There are eight candidates for Aurora, Queen of the Snows of the 2025 St. Paul Winter Carnival.

The contenders could also be crowned one of the royal family’s four princesses at coronation on Friday, Jan. 24, in downtown St. Paul.

This year’s candidates come from a variety of backgrounds, including a school bus driver and a small business owner.

Samantha Axt, sponsored by NE Moose Bar & Grill

“Remember sitting on a throne made of ice and sticking a penny into the arm with your warm hand to make a wish?” Samantha Axt writes in her bio.

Actually, no. Is that a thing?

Axt writes that she has this memory as she was born and raised in the Twin Cities.

Living in the Highland Park area, Axt works for Washington County and volunteers with organizations geared towards youth development in diverse sports and activities. She enjoys spending time with her family, “cheering on the Minnesota Vikings, playing with their fur animals and building LEGO sets.”

In a shoutout to her sponsor, the NE Moose Bar & Grill in Northeast Minneapolis, she recommends going on Wednesdays to try the ribs.

Shakira Bradshaw, sponsored by Healing Connections

Shakira Bradshaw, a 2011 graduate of Hamline University, says in her bio that she has dedicated her life to public service and the improvement of life for Minnesota’s children.

She currently works as an accountant for the state of Minnesota and serves on the State Advisory Council for Early Childhood Education and Care. Previously, she served as a co-chair on the Governor’s Great Start for All Minnesota Children Task Force.

You might have seen Bradshaw featured on the cover of the South Eagan Neighbors magazine in 2022 for her public service work .

Bradshaw and her husband, Robert, have a daughter and a son. In her spare time, Bradshaw says she enjoys baking, gardening, singing, crocheting and learning French.

Anna Day, sponsored by Bungalow Inn of Lakeland

Anna Day graduated from St. Francis High School, the community where she says her Winter Carnival dream began.

It was as Miss St. Francis, Day writes in her bio, that she remembers meeting Aurora, Queen of the Snows, for the first time.

It was dazzling, of course.

While she loves the queen of our cold season, she also loves the warmth of baking.

Day’s love of baking, she writes, “began in the kitchen with her Great Grammy Alice. They baked banana bread and joined the ‘Great Cookie Bake Off,’ a 50+ year tradition.”

Day is a school bus driver for the Academy for Sciences and Agriculture, a public charter school. She says she enjoys working with students in and out of the classroom building relationships. In her spare time, this bookworm is working toward building up her personal library, with her current collection nearing 500 titles.

Bailey Dominick, sponsored by Bill Burg, Edina Realty Home Services

Bailey Dominick describes herself as “a passionate small business owner” who is based in Minneapolis.

Growing up in a small town, Dominick says she developed a deep appreciation for the arts and the value of connection within a community.

She enjoys reading, traveling and serving as head of volunteers for MNFurs, a Minnesota-based nonprofit.

Michaela Hingst, sponsored by Landmark Jewelers

Michaela Hingst works as a preschool teacher as well as on the Gertens’ nursery lot during the summer.

Ask her about roses, she suggests in her bio. She grows 15 different varieties — and wants to add more.

Hingst says life is most vibrant when it is full of “colorful gardens, forest hikes, children’s laughter and family time.”

In her spare time, Hingst and her husband, Justin, often explore Minnesota’s state parks in all our seasons. They enjoy camping, fishing, birding and foraging ingredients from native plants.

Outside of Minnesota, Hingst says, her most memorable hike was ascending Grand Teton to Delta Lake on her honeymoon.

She is also a fan of musicals and says she can spend hours singing show tunes on long trips visiting family and friends.

Jenny Harris, sponsored by Pauly’s Pub and Grill

Jenny Harris, who says in her bio that she grew up with a love for winter, enjoys taking her usual “winter walk” with a cup of hot cocoa in hand, “appreciating the snow and the shimmer it brings.”

As a mental health and addiction therapist, Harris has worked in several mental health and chemical dependency programs and now works in private practice as an individual outpatient therapist.

She enjoys hiking in her spare time as well as visiting friends and family throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Christina Murphy-Porte, sponsored by Quality Insurance Service

Born in January, typically the coldest month of the year, Christina Murphy-Porte likes to say that she’s been the “Queen of Winter” before even wearing a crown.

Born and raised in St. Paul, Murphy-Porte holds a degree in business management from St. Paul College and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at the University of Minnesota.

With a background in information technology (IT), Murphy-Porte has worked for the state of Minnesota for several years. Passionate about giving back, she coaches youth sports and volunteers with organizations like Toys for Tots.

Murphy-Porte, who is married with four children, says she loves cooking for her family and friends, exploring Minnesota’s waterfalls and making unforgettable memories with her family.

Tessa Westlund, sponsored by Ideal Printers

Tessa Westund lives in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul.

A proud alumnus of Gustavus Adolphus College, where she received her degree in communications studies, she serves as the human resources training and compliance specialist for The Salvation Army, where she leads the Northern Division in the Safe From Harm program.

Growing up in a full household, she is the youngest of four and says in her bio that she now acts as the “fun aunt” for her nieces and nephews. She enjoys the little things in life, like bonfires on chilly nights, arranging flowers, singing in the car and making others laugh.