Elsa who?

There’s only one snow queen in this town.

She’s Aurora, Queen of the Snows.

Ten women are vying for the honor of ruling over the St. Paul Winter Carnival with King Boreas. In addition to the queen, four princesses will be named at the coronation Friday at the St. Paul RiverCentre Grande Ballroom. Together, the royal women and their entourage will serve as goodwill ambassadors, representing our city and our unique festival across the state, the country and even internationally, in Canada.

Let us introduce you:

Ashley Curtis, 25, Champlin, sponsored by Hamernick Decorating. Curtis and her mother own Always Blooming Floral, located in a kiosk at the Maplewood Costco.

Curtis was born in Orange County, Calif., but has lived in Minnesota for nearly 21 years. After graduating from Champlin High School in 2008, Curtis earned an associate’s degree in floral design from Hennepin County Technical College in 2013.

Curtis is a member of the Lupus and the Kidney foundations and does the walks every summer to help raise awareness. In the summer, she donates most of her time volunteering for her two nephews’ baseball and T-ball associations, the Irish Fair and her favorite, the Game Fair, a sporting event that her dachshund, Skipper, also attends.

In her free time, Curtis is usually drawing or watching and singing along to one of her 90 Disney movies.

Favorite Winter Carnival event: “It’s my first Winter Carnival!”

Shelby Edmondson, 21, West St. Paul, sponsored by LCS Co. Shelby was born in St. Paul and grew up in West St. Paul, where she served as the 2010 West St. Paul Princess.

Edmondson is studying English at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and would like to teach high school English after she graduates.

She enjoys hunting and fishing, playing her violin, photography and riding her horse, Marley.

Favorite Winter Carnival event: “Torchlight and Grande Day parades.”

Krystle Igbo-Ogbonna, 26, St. Paul, sponsored by Dar’s Double Scoop. Igbo-Ogbonna is a lifelong resident of St. Paul and was a 2010 Rice Street Festival Princess. Igbo-Ogbonna works at Century College as a TRIO Upward Bound program adviser, where she helps traditionally underrepresented high school students in the St. Paul Public School district gain access to higher education.

Igbo-Ogbonna earned her bachelor’s degree in communication and theater arts at the University of Minnesota in 2011. Igbo-Ogbonna is pursuing a master’s degree in educational leadership with a focus on student affairs in higher education at the University of St. Thomas.

Igbo-Ogbonna volunteers with the Minnesota TRIO Association, Young Artists Initiative and with the Rondo Days and Rice Street festivals. In her free time, she enjoys reading and exercising.

Favorite Winter Carnival event: “I really enjoy the Klondike Kate contest,” Igbo-Ogbonna said. “It’s a social time to talk and get to know people.”

Afton Kielsa, 26, St. Michael, sponsored by White Bear Country Inn & Rudy’s Redeye Grill. Kielsa is a guest experience manager at La Quinta Inn & Suites. She was Miss Minnesota U.S. International 2013.

She volunteers with the Animal Humane Society, Como Zoo and community festivals and pageants, including the St. Paul Winter Carnival, where she recently sat on planning committees for the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation and the Ambassadors.

Kielsa graduated from Rogers High School in 2007 and earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Catherine University in 2011 in exercise and sports science and a minor in coaching.

A former competitive figure skater, Kielsa now teaches figure skating. Kielsa also loves bargain shopping, reading, watching movies and walking her dogs, Shanook and Rhea.

Favorite Winter Carnival event: “I like to attend the Vulcan Victory Dance,” Kielsa said. “Music is the universal language of mankind; it doesn’t matter your age, your heritage or your ability to dance; it’s fun to listen to the Dweebs sing songs from every decade; it’s a night of fun and merriment.”

Dana Schachtner, 28, St. Louis Park, sponsored by FFP Wealth Management. Schachtner received her bachelor of arts in graphic design and minor in marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2008.

She holds a position on Target Corp.’s Weekly Ad team as an associate production artist. Schachtner, who is a native of Hudson, Wis., enjoys the fine arts, reading, cooking and volunteering with the St. Paul Festival & Heritage Foundation. A lover of design and portraiture, Dana has recently jumped back into her childhood pastime of fashion illustration.

Favorite Winter Carnival event: “The puzzle contest is an event that not everyone has heard of,” Schachtner said. “It’s the nation’s largest jigsaw puzzle contest.”

Caitlyn Stenerson, 21, Maplewood, sponsored by Ainsley Shea Communications.

Stenerson is a lifelong resident of Maplewood and a lover of all things Winter Carnival. One of her favorite Winter Carnival events is the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt, which she has bundled up to participate in nearly every year since her birth; in elementary school, her mother used to pick her up with snowsuit in hand to search for the medallion. The search continues to this day, but Stenerson hasn’t found it (yet).

Stenerson, who went to high school at Concordia Academy, graduated with a degree in political science from Bethel University in December 2013 and works as a communications specialist for the Minnesota House of Representatives.

In her spare time, Stenerson runs for the Oiselle Flock and loves trying out new cupcake recipes.

Favorite Winter Carnival event: “Medallion hunt, absolutely.”

Tiffany Swenson, 30, Burnsville, sponsored by the Rice Street Festival. No stranger to a crown, Swenson was crowned the Rice Street Festival Queen for 2013 and represented the North End Area across the region last year. Swenson, a mom of two, works as a production manager for a professional digital photo lab.

She grew up in St. Paul — she was raised in the same house her father grew up in. She graduated from Como Park High School in 2002 and later from Brown College. Swenson says she is most proud of being a mother who strives every day to lead a positive, healthy and happy lifestyle.

Favorite Winter Carnival event: Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt. Her grandmother, Patricia Swenson, found the medallion at Como Park during the 1965 hunt. “In our family, searching for the medallion is a tradition we carry on,” she said.

Laura Werk, 36, Anoka, sponsored by Dan Gould Jewelers. Werk, a senior graphic designer at WPI in Plymouth and a small business owner of Lotsa Design, has created logos for local community events and nonprofit organizations, including Blair’s Tree of Hope, Richfield Hometown Fourth of July and the Nowthen Historical Power Association. She is serving on the Anoka Halloween Board of Directors and oversees the development and creation of the schedule of events, acts as button design contest chair, and designs the Anoka Medallion.

In addition, she has received the Aquatennial Commodore’s Award and has been knighted by the Royal Family of the St. Paul Winter Carnival for her commitment to volunteerism and leadership within her community. Werk is married and has two children.

Favorite Winter Carnival event: “Saintly City Cat Show.”

Rochelle Westlund, 32, St. Anthony Village, sponsored by Northern Prairie Financial.

Westlund is a health and human services policy analyst with the Association of Minnesota Counties. She received her bachelor’s degree from Hamline University in economics and environmental studies, with a certificate in French proficiency.

She spent a year working with disadvantaged populations in the inner city of St. Louis before obtaining her juris doctor degree at William Mitchell College of Law. After law school, Westlund practiced as a criminal defense lawyer in Minneapolis, then became a lobbyist with the Minnesota Retailers Association.

In her spare time, Westlund is the captain of Team Blonde for Blondes vs. Brunettes Twin Cities, a charity football league that raises money and awareness to end Alzheimer’s disease. Westlund’s father, Bob Westlund, was Titan, Prince of the North Wind, in the 2011 St. Paul Winter Carnival, and her sister, Kelly Westlund, was crowned the West Wind Princess in 2010.

Favorite Winter Carnival event: The Vulcan Victory Dance: “It’s like a giant wedding with a live band, and everyone there knows each other and it’s just a really fun event.”

Leah Wipperling, 24, Cottage Grove, sponsored by Ideal Printers. Wipperling, who recently got engaged, reigned as Miss Red Wing 2008. After graduating from Red Wing High School the same year, Wipperling studied dental assisting at Century College, where she graduated in 2012. Wipperling is now a dental assistant at Orthodontics by Hipple & Zirbel, where she is passionate about helping people feel confident in their smiles. This passion has led her to volunteer with organizations like Union Gospel Mission and Give Kids a Smile in her free time.

In addition to her career and volunteer work, Wipperling spends much of her time surrounded by her family at their cabin in Spooner, Wis.

Favorite Winter Carnival event: “The coronation itself,” Wipperling said. “It’s loud and it’s fun.”

Molly Guthrey can be reached at 651-228-5505.

Copyright 2015 Pioneer Press.