Altadena resident crowned Tournament of Roses queen

Bella Ballard of Altadena was crowned Tuesday evening as the 2023 Rose Queen at Tournament House in Pasadena.

Ballard is a senior at The Ogburn School, a distance learning school. She is a volunteer with Ronald McDonald House Charities, a volunteer soccer coach with Chelsea Football Club, a soccer player with the Santa Clarita Blue Heat Football Club and West Coast Football Club, a street soccer player with the Venice Beach Football Club and a plays tennis at the Arroyo Seco and Flint Canyon tennis clubs.

Ballard enjoys reading, calligraphy, collecting vinyl records, playing chess and learning about astronomy and astrophysics. She will be attending Yale University in the fall and is interested in studying economics, law and astrophysics.

Ballard and her six princesses will attend dozens of community and media events leading up to the 134th Rose Parade and 109th Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 2. Because New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, the parade and game will be held one day later than usual because of their “Never on Sunday” rule.

The queen is chosen from among the members of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses 2023 Royal Court which was announced Oct 3. It is selected based upon a combination of qualities, including public speaking ability, academic achievement, youth leadership, and community and school involvement.

The other Royal Court members are:

— Salia Baligh, a Pasadena resident and senior at Alverno Heights Academy;

— Michelle Cortez-Peralta, a Pasadena resident and senior at Pasadena High School;

— Adrian Crick, an Altadena resident and senior at Sequoyah School;

— Zoe Denoncourt, a Pasadena resident and senior at Marshall Fundamental;

— Sahanna Rajinikanthan, an Arcadia resident and senior at Arcadia High School; and

— Uma Wittenberg, a La Cañada resident and senior at La Cañada High School.

All seven members of the court receive $7,500 educational scholarships.

The Royal Court will ride on a float in the Rose Parade. The parade’s theme is “Turning the Corner.”

More from Pasadena Independent