by Dot Cannon
Who’s thinking of New Year’s Day today? Well, certainly these young women are.
These are the thirty-one finalists, announced today, for the Royal Court, in Pasadena’s 2015 Rose Parade® .
Seven of them will receive word, next Monday, that they’ve been chosen as Rose Princesses for the Royal Court. And of those seven, one will be selected as Rose Queen, later this month.
Just over seven hundred Pasadena-area students tried out, in September, for this year’s Royal Court, according to Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Public Relations Manager Andrea Fox.
Requirements for the Royal Court have changed dramatically since the selection of the first Rose Queen in 1905. Over a century ago, festivities in Pasadena on New Year’s Day included chariot races–and the first Queen, Hallie Woods, and her court, were given the task of crowning the winners with laurel wreaths. At other points in Rose Parade® history, Rose Queens selected their own courts, made their own gowns–and the first Rose Queen built her own float.
On January 1, 2015, the seven Rose Princesses selected from among these finalists will be riding on the Macy’s float, which represents a stately rose garden. Their wardrobes will be provided by Tournament of Roses®. And according to the Tournament of Roses®’ website, to be eligible for the Rose Court, a woman must be at least 17 years of age by December 31, 2014. She must also be no more than 21 years of age by January 5, 2015; and she must be an unmarried resident of the Pasadena Area Community College District, with no children.
These thirty-one finalists represent fourteen schools in the Pasadena Area Community College District, including Arcadia High School, La Salle High School and Pasadena City College.
(Photograph courtesy of Tournament of Roses® Marketing Department.
Pictured here are:
Top row, from left: #574 Alia Little (Pasadena High School), #593 Savannah Daniel (La Salle High School), #702 Bergen Onufer (Mayfield Senior School), #756 Alisha Mehdi (South Pasadena High School), #738 Katelyn Stone (La Salle High School), #608 Madison Triplett (John Marshall Fundamental High School), #578 Kayla Beaumont (Arcadia High School)
Fourth row, from left: #459 Sophia Hernandez (Maranatha High School), #493 Kaitlin Wong (Flintridge Preparatory School), #522 Gayaneh Puglia (La Cañada High School), #566 Jacqueline Hwang (San Marino High School), #520 Shelby Gish (La Cañada High School), #465 Alise Townsend (Pasadena High School)
Third row, from left: #270 Karina Safaoui (South Pasadena High School), #387 Mackenzie Byers (Pasadena City College), #397 Emma Weithas (Mayfield Senior School), #400 Isabella Martinez (South Pasadena High School), #389 Sophia Aschieris (Mayfield Senior School), #276 Emily Stoker (Temple City High School)
Second row, from left: #130 Madeline McGoldrick (La Salle High School), #174 Kyree Jackson (Arcadia High School), #231 Nicole Friedlich (San Marino High School), #253 Simona Shao (Westridge School), #183 Phoebe Pittman (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy), #145 Veronica Mejia (Pasadena City College)
First row, from left: #4 Mary Juarez (Arcadia High School), #38 Jenna Gray (La Cañada High School), #85 Gabrielle Current (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy), #91 Michaela Cappello (Arcadia High School), #63 Rebecca Calix (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy), #33 Alexandra Tango (La Salle High School)
Congratulations to all the finalists–getting chosen out of more than seven hundred applicants is a fantastic achievement! We’ll keep you posted on the selection of the Rose Court next week.