PASADENA, Calif.—The Tournament of Roses announced the seven members of the 2022 Royal Court on Oct. 4, who will ride on the Royal Float in the 133rd annual Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2022.
The Rose Parade is an annual tradition stretching back to 1890, and was canceled in 2021 due to the pandemic. The Rose Parade is comprised of floral floats, marching band bands, and an equestrian unit. The parade goes down to Colorado Blvd and thousands of spectators stand on the sideline, enjoying the two-hour parade.
Each year the Tournament of Roses selects seven young ladies to be on the Rose Royal Court to represent the Pasadena Tournament of Rose. The applicants have to be between 17 to 21 years old and full-time residents of the Pasadena Area Community College District. A minimum 2.0-grade point average is required.
The Royal Court applicants were from 24 Pasadena-area schools and each of them had to participate in a rigorous interview process. The criteria for selection of the Royal court were based on public speaking skills, youth leadership, academic achievement, and community and school involvement.
The seven selected members will not only serve as ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses but their community and the entire Los Angeles area. Additionally, each student will receive a $7,500 educational scholarship.
2022 Rose Royal Court
Jeannine Briggs; John Marshall Fundamental High SchoolAbigail Griffith; Pasadena High School
Nadia Chung; La Canada High School
Jaeda Walden; La Canada High School
Swetha Somasundaram; Arcadia High school
Ava Feldman; South Pasadena High School
McKenzie Street; Flintridge Sacred Heart
Abigail Griffth, one of the seven finalists, is a senior at Pasadena High School. She is on the varsity dance team, Class of 2022 Club, and is the Secretary of the Mental Health Awareness Club.
Outside of school, Griffth also works as an intern for the Gamble House and works part-time at a Mexican Restaurant. Griffth told The Epoch Times that she wants to become an architect and her dream school is the University of Southern California.
Griffth recommended all potential applicants for the Royal Court to apply: “I say you just have to trust yourself and trust what’s happening. Making sure to reassure yourself that you deserve this and that your accomplishments should be well known in this process no matter if you make it or not.”
McKenzie Street is a senior at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. She told The Epoch Times that during the selection process, she found the interview very nerve-wracking due to the limited amount of time is given. She emphasized it was more fun than stressful.
Street urged the high school juniors to participate in next year’s Royal Court selection.
Street plans to study computer science in college and stated that New York University and Fordham University would be her top choices. She is also passionate about fashion, and enjoys reading and baking.
Jeannine Briggs grew up in Pasadena and is currently a senior at John Marshall Fundamental High School. Briggs plans to study global studies and journalism after graduation.
Briggs told The Epoch Times that her mom and people around her have been longtime supporters and encouraged her to participate in the Royal Court. Briggs’s family and the entire associated student body from her school came to the tournament house to support her.
The theme for the 133rd Rose Parade is “Dream, Believe, Achieve.”
On Oct. 16, the Rose Queen will be selected among these seven girls by the Tournament of Roses Committee.
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