Meet the 2025 Cherry Blossom Queens

Each Princess has been selected by their State Society based on their academic, social, and professional achievements and all are highly qualified to represent the United States.

As the program is not a competition, it is the long-standing tradition of the program that the US Queen is selected by the spinning of a giant wheel. The wheel is spun once for the Runner Up and a second time for the Queen.

Malissa Bouakham

United States Cherry Blossom Queen

Bouakham graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2024 with degrees in International Relations, Political Science, and Peace Studies. She is also a 2023 alumna of Waseda University, where she studied Political Science & Economics and Japanese. She has previously interned in the Kentucky House of Representatives and has also advocated for Asian communities on a congressional-level in Washington D.C. Malissa plans to continue working in advocacy through nonprofit efforts and hopes to attend law school in 2026. She is the proud daughter of Daovone and Boua Bouakham.

Malissa is the first Kentucky Cherry Blossom Princess to be crowned Queen since Elizabeth Howard in 1961 and Frances Mae Fisher in 1954. She now joins a distinguished network of more than 3,000 Cherry Blossom Princess program alumnae, including U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan.

Kyoko Katayama

2025 Japan Sakura Queen

Miori is from Kanagawa Prefecture and is a graduate of Keio University. She currently works at an accounting firm and enjoys Japan archery (Kyudo) and horsemanship.

First Runner Up

Channon Rankin, Oklahoma

Channon is from Hulbert, Oklahoma, and currently serves as a Press Assistant for Congressman Sam Graves. A 2023 graduate of Rogers State University with a degree in Political Science and Communications, she is now pursuing a master’s degree in Government Communications and Public Policy at George Washington University. Channon has volunteered with veterans’ organizations and school reading programs. She is the daughter of William and Candie Rankin.

Essay Winner

Rebecca Urie, Pennsylvania

Rebecca is a native of Maryland and an honors student at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, where she is majoring in Pharmacy with a minor in Data Science. She serves as the Historian of Kappa Kappa Psi, Secretary of WEBS, and is a Presidential Student Leader. Rebecca is passionate about music and science outreach. She is the daughter of Lisa and Jackson Urie and the sister of Sarah Urie, the 2024 Delaware Cherry Blossom Delegate.

Miss Congeniality

Sophia Maynard, Rhode Island

Sophia is a native of Warwick, Rhode Island, and currently works as a Government Affairs Coordinator for Textron Inc. She is a 2022 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, where she earned a degree in English and competed on the cross country and track teams. Sophia volunteers with various advocacy groups and coaches a Girls on the Run team in Washington, D.C. She is the proud daughter of Cheryl and Michael Maynard.