Meet 2023 Rose Queen Bella Ballard of Altadena, A Senior at The Ogburn School

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses named Bella Ballard as the 104th Rose Queen amid pomp and pageantry at the Tournament House Tuesday evening.

2023 Tournament of Roses President Amy Wainscott announced and crowned Queen Bella before an excited crowd of hundreds.

Seventeen-year-old Queen Bella attends The Ogburn School, a distance learning school, and lives in Altadena. She is currently a volunteer with Ronald McDonald House Charities, and an avid soccer fan, player and coach.

Queen Bella enjoys reading, calligraphy, collecting vinyl records, playing chess and learning about astronomy and astrophysics. She will be attending Yale in the fall and is interested in studying economics, law and astrophysics. Bella is the daughter of Joseph and Angela Ballard and has a sister, Samantha.

KTLA 5 News anchor Lu Parker emceed the event which was broadcast live on YouTube. 

The event featured an introduction by President Wainscott, musical and performance entertainment, live interviews of each princess, a chat with 1993 Queen Liana Yamasaki (currently an etiquette consultant to the Royal Court).

The Princesses were introduced before the Queen announcement by their mothers and fathers. One parent escorted each Princess onto the stage.

The Rose Queen and Royal Court are iconic traditions, steeped in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses’ history and continue as a treasured legacy. Royal Court members experience countless benefits; becoming part of an organization dedicated to hands-on volunteerism, discovering opportunities to connect with and give back to the local community, developing public speaking skills and growing self-confidence.

The grand finale for the 2023 Royal Court will be riding on a float in the 134th Rose Parade and attending the 109th Rose Bowl Game, both on Monday, January 2, 2023.

The six Rose Princesses of the 2023 Royal Court were crowned as well.

Joining Queen Bella on the Royal Court are (in alphabetical order):

Salia Baligh of Pasadena, a senior at the all-girls Alverno Heights Academy; Michelle Cortez-Peralta of Pasadena, a senior at Pasadena High School; Adrian Crick of Altadena, a senior at Sequoyah School; Zoe Denoncourt of Pasadena, a senior at Marshall Fundamental; Sahanna Rajinikanthan of Arcadia, a senior at Arcadia High School; and Uma Wittenberg of La Cañada Flintridge, a senior at La Cañada High School.

Last month former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was announced as the 2023 Grand Marshal by Tournament of Roses President Amy Wainscott, who said Giffords’ remarkable recovery from traumatic injuries epitomizes the 2023 theme, “Turning the Corner.”