17-Year-Old Student Is Rose Parade’s First Deaf Royal Court Princess

Royal Court member Salia Baligh [Photo by Paul Takizawa / Pasadena Now]

Born with a birth defect giving her no ear canals or ear drums, 17-year-old Salia Baligh is a Princess on the 2023 Tournament of Roses Royal Court.

“I’m deaf in my right ear and I’m hard of hearing in my left ear,” Baligh, who does the majority of her hearing through lip reading and body language, said in an interview with CBS News.

Clearly, she is not defined by her disability.

Despite her hearing problems, the senior at Alverno Heights Academy, born and raised in Pasadena, is captain and point guard for Alverno’s varsity basketball team.

After having two failed surgeries, Baligh thought her dream of becoming a Rose Princess would not come true — but she was wrong.

By making it onto the Royal Court, she is the first in the deaf community to be Rose Princess.

Baligh said she hopes to set an example for young girls who have hearing problems and show them that they too, can be a princess despite their disabilities.

“Over 35 million people watch it throughout the world,” Baligh said. “They’re all going to be able to see the hearing aid and I’m going to have many little kids be inspired to wear their hearing aids too.”