The Tournament of Roses has a new Rose Queen — and she likes to volunteer, dabbles in calligraphy and loves soccer and vinyl records.
Ballard, a senior at The Ogburn School – a distance learning school – was all smiles as the Royal Court of six gathered around her on the stage the Tournament House in Pasadena.
She enjoys reading, calligraphy, collecting vinyl, playing chess and learning astronomy and astrophysics. Ballard’s selection follows a month-long process that entailed students from 30 Pasadena-area schools participating in interviews.was selected based upon a combination of qualities, including public speaking ability, academic achievement, youth leadership, and community and school involvement.
The history of the Rose Queen goes back to 1905 when Hallie Woods was selected to ride in a horse-drawn carriage down Colorado Blvd. Since then, Rose Queens have had a wide range of success.