Before she was even enrolled in the University of Oregon, a 16-year-old high school junior from Cleveland High School in Southeast Portland studied in the classrooms of Allen Hall as part of The Oregonian's High School Journalism Workshop annually held at the School of Journalism and Communication.

Now a 19-year-old finishing her freshman year in college, Grace Neal is a polished, eloquent young woman also completing her reign as Portland's Queen of Rosaria.

"This has been an incredible year," said Neal (left), also a recipient of the Dean's Scholarship. "I have made connections with people that I will keep for the rest of my life, and I have gained a confidence with who I am and what I can be."

Representing the biggest city in Oregon, Grace traveled to Taiwan to participate in an annual festival in Portland's sister city, Kao-hsuing. Residents there celebrate the Lantern Festival at the beginning of March. It was her first trip overseas.

"It was amazing to just walk down the street and see all different kinds of people and to listen to different languages and just see how other people live," she said.

Back in Oregon, Grace traveled to cities around the state, and she also took part in several official Rose Festival functions in Portland. She spent early June finishing up a life-changing year. On June 9, she will crown the 2008 Rose Festival Queen on the moments before the Grand Floral Parade, one of the nation's top two all-floral parades. This year marks the 100th festival. It's expected to attract hundreds of thousands.

"It will be so special for me, as the 99th queen, to be able to crown the Rose Festival's 100th queen," Neal said.

While not all of her first-year college responsibilities are that of a typical underclassman, her experiences have also been many that University of Oregon alumni can recall.

"I live in Bean (a residence hall), which has some of the tiniest rooms on campus," Grace said. "It's much different than living at home and has taken some getting used to – but it has been a great way to meet people.

"There are other dorms where people barely know their neighbors. Ours is much different than that. When I get back from class, I leave the door open so I can hear what's going on and people can just come in and talk. I've met people from all kinds of backgrounds and have made some really great friends."

Grace's Rose Festival responsibilities and her academic studies have not limited her involvement in student life. She has attended games at Autzen Stadium and McArthur Court, helped organize volunteer landscaping for the annual University Day, and serves on the committees for Dance Marathon and the national service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega.

In the classroom, she has completed many prerequisites and has taken two undergraduate journalism requirements, J201 Mass Media and Society taught by the School of Journalism and Communication Associate Dean and Professor Al Stavitsky and J204 Visual Communications for Mass Media, taught by Associate Professor Bill Ryan. Although the summer hasn't even started, she is already looking forward to the fall, in pursuit of a career as writer, likely for magazines.

She has been writing since she was 5 years old. She was on the newspaper staff of the Cleveland High School Paper (The Clarion). Two of her favorite pieces was one she wrote about Cleveland High teacher Eric Levine and one about a U.S. Soldier in Iraq.

"I love writing because I like to tell the story of people, to find out more about them, and to learn about the different ways of life. Being able to write and share others stories is amazing," she said.

Her first year at the University of Oregon has opened her eyes to even more possibilities than those she found within the Rose Festival and within Portland. She talks of the doors it is opening, her textbooks that are written by the same professors that she is taking classes from, the people she is meeting, and the limitless opportunities her education is providing.

"In one of my classes, Paul Carter a photographer from The Register-Guard came and spoke," the soon-to-be-sophomore said. "He talked about telling stories through photography the same way we tell them through writing. For me, someone who has a passion for writing, it was eye-opening to see that others can also tell life stories through a camera."

With three more years to study at the University of Oregon, Grace looks forward to living off campus next year, attending more games at Mac Court, studying abroad (possibly South America), continuing to be involved in campus activities, and preparing for a career in journalism.

This summer she will return to Portland and work as a lifeguard at two different places, including Sellwood Park, where she has worked for the past couple of years. But before she finishes her finals and concludes a very busy year, Grace will be a part of the Rose Festival's Centennial Celebration.

Grace's sentiments about the Rose Festival are similar to those many alumni returning to the University of Oregon feel – feelings she too will share in three years when she graduates with a journalism degree.

"Portland and the Rose Festival have given me a real sense of community. The connections I've made will last a lifetime and the friendships I've made will always be a part of me," she said. "In the end, it will be sad to move on, but it's one of those things that once you are a part of it, you really always will be."