reed was selected as Queen of Hope XII, stepping into the role of ambassador for St. John the Baptist Parish and its Relay for Life. For 11 years prior, the queen has traveled from festival to festival, and pageant director Katie Lehrmann-Boylan said she feels the pageant judges certainly made a fitting selection to fill those shoes.

“She was extremely enthusiastic and very passionate about helping the cause,” Lehrmann-Boylan said. “She’s ready to take the crown on and run with it.”

Reed is the 22-year-old daughter of Craig and Leigh Ann Reed of LaPlace.  She attends Our Lady of the Lake College. She will be graduating next month with a degree in Nursing.  She is employed in the pediatric emergency room at Our Lady of the Lake.  She plans to obtain a position in the neonatal intensive care unit and become a neonatal nurse practitioner.

She also earned honors as the “People’s Choice” among Queen of Hope competitors.

The Teen Queen of Hope XII was also selected: 15-year-old Sadie Kelly earned that crown. The daughter of Patrick Kelly and the late Lori Van Kregten Kelly, she is a resident of LaPlace, where she attends St. Charles Catholic High School.  Kelly is active in the drama club, Spanish Club, music ministry, and campus ministry.  She is also a volunteer with American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and is the acting online and social lead on this year’s St. John Parish Relay Committee, and plans to attend LSU to earn a degree in psychology.

Kelly also won the Photogenic and Congeniality contests.

Shelly Ruffin served as a guest speaker at the event. Ruffin is a cancer survivor and a past Queen of Hope. Also, more than 40 queens from throughout Louisiana made an appearance at the event.

“The evening went wonderfully,” Lehrmann-Boylan said. “(Ruffin) shared an amazing story of hope.

“The most rewarding part of all of this is every contestant that enters, every parent and person that comes out to watch, they all walk out learning a little more about how they can make a choice to make a difference.”