Poise and Grace and Roses

Trinity Dela Cruz had a little extra pep in her step Monday morning, the day of the announcement of the 2024 Tournament of Roses Royal Court.

“This morning was a really early start for me,” said the Marshall Fundamental High School student , “You would think I would be tired, but as soon as I woke up, that adrenaline was kicking in, and I was so ready to take on this morning.”

Dela Cruz, the last member of the 2024 Royal Court to be announced, admitted she was confident about securing a spot, saying, “Honestly, that was what was motivating me this entire morning to get ready. I was really super excited to see what would happen, and even if it hadn’t, I’d be so honored to get as far as I did.”

Her Marshall High schoolmates were eager to help as a noisy contingent cheered on her every move Monday, from entrance to announcement.  

The 200-member audience of family and friends at Tournament House also nervously and excitedly took in every moment.

By 8 a.m., the Pasadena City College Lancer Band was already pumping out marching band versions of ‘80s and ‘90s rock hits (Think The Knack and Green Day), in a salute to the 2024 parade theme, “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language.”

For her part, a poised Emmerson Tucker admitted that the process was “Nerve wracking, in getting to know these amazing girls, and then in the next interview, knowing they might not be there, but in the process, we’ve all gotten amazingly close, and I know we will all stay friends.”

As Missy Baiunco, chair of the Queen and Court Committee, introduced the 28 finalists drawn from hundreds of original applicants, who interviewed in early September, she naturally invoked the current Queen-of-All-That-is-Music, Taylor Swift, noting that most if not all of us the current finalists (and most likely, their moms, ) were “Swifties.”

As 9 a.m. drew closer, media members from all over Southern California jostled for position on the press platform, as the finalists were escorted to their positions by a contingent of “White Suiters,” Tournament of Roses volunteers. 

One former and two current members of the Royal Court—2017 Princess Natalie Petrosian, and 2023 Princesses Michelle Cortez Peralta and Salia Baligh—were also on hand to deliver a single rose to each of the finalists on the stage. 

As poised as princesses should be, the seven finalists simply smiled graciously as their names were announced, as if, like Dela Cruz, their confidence was contagious.

The seven members of the 105th Royal Court, chosen from 28 finalists, are Trinity Dela Cruz, Marshall Fundamental School; Olivia Bohanec, La Salle College Preparatory; Emmerson Tucker, Blair High School; Jessica Powell, Flintridge Preparatory School; Naomi Stillitano, Arcadia High School; Mia Moore-Walker, Flintridge Preparatory School; and Phoebe Ho, South Pasadena High School. 

Following the announcement, the press quickly approached the stage for interviews. Somewhere in the scrum, a hefty member of the contingent stepped off a corner of the stage staircase, which had no railing, pitching forward before righting himself and avoiding what would have been an unfortunate nasty face plant. 

But through it all, the freshly-minted Princesses were gracious and modest, but confident, as they smiled and chatted through half a dozen interviews each. 

“For the past few weeks, I’ve had lots of interviews,” said Olivia Bohanec, coolly, “And I’ve just tried to be as natural as I can, and just have fun with it.”

Naomi Stillitano, stylish in a ‘70s rock star velvet and leather pantsuit, said, “I was nervous and excited, but those are kind of the same thing, but right now, it really feels like a dream, I can’t believe it’s real, but I’m so excited and so happy.”

Mia Moore-Walker invoked the spirit of Princess Tiana,  the character in Walt Disney Pictures animated feature film, “The Princess and the Frog.”

“When I was a little girl,’ said the Flintridge Prep student, “I definitely wanted to be a princess, but she was the one I looked up to. I loved how hard she worked, and got what she wanted, and how she gave back to her community, so finding an opportunity where I feel like a princess, and am still able to give back and help the neighborhood around me is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity.”

South Pasadena High School’s Phoebe Ho, noted that the hectic week leading up to the announcement allowed no time for nervousness, but she was excited and ready. 

“I did feel confident in my last interview,” she said, “but I didn’t want to feel overconfident, so I was thinking in my mind, ‘I don’t care what happens. I’ve made it this far, no matter what happens, I’ll be happy.” 

 The Announcement and Coronation of the 105th Rose Queen and presentation of the 2024 Royal Court will be held on Friday, October 27, 2023, on the front lawn of Tournament House.

The 2024 Royal Court will ride down Colorado Boulevard on the Royal Court float in the 135th Rose Parade presented by Honda, and attend the CFP Semifinal at the 110th Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, both on Monday, January 1, 2024.