Queen finds joy in helping others

She was once a shy, quiet girl, a self-conscious teen whose voice sometimes quivered whenever she had to read out loud in front of the classroom.

You’d never guess it looking at Jamie Pacello now.

With grace and confidence, the Shadle Park High School senior stood on a brightly-lit stage, addressing an audience of several hundred people. “Beauty lies in the heart of Spokane,” she told the crowd at the Spokane Opera House. “I thank you all for the opportunity to show ourselves.”

Her speech that January evening helped Pacello earn the coveted tiara: She was crowned the 2005 Lilac Queen, an honor bestowed upon only 60 women so far in Spokane’s history.

Pacello never considered becoming her school’s Lilac princess, much less its queen, until late into her junior year.

Humble and soft-spoken, Pacello has always focused on the needs of others, according to those who know her.

She’s a caring friend who listens to people’s concerns instead of talking about herself. She’s a compassionate volunteer who spends countless hours with cancer patients, the elderly and others in need. She’s also a loving daughter – the kind who not only has dinner ready when her parents come home at night, but who also takes the time to arrange a bouquet of flowers for her mom.

“Her goal is to serve,” said her mother, Joanne Pacello. “She loves to do things for other people.”

Born to poor farmers in Daejeon City, South Korea, Pacello was given up for adoption soon after she was born. At the age of 6 months, she flew with a representative from the adoption agency from Korea to Seattle, where Joanne and Joseph Pacello were waiting.

She was a tiny thing with her black hair standing straight up, recalled Joanne Pacello. When she finally got to hold the baby in her arms, she “looked up at me with this smile that lit up the world,” said Joanne Pacello.

Jamie Pacello grew up in a devout, Catholic household, attending parochial school through the eighth grade at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in north Spokane. From the time she could walk, her parents – Joseph is a pharmacist and Joanne a bank teller – instilled in her a strong commitment to caring for those in need, she said. They also made sure that faith helped shape their daughter’s life. “Our purpose is to do God’s will on earth,” Jamie Pacello said. “I want to lead a life of action and follow in Jesus’ footsteps.”

That’s why she aspires to be a physician and join Doctors Without Borders, which delivers emergency medical aid worldwide.

“People tend to forget there are other cultures and people in need, especially outside the United States,” said Pacello, who in the fall will attend the University of Washington, where she plans to study medicine and join a sorority.

“Helping others gives me so much joy,” she added.

It also helped her overcome her shyness. Volunteering and working one-on-one with people eventually boosted her confidence, giving her the self-assurance she needed to become this year’s Lilac Queen – a job that not only requires her to stand on top of a float during the torchlight parade, but also piles on more responsibilities and community service work.

“I realized this was my chance to learn more and to get more involved with my school,” said Pacello, explaining why she tried out to be part of the Lilac Festival royalty court.

Her decision to put herself out there shows how much she has grown since her freshman year at Shadle, said Myrna Weber, adviser to the National Honor Society, which Pacello serves as president. It wasn’t easy to make the transition from a small parochial school to a large public high school, Weber acknowledged, but Pacello made an effort to reach out to people.

“The Lilac Association is lucky to have someone as special as Jamie,” Weber said. “She’s so thoughtful and kind. She never lets you down.”

Her mother, who is one of her best friends, acknowledged those same qualities. “She has taught me compassion, gentleness and love,” said Joanne Pacello.

“She has inner strength – when something upsets her, she has the strength to make it positive. She’s just one in a million and I’m very proud of her.”