Sarah Nimtz of Unionville, Sammie Stricker of Saginaw crowned Queen’s Court Attendants
SEBEWAING, MICHIGAN – Marisa Rose of Owosso was crowned the 2025 Michigan Sugar Queen during a ceremony held Friday, June 13, at Sebewaing Village Park during the village’s 60th annual Michigan Sugar Festival.
Marisa, 19, is a 2023 graduate of Owosso High School where she was the valedictorian and a member of National Honor Society. She also played softball and sang in the madrigal choir. In 2024, she was crowned Miss Curwood Festival. Marisa attends the University of Michigan where she is pursuing a degree in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology with a minor in gender and health. She works in the Castro/Lowenstein Lab at Michigan Medicine and is a founding member and event coordinator for Shiawassee Scholars at UofM. She is the daughter of Scott and Becky Rose.
“Once again, Michigan Sugar Company is fortunate to have found a young woman who we know will be an excellent representative and ambassador for our company,” said Lindy Richards, Ag Programs & Education Manager for Michigan Sugar. “Marisa’s positive spirit, upbeat personality, and quality of character shined through during the selection process. We are looking forward to a great year with Marisa as the Michigan Sugar Queen.”
Also crowned during the June 13 ceremony were two Queen’s Court Attendants – Sarah Nimtz, 18, of Unionville, and Sammie Stricker, 19, of Saginaw. They, too, are serving as ambassadors for Michigan Sugar Company for the next year.
Sarah is a 2025 graduate of Unionville-Sebewaing Area High School where she was the Activity Coordinator for National Honor Society, Reporter for the school’s FFA chapter, President of the Rotary Interact Club, and a member of the cross country and track and field teams. She plans to attend Lake Superior State University to pursue a degree in English language and literature with a minor in secondary education. She is the daughter of Michael and Laura Nimtz.
Sammie is a 2024 graduate of Heritage High School where she was a member of National Honor Society, served as a Student Board Member for Michigan DECA, and was a captain on the varsity tennis team. She is a student at Northwood University where she is pursuing her degree in marketing communications with a minor in digital marketing. She is also the founder of Sammie’s Lemonade Stand for Veterans. She is the daughter of Robert and Kelleigh Stricker.
“All three members of our Queen’s Court are exceptional young women,” said Richards, who heads up the Michigan Sugar Queen Scholarship Program. “I am looking forward to traveling across Michigan with this trio over the next year to help tell our cooperative’s sweet story.”
The new Queen and Court Attendants jumped right into their year of service, appearing Saturday, June 14, in the Michigan Sugar Festival Grand Parade in Sebewaing. Marisa, Sarah, and Sammie rode the Michigan Sugar Company float and were joined in the parade by members of the 2024 Michigan Sugar Queen’s Court – Queen Isabella Stoutenburg of Sandusky and Attendant Addison Hagen of Bad Axe. Attendant Kinzlee Karst of Frankenmuth was unable to attend as she was crowned the 2025 Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival Princess and had duties there.
Following the parade, the newly crowned Michigan Sugar Queen and Attendants were in Village Park greeting festival goers, passing out 2-pound bags of Pioneer Sugar, posing for photos, and helping members of Michigan Sugar’s Co-op Board and Central District Board serve up cotton candy.
“I’m super excited to represent my community in the state of Michigan and equally excited to help promote Pioneer Sugar because I’ve used it my whole life in my grandma’s cookie recipes,” said Marisa. “It is important to me to be a woman in science and to be a representative of farmers and scientists and all the people who make Michigan Sugar what it is. I look forward to showing all people, especially girls, the importance of agriculture, science, and food from our own communities. I take a lot of pride in representing my family and community and something that means so much to so many people in the state of Michigan.”
This year, Michigan Sugar Company received 11 applications through its Michigan Sugar Queen Scholarship Program.
Through the Michigan Sugar Queen Scholarship Program, a Queen and two Attendants are chosen to serve for one year as ambassadors for Michigan Sugar Company. Their duties include public appearances, community service projects, interaction with lawmakers and agriculture leaders, and helping to represent Michigan Sugar Company throughout the state.
After completing the requirements of the program, the Queen receives a $4,000 scholarship and each attendant a $2,000 scholarship to be used to help pay for college.
