Long live the queen
Victoria Mayfield — a senior at Ashland High School — is an award winning student of mathematics and science, and plans on pursuing a path towards one day becoming a pediatrician. In addition to her studies and maintaining a 4.0 GPA, she has participated in a variety of athletics: Nordic skiing, rugby, track (in between interview questions on Thursday, she placed 3rd in the 1500 Meters), and she was a member and team captain of the State Champion Cross Country Team.
Victoria is also involved in the community, including being the student body representative to the AHS site council, fundraising for the Ashland Schools, and spending time with her friend Te, a wheelchair-bound young man with cerebral palsy. Victoria was also recently crowned the Pear Blossom Festival Queen, and will reign over the festival's 54th annual parade Saturday.
DT: Tell us a little about your family.
Victoria: I am the daughter of Karen Delsman, a native Ashlander, and Marcus Mayfield, an ultra-runner who was also raised in Southern Oregon. My four siblings and I are part of a huge extended family who have lived in this beautiful city for 100 plus years.
DT: What were your interests when younger? And what about currently?
Victoria: I loved observing my surroundings and other people, and despite a speech impediment that made it almost impossible for people to understand me, I loved engaging in conversation! My most prominent memories are of weekly dance classes and recitals with Gene Leyden. And, I loved the stage; I was convinced that one day I would be a famous actress.
Currently? I love to design clothing and sew beautiful creations, iceblock down steep and grassy hills in Ashland, cook, run, bike, travel, and learn new things.
DT: What are some of the especially meaningful moments in your life?
Victoria: I've been blessed with many. What comes to mind are numerous moments at Helman School, receiving the sacraments of the Catholic Church, gazing up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, admiring Michelangelo's David, the birth of Ezra — my 15-month old brother, running through the night with my father, and winning the Oregon Cross Country Championships with six of the most remarkably amazing people I know!
DT: What have been some of the highlights of your high school years? And what about favorite classes/subjects?
Victoria: While high school can be trying at times, I have loved most of my classes, enjoyed my teachers, and have been very impressed with all that Ashland High School has to offer. Although I love math and science, my favorite classes have been with Mr. Cornelius, an extraordinary English/social studies teacher. His classes are the type where the most memorable lessons — and there have been many — are the ones that happen outside of books and busy work.
DT: What are your plans for post graduation?
Victoria: While I'm not yet certain where I'll be attending college, I would love to attend a school with a great science department, one that will prepare me for medical school, and that will help fulfill my goal of becoming a pediatrician.
DT: What do you hope to be doing ten years from now?
Victoria: First thing that comes to mind is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with my hubby. It has been my dream to one day walk from Mexico to Canada, and I can't imagine not having a husband and children at that point. Together they would make for one long hike!
DT: What inspired you to try to become a member of the Pear Blossom Senior Royalty Court? And could you sum up what the experience has been like so far?
Victoria: When I was a freshman, there was an acquaintance I really admired — Sarah Cate — who got involved with the pageant. By the way, this is a scholarship pageant, not a beauty pageant. All the contestants have to maintain a 3.5 GPA, and 75 percent of the score is determined before anyone even takes the stage: 25 percent application, 25 percent essay, 25 percent pre-pageant interview. Anyhow, I saw Sarah really enjoy the experience, and I decided I should apply when the time came.
It has been such a memorable and empowering experience. Part of it required the other princesses and I to attend two hour classes, every Monday for almost three months, on a variety of topics: public speaking, etiquette, self image ... I value all the lessons I've learned from the entire experience, which all boil down to one topic: Girls my age have a huge amount of potential to do really great things, and the key to fulfilling this potential is having confidence in ourselves.
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DT: What will your duties be during the festival?
Victoria: I will first attend the VIP party before the parade, where I will greet important city, state, and regional figures who come to the festival. After shmoozing a bit with these people, I will hop on a float and reign over the parade — doing my queen thing — mostly smiling, waving, and looking beautiful for a couple of hours!
DT: As Queen — not to mention student, athlete, sister, and more — you're obviously a very busy person, but just a few more questions.
Victoria: I've always secretly wanted a Sneak Preview Profile. This is even better!
DT: The questions are: If you could wave a wand and change three things in the world, what would they be? What is your biggest fear? If you could sit down to lunch with any person in the world, who would it be, and why? And what is something about you most people don't know and would find surprising?
Victoria: Change? I'd change what people perceive as beauty — as applied to women. Reverse global warming. And make sure that no person goes to sleep at night unhappy. And since magic exists in this scenario, I would find Harry Potter and marry him!
Fear? Like most people, I fear losing someone close to me. I also have some petty irrational fears, including fish, the bottom centimeter of bananas, and cemeteries.
Lunch? It would be great to dine with the Dalai Lama, a person whose wisdom and kindness transcends this world.
Something most people don't know about me? I can easily ramble off 40 plus digits of pi, or beat men twice my size in pie eating competitions. Pretty much I am a math loving, dessert consuming maniac!
DT: One last question. What is the most important thing you've learned so far in life?
Victoria: There's a line in the movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." I believe that too often people get caught up in the frivolous details, forgetting that they are part of a bigger picture called life. We all need time to relax and take in the moment, whether good or bad, significant or negligible. Life is meant to be lived, and to live means to love. It's cliché, but it works!
Debi Smith is a local Tidings correspondent. Your comments, or suggestions for future profiles, can be sent to debi@mind.net. Photo of Mayfield as queen taken by Essence Fotografi of Medford.
