Two events happened in Sydney Clements’ young life — one happy, one sad — that impacted the path leading her to become an Indianapolis 500 Festival Princess during her first year as a medical student at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
An old family photo shows Clements as a toddler at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway posing with a tiara-topped princess: Lyndsay Gilman Ward, a family friend who remains an influence in Clements’ life today. That was her first exposure to the 500 Festival.
Close to the time that photo was taken, Clements’ family suffered a tragedy: the loss of her infant brother to cardiac complications at 21 days old. As a result of their positive experience with Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, Clements’ family started volunteering at the hospital through Ronald McDonald House Charities. In high school, Clements helped organize Riley Dance Marathon fundraisers. That exposure helped her determine she wanted to become a pediatrician.
Clements would have applied for the princess program as an undergrad, but she went to college out of state — earning a degree in chemistry from the University of Alabama — so she was not eligible to be a 500 Festival princess until she enrolled at IU. Now at the end of her first year in medical school, Clements is currently studying neuroscience while she carefully plots out her weekly schedules to make room for princess duties, including 500 Festival appearances and presentations to schoolchildren.
“I think the princesses really represent the best of what Indiana has to offer in terms of academics, community service, volunteerism, leadership and being a role model for the youth in our community,” Clements said.
As part of her princess commitments, Clements presents educational programs at local schools, including Whiteland Elementary, where she attended as a child. Later, she attended Franklin Community Schools, where she was a runner. She designed a running curriculum to promote health education and invites local children to participate in the upcoming 500 Festival Rookie Run.
“The running curriculum is my passion project this year,” Clements explained. “It combines my love of running with my medical school experience and interest in youth development.”
Tying into the Indy 500 tradition of milk for the winner, Clements talks to children about the importance of good nutrition. And she brings an IndyCar helmet to emphasize the need to wear proper safety equipment while engaging in physical activities.
Clements is not the first IU medical student to be selected for the program. Elizabeth Baker was a princess in 2024, and Lilly O’Shea in 2025, both as first-year medical students. O’Shea calls the 500 Festival “a remarkable convergence of heritage and spirit, where tradition and innovation coexist and where pride is shared across generations.” She entered the princess program expecting personal and professional growth through experiences with philanthropic initiatives.
“What I gained was far more nuanced: a deeper appreciation for the power of presence, connection and storytelling,” she said, “values that closely mirror what I strive to embody in medicine, where the most impactful care comes from balancing clinical expertise with genuine empathy for the person behind the diagnosis.”
O’Shea’s community engagements included work with the Rock for Riley 5K, the Golden Gloves ringside doctor team and the American Red Cross Sound the Alarm campaign, all of which reinforced the impact of community-centered health education and prevention.
Her advice for Clements during the whirlwind month of May is to look for opportunities for intentional connections with Hoosiers from all walks of life — an invaluable skill for future physicians. O’Shea recalled meeting a young boy who was captivated by the sparkle of her tiara. Weeks later, she saw him again, this time seated in a red wagon as a patient at Riley Hospital.
“That encounter helped me recognize that the (princess) role extended far beyond appearances or events and instead centered on holding space for others, honoring their stories and fostering moments of joy and belonging — lessons that continue to shape how I approach both medicine and service, reminding me that the privilege of stepping into someone’s life, even briefly, carries a responsibility that is both humbling and deeply enduring,” O’Shea said.
For the 33 Indiana women selected as 500 Festival Princesses each spring, the program also provides an opportunity to build professional networks and leadership skills while serving as ambassadors of Hoosier hospitality. Each princess is assigned a mentor from the 500 Festival Board of Directors who works in an area related to their career interests. Clements, Baker and O’Shea all learned from the same mentor: Nicole Paulk, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for IU Health.
“She offered me a lot of valuable advice regarding navigating the 500 Princess Program as a graduate student after working with medical students the past two years,” Clements said. “It was also valuable getting to speak with her about the IU Health system, medical school and her experiences in healthcare.”
Paulk connects med school princesses with IU’s Motorsports Medicine team to learn how faculty physicians keep drivers safe and care for injured spectators at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IU School of Medicine launched the world’s first Motorsports Medicine Fellowship in 2020.
Clements is not a lifelong fan of racing — this will be her first Indy 500 — but she enjoys the sense of community the 500 Festival brings to Indiana’s capitol city each May. There are numerous events throughout the month leading up to Race Day on May 24.
Clements invites the IU School of Medicine community to join festivities close to campus in downtown Indianapolis:
- 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and 5K — May 2
- 500 Festival Kids Day and Rookie Run on Monument Circle — May 9
- 500 Festival Memorial Service — May 22
- 500 Festival Parade — May 23
“The events of the 500 Festival leading up to the Indianapolis 500 really show just how special Hoosier hospitality is,” Clements said.
