San Marino Teens Join Tournament of Roses Royal Court

PASADENA, CA — It's officially Rose Bowl season! The finalists of the 2019 Tournament of Roses Royal Court was announced Monday, marking the official start of the season leaded up to the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1. Sherry Xiaorui Ma, a senior at San Marino High School and Louise Deser Siskel, a San Marino resident were named to the court.

Seven young women, high school students from around the San Gabriel, were chosen from among 44 finalists and hundreds of applicants. The Rose Queen will be chosen later this month and crowned on Oct. 23 at the Pasadena Playhouse. The Roses Royal Court will represent the community at nearly 100 events leading up to the parade on Jan. 1 themed the “Melody of Life”.

Each of the young ladies were chosen for the court based on criteria such as public speaking ability, academic achievement, youth leadership and community and school involvement.

Ma shared her love of music with the judges, telling them, "“Music is a language that is spoken through emotions. Not everyone can understand words, but everyone understands the power of love and kindness. We are all connected, just like the music notes that are intermittently connected. Music gives you the power to reach people you know, and even the people you don’t know. The “Melody of Life” is about the musical conversation all around us that expresses what cannot be said. This melody can help humans forget their differences and come together to transform negativity into hope, freedom, and color. This year’s theme has a very deep emotional connection to me because of how passionate I am about artistic expression.”

Siskel, a senior at Sequoyah High School, talked about what music means to her.

“For me, “The Melody of Life” is standing at the lab bench at 7am, singing along to show tunes,” she said. “It is classical music when I’m writing and 2000’s hits when I’m nervous. I belt out Cole Porter verses with my grandfather and ABBA anthems with my friends. Music has an astounding capacity to bring people together and has always been an integral part of my favorite traditions and most treasured memories. Music makes the world a more forgiving and more joyful place.”

The members of the Royal Court are:

Lauren Michele Baydaline, a senior at Westridge School and resident of South Pasadena;

Ashley Symone Hackett, a senior at John Muir High School and a Pasadena resident;

Rucha S. Kadam, a senior at La Canada High School and a La Canada Flintridge resident;

Sherry Xiaorui Ma, a Temple City resident and a senior at San Marino High School;

Micaela Sue McElrath, a senior at Westridge School and a Pasadena resident;

Helen Susan Rossi, a Flintridge Preparatory School senior and La Canada Flintridge resident; and

Louise Deser Siskel, a senior at Sequoyah High School and a San Marino resident.

The Announcement and Coronation of the 101th Rose Queen® and Presentation of the 2019 Royal Court is on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at the Pasadena Playhouse; the event is sponsored by Citizens Business Bank. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase from Sharp Seating Company.

Photo courtesy of the Tournament of Roses; City News Service contributed to this report.