Tournament of Roses Crowns 2019 Rose Queen

Queen Louise Deser Siskel (second from right) is congratulated by her Princesses after being named 2019 Rose Queen. Image courtesy the Tournament of Roses

The Tournament of Roses has named Louise Deser Siskel as the 101st Rose Queen during the Announcement and Coronation ceremony at the Pasadena Playhouse on Tuesday night.

The announcement was made by 2019 Tournament of Roses President Gerald Freeny and follows a month-long selection process with 24 Pasadena area schools participating in interviews. The Rose Queen and Royal Court were selected based upon a combination of qualities, including public speaking ability, academic achievement, youth leadership, and community and school involvement.

The 2019 Royal Court. Image courtesy Tournament of Roses

During the coronation ceremony, President Freeny presented Rose Queen Louise with a Mikimoto crown featuring more than 600 cultured pearls and six carats of diamonds.

Speaking to the 2019 Rose Parade theme, “Melody of Life ” Queen Louise said, “For me, ‘The Melody of Life’ is standing at the lab bench at 7 am, singing along to show tunes. It’s classical music when I’m writing, and 2000?s hits when I’m nervous.

She continued, “I belt out Cole Porter verses with my grandfather, and ABBA anthems with my friends. Music has an astounding capacity to bring people together and has always been an integral part of my favorite traditions and most treasured memories. Music makes the world a more forgiving and more joyful place.”

Queen Louise is a senior at Sequoyah High School and lives in San Marino. She is currently a member of the Debate Team, the Judicial Committee at Sequoyah High School, and YMCA Youth and Government. Her research in space biology has been funded by NASA Ames, and she is currently conducting breast cancer research at Charles Drew University. Louise enjoys reading, playing board games with her family, traveling, and laughing with friends. She plans to study cellular and molecular biology and would like to attend Johns Hopkins University, The University of Chicago, or Tufts University. Louise is the daughter of Charlie Siskel and Abigail Deser; she has one brother, Simon.

2019 Rose Queen Louise and the Royal Court will attend numerous community and media functions, serving as ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses, the Pasadena community, and the greater Los Angeles area. The grand finale will be their appearance on the Royal Court float in the 130th Rose Parade presented by Honda and attending the 105th Rose Bowl Game® presented by Northwestern Mutual, both on Tuesday, January 1, 2019.