Tessa Westlund’s reputation as the “fun aunt” in her family just got a boost.
As the crown was placed on her head at Friday night’s coronation at RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul, “Aunt Titi” began her reign as Aurora, Queen of the Snows of the 2025 St. Paul Winter Carnival.
What fun!
“I truly want to spread joy and make people laugh,” the 26-year-old St. Paul woman says of her role within her family and her community. “I think we need more of that in the world right now.”
It was a joyful experience to be named queen; this was her second time as a candidate, following a previous run in 2023.
“My first thought was, ‘I did it!’” she said of the moment. “It was the most incredible feeling.”
Westlund’s candidacy, sponsored by Ideal Printers, began in November; she will serve with a royal family that includes four other candidates who are now princesses.
“Tessa is such a kind, caring person,” said Jennifer Battan, Queen of the Snows Candidate Committee Chair, in an email to the Pioneer Press. “She stepped into a leadership role within the candidate group with ease.
“She’s always ready to help anyone in any way, and she created great personal bonds within the group. On our bus tour of St. Paul, she made connections with children at schools, introducing them to Winter Carnival-themed versions of classic playground games (who needs ‘Red Light, Green Light’ when you can play ‘Boreas Snow and Vulcanus Flame?’).
“She is a generous person with her time, talents, and attention who has a habit of making an impact on the people she meets from her time with the Junior Royalty to today. Her sense of humor and love of Winter Carnival and the Legend will be evident to everyone in the realm.
“I can’t wait for Tessa and the other four royal ladies to grow into their character roles and become an amazing team,” Battan wrote.
Westlund, the youngest of four children of Margaret and Robert Westlund, is continuing a royal family tradition.
“My sister, Kelly, was the West Wind Princess and my dad was the North Wind Prince and Grand Duke Fertilious (of the Vulcans),’ Westlund says.
Like other residents of the Twin Cities, Westlund’s memories of winter include the St. Paul Winter Carnival, from attending the parades to skating at Rice Park.
“I grew up with Winter Carnival,” she says. “It’s what you do in Minnesota.”
A lifelong Minnesota resident, Westlund grew up in Roseville, graduating from Roseville High School in 2016. She now lives in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul and works as a human resources training and compliance specialist for The Salvation Army, where she leads the Northern Division in the Safe From Harm program.
“I think it would be amazing to partner with The Salvation Army some more,” she says.
A pandemic graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, Westlund said she learned in 2020 to never turn down an opportunity, “for we never know when it could be taken away unexpectedly.”
She thus makes it her mission to enjoy little moments of joy — like bonfires on chilly nights, arranging flowers, singing in the car and making others laugh — as well as embracing big opportunities like this volunteer role. As queen, it’s a role that will extend beyond the 10 days of Winter Carnival to include a year of travel, parades and public appearances as she and King Boreas and the rest of the royal family serve as goodwill ambassadors for the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, which produces the annual festival that dates back to 1886.
She’ll also continue her role as the fun aunt, especially for her niece, Hazel.
“My niece was there,” Westlund says of coronation, “and she’s at the age I was, about 10, when I started really falling in love with Winter Carnival. And so it’s fun to see my family’s next generation starting to fall in love with this festival and St. Paul, period.”
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