Three Merced County residents competing for Dairy Princess title

Most of the contestants competing for the Dairy Princess title in Turlock call Merced County home.

The crowned Dairy Princess will represent the dairy industry throughout 11 counties in California: Alameda; Mariposa; Merced; Monterey; San Benito; San Francisco; San Mateo; Santa Clara; Santa Cruz; Stanislaus and Tuolumne.

“She will serve the area as ambassador for the dairy industry at schools, service groups and with the media,” the California Milk Advisory Board said in a statement. “The newly selected princess and her alternate will attend a training session with workshops on presentation development, promoting the California dairy industry and leadership and etiquette tools.”

The program, sponsored by the District 6 Dairy Princess Committee and the CMAB, will be on June 15 at Our Lady of Assumption Hall in Turlock.

The Merced contestant, Lauren Alvares, is a senior at El Capitan High School and a member of her high school’s Future Farmers of America, or FFA, program and has competed in various contests and held multiple officer positions.

Alvares is also currently enrolled in the Merced and Modesto colleges and plans to attend California State University Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in the fall to study dairy science. She has plans to transfer to Cornell University after to earn her degree and become a dairy nutritionist.

Faith Larragoitiy and Karleen Lopez of Los Banos also will be competing for the Dairy Princess title.

Larragoitiy is a second-year student at Merced College and is studying animal science, the release said. She is planning to transfer to California State University, San Diego. Larragoitiy is a member of the Los Banos Community 4-H club, where she has held officer positions and has shown dairy cattle for past seven years.

Lopez, a freshman at California State University, Fresno, is studying agricultural communications, the release said, hoping to become an agriculture lawyer. She competed on the dairy products judging team with Los Banos FFA and is a member of the California dairy jeopardy team that will compete at the National Holstein Association convention in Washington.

Makayla Toste of Newman and Shania DeJarnett of Turlock also are competing for the title.

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Three Merced County residents competing for Dairy Princess title."