On Tuesday, October 29, Lindsay C. ’25 was crowned the 106th Rose Queen, selected from a pool of six other members of the Rose Court. She is the first Westridge student to hold the title in nearly 25 years, following in the footsteps of Sophia Bush ’00, who served as the Rose Queen in 2000.
In addition to the Rose Queen, this year’s Rose Court comprises six other high school senior girls who serve as ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses and Pasadena community. Each member receives a $7,500 educational scholarship and has the opportunity to be “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.”
In the first round, they have just 15 seconds to answer a question, with the interview length increasing in each subsequent round. The Queen & Court Committee, made up of 12 Tournament of Roses members, selects who gets to continue on into the next rounds, eventually narrowing down to the final seven members of the Rose Court.
Having been at Westridge since fourth grade, Lindsay credits the school’s discussion-based classes with helping her build confidence, especially in public speaking. Reflecting on her experience, she shared, “Being at Westridge, because we have more discussion based classes, it’s made me more open to just saying things. Even if my contributions don’t seem the best in my eyes, at least I’m saying something with some poise and some confidence that hopefully goes across a little better.”
Lindsay’s involvement within the Westridge community proved a valuable asset during the Rose Court selection process. As listed on the official Tournament of Roses website, “[Lindsay] is the jumps captain of the school track and field team, co-president of Food Chain LA, co-lead of the Green Guerrillas club, co-head of Multicultural/Multiracial Affinity, a member of Stemology for Kids and a previous volunteer at Huntington Hospital.”
After successfully navigating the stressful interviews, Lindsay participated in various Rose Court activities, such as learning how to work with others, honing conversational skills, and mastering proper table etiquette. Through this training, she gained confidence. “When I’m meeting someone new for the first time, I’m not as timid anymore, and I’m more open to small talk,” Lindsay said.
During her time on the Rose Court, Lindsay noticed similarities between its values and those of Westridge, particularly their shared commitment to female empowerment. “[Both] really just encourages others…to speak up, to be ambitious, to do the things you want to do, but while staying true to your own values and yourself and to have your sense of individuality within a community that is so strong and close knit,” Lindsay said.
Her peers and mentors at Westridge also celebrated her achievement. “Lindsay has done so much for service and is such a hard worker academically; she truly deserves this. They couldn’t have picked a better queen,” said Emily Z. ’25.
Carolina H. ’25, who attended the Rose Queen Coronation ceremony, echoed this sentiment, saying, “In my eyes, Lindsay was always a queen. Now I am so happy the whole world will know it.”
Head of School Andrea Kassar shared her pride in Lindsay’s accomplishments. “She is such an accomplished, smart, athletic, well-rounded, and generous student, and I’m really proud of her. I think it’s been a long time since we’ve had a Westridge student as queen, so I’m really excited for her.”
As she continues representing Westridge as the 106th Rose Queen, Lindsay hopes to highlight the advantages of the school’s all-girls environment. She appreciates how Westridge fostered her development as a critical thinker, as well as her confidence. As Rose Queen, Lindsay wants to bring attention to the school’s commitment to academic excellence. “I really am trying to shed a light on that,” Lindsay said. “We don’t give ourselves enough credit for being such a smart school, but really we are, in terms of our writing and the effort that Westridge students put in.”
For those considering applying to the Rose Court, Lindsay recommends self-reflection. “Find out what matters to you, what you want to do and why and how that integrates with the Tournament of Roses values,” she advised. “See if you can find and articulate some connection between how your values and the [Tournament of Roses’] values integrate, or how your values would make you a good candidate.”
