Westridge School senior selected as 106th Rose Queen
The 106th Rose Queen was named on Tuesday, with the honors going to Westridge School senior Lindsay Charles. She will now lead the seven-member Rose Court as ambassadors at a number of event leading up to the highly anticipated Rose Parade events come January.
Charles, who is the captain of her school's track and field team and is active throughout the Pasadena community with organizations that include Food Chain LA, Green Guerrillas club, Multicultural/Multiracial Affinity and Stemology for Kids, is also fluent in Mandarin and has a litany of hobbies that include gardening, hiking, journaling, drawing and collecting art, according to the Tournament of Roses. Come college, she plans to study either environmental science or neuroscience.
"It still does not feel real," Charles said while speaking to KCAL News. "I mean, I don't know if it will feel real anytime soon, but yeah I'm really excited."
She said that she hopes to be someone that the community can reach out to and act as a beacon of connection so she can encourage other people to be the same.
She was one of seven members of the Rose Court that were selected out of hundreds of applicants back in September. Other members of the court include: Simone Ball, a senior at Arcadia High School, Saniyah Brunston, a senior at John Muir High School, Lara Georgian, a senior at Mayfield Senior School, Kate Kelly, a senior at La Cañada High School, Lisette Parker, a senior at Maranatha High School and Natalia Pradhan, a senior at Flintridge Preparatory School.
Each member of the court receives a $7,500 education scholarship from the Tournament of Roses, who says that all of the selected members "highlight the mosaic of backgrounds and cultures that define the Pasadena community and exemplify character, service and leadership modeled through their commitment to family, school and community."
Before appearing at the Rose Parade on one of the floats, and then at the Rose Bowl Game in pre-game festivities, the court is slated to make appearances at a number of community and charity events.
