2026 Maid of Honor Rory Davis

Acceptance Speech at the December 15, 2025, Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc Coronation Party

I want to thank everyone for being here tonight to welcome both myself and our wonderful new King and Queen! I believe I speak for all of us when I say how much of an honor it is to have been recognized by not only those on the committee, but by everyone who knows and loves this parade as much as I do. Now, since I know some people in the room love their numbers and numerology, I will now proceed to give my 18 minute speech on being the 18th Maid of Honor for the year of my 18th birthday which will be on the 18th of January. I’m just kidding… I do not think it will be 18 minutes.
As my predecessor, Life Sacco, said: “to represent Joan is daunting”. I think she forgot to mention one thing though: to write a speech about representing Joan is daunting. Delivering this speech to you, I can promise you that I have about five other drafts saved, all taking this moment into various different directions. But what other way would there be to do it? After all, there are so many sides and facets of Joan that I could touch on. She was a young French girl, illiterate, who overcame fear and persecution to be remembered as a hero hundreds of years later. Joan was a knight, a woman of action who believed in her country and loved the people who lived there, enough to risk her life for them. She is also a saint, a figure of faith and kindness who answered God’s call to serve a greater purpose. 

Joan of Arc was, and remains to be, all these things and so much more. So it is very difficult to try and find one way to speak of the ways in which I hope to represent her.

And yet, I believe that I have found it, not in any of her big titles, or specific achievements, but in one simple fact: Joan is the unofficial patron saint of those who need courage. While it is easy to forget this as it stands among her myriad of titles, I have kept finding myself coming back to it. Courage was, in so many ways, at the heart of Joan. Courage to have faith in God, her nation, and herself, and courage to have conviction in all that she did. This virtue is what inspired the entire nation of France to fight in a war, what inspired the suffragist to take up their pamphlets and pins for equal rights, and has continued to inspire so much more.

It is this courage of hers that has always resonated with me, perhaps because I have had to call on it so many times in my life. From when I was bullied back in elementary school to when I am getting ready to go to my mock Bac exam, courage is what I have needed most. But courage is not only found in action, but in our minds. When those shadows of self-doubt start to take hold and tell us we are imposters who have done nothing to deserve recognition, it is courage, that of faith and conviction in who we are, that will bring us back into the light.

I believe that this was the courage that allowed Joan to overcome her age, gender, and class, and what ultimately made her a leader. Because once she found it in herself, she was able to become a leader who shared it with others. She helped the dauphin find courage to stand up as a king, she motivated other soldiers and comrades in arms to find their own courage and fight. And since, she has given me courage to believe that I too am a leader like her, who may not have a fancy title or be the most powerful, but who can still make a difference in the lives of those around her and for those in the future.

So as we move into our official 2026 parade, I encourage (ha, courage), everyone here to remember Joan’s courage, which has brought all of us here together, and to find and believe in the courage that exists in you, no matter what. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to embody her courage as we step into what I am sure will be an amazing new year. Have a wonderful night, and may Joan be with you.