The Tournament of Roses Parade is 130 years old, but the venerable New Year’s Day tradition is changing with the times. This year’s Rose Queen is Louise Deser Siskel of San Marino, a senior at Sequoyah High School. She is the first Jew, glasses-wearer and member of the LGBTQ community to hold the prestigious title.
Siskel told the Pasadena Star News that she put her name in for consideration on a whim, but soon realized the value of the Tournament of Roses as a platform.
“Each year, the [Tournament] selects seven young women [for the Royal Court] and gives them a real voice; for that I feel very thankful,” she said. “What was important to me throughout the interview process was that I was completely transparent about who I was, about the things that I value, and about the things that I advocate for. I feel lucky that I was selected by the committee for those reasons. That, to me, gives me great faith in the organization and a great amount of respect for the committee. I’m inspired constantly by people’s dedication and hope, and joy for life.”
Siskel, who is involved in the student debate team, judicial committee, and YMCA Youth & Government, has done breast cancer research at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and a research project with NASA.
She had a message for others heading into the New Year.
“I think it can be easy to get discouraged when people don’t share the same passion for your values or for the things that you care about,” she said. “But I hope that people continue to fight for the things that are important to them, regardless of the support they see from others.”
Live coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade begins at 8 a.m. on Jan 1 on KABC, KNBC, and KTLA
