Deaf Rose Parade Princess lives out her childhood dream
As Lawry's Restaurant hosts its annual feast for competitors in this year's Rose Bowl, Salia Baligh stands to the side along with the rest of the Tournament of Roses Royal Court welcoming the opposing teams.
"I'm deaf in my right ear and I'm hard of hearing in my left ear," Baligh said.
Born with a birth defect giving her no ear canals or ear drums, Baligh became the first member of the deaf community to be a Rose Parade Princess.
"Being born and raised in Pasadena, it's every girl's dream," she said.
However, after undergoing two failed surgeries Baligh thought her dream of becoming a princess was dashed before they even began.
"I'm hard of hearing so I wasn't sure if that was possible," she said. "I've never seen it done before."
But when Baligh learned that this year's parade theme was "Turning the Corner", she felt she had to at least try.
"If I'm not going to do it then who is?" she recalled. "If I start turning this corner trying to do it then it's going to inspire other girls."
After making it onto the Royal Court, she hopes that she sets an example for young girls who are hard of hearing.
"Over 35 million people watch it throughout the world," Baligh said. "They're all going to be able to see the hearing aid and I'm going to have many little kids be inspired to wear their hearing aids too."
However, you don't have to be a young child to be inspired by Baligh.
Nicki Yager, who is also deaf, has been a server at Lawry's for 20 years. When she heard about Baligh, she couldn't help but feel proud.
"Amazing, I'm at a loss for words about this person becoming a Rose Princess and being able to elevate whatever she wants to do," she said.
And while high school graduation, college and becoming a doctor tops Baligh's wishlist, she hopes that her experience with the Tournament of Roses helps her summon the strength to spread a message for all of us to hear.
"Being deaf doesn't define you," she said. "You define the rules."
