Serena Hui Guo, a student at Arcadia High School, was crowned the 107th Rose Queen on Tuesday, Oct. 28, during a ceremony on the front steps of the Tournament House.
Tournament of Roses President Mark Leavens made the announcement on the front steps of the Tournament House.
The new queen is a senior at Arcadia High who lives in Arcadia. She is captain of the Congressional Debate Team, member of the Arcadia Speech and Debate Team and a member of the Arcadia Varsity Volleyball Team.
She serves as a school site leadership representative, student tutor and community volunteer at the Arcadia Public Library and Foothill Unity Center, and she has also taken part in legislative conferences advocating directly with state representatives. She plans to pursue a career as an attorney.
She covered her mouth with her hand as her name was announced and seemed genuinely stunned, but she swiftly composed herself and delivered the queen’s vows with grace. Her cohorts on the court congratulated her with glee.
See more: Rose Parade coverage
Earlier this month the new queen and her cohorts Riya Gupta (Caltech), Livia Amy de Paula (Temple City High School), Sophia Bai Ren (Arcadia High School), Keiko Rakin (Alhambra High School), Naira Elaine Wadley (John Muir High School) and Olivia Hargrove (Pasadena City College) were announced as the 2026 Rose Court.
The seven members of the Rose Court serve as ambassadors for the Tournament of Roses and each receives a $7,500 educational scholarship. The Rose Court float will ride down Colorado Boulevard on Jan. 1. This year’s parade theme is “The Magic in Teamwork.” The Grand Marshal is NBA great/entrepreneur Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
In the lead-up to the parade, Rose Court members have the opportunity to participate in community events, connect with local leaders and are provided with personal development programs to enhance their public speaking and presentation abilities, boost self-confidence and refine their etiquette skills.
The new queen’s crowning was the culmination of a months-long process that began in August when Rose Court applications went live. Applicants went through a rigorous interview process in September leading to the announcement of about 40 finalists.
The Tournament of Roses changed its application eligibility in the wake of the deadly Eaton fire allowing displaced applicants to apply as long as they still attended a school within the Pasadena Community College District map along with seven additional zip codes that include Eagle Rock, Highland Park, San Gabriel and Alhambra.
Here are bios of the Rose Court, provided by the Tournament of Roses:
Serena Guo is a senior at Arcadia High School and lives in Arcadia. She is captain of the Congressional Debate Team, member of the Arcadia Speech and Debate Team and a member of the Arcadia Varsity Volleyball Team. Serena serves as a school site leadership representative, student tutor, and community volunteer at the Arcadia Public Library and Foothill Unity Center, and she has also taken part in legislative conferences advocating directly with state representatives. She is passionate about law and public policy, having recently interned at a law firm to gain hands-on experience, and hopes to pursue a career as a lawyer working toward justice and equality. Serena enjoys training pets, drawing, crocheting, and relaxing with a good Netflix show. She plans to study public policy with a minor in biomedical engineering at Stanford University, the University of Southern California, or UC Berkeley. Serena is the daughter of Hui Zhou and Wei Guo and has a younger sister, Alyssa.
Livia dePaula is a senior at Temple City High School and lives in San Gabriel. She is president of the Associated Student Body, mentor for the English Learners Program, co-president of Healthy Lungs Club, Australian Sister City Exchange Ambassador and a varsity cheer captain. Livia has volunteered at Kaiser Permanente Hospital and previously interned for Sasha Renee Perez’s successful State Senate campaign. Livia enjoys cheerleading, watching movies, reading dystopian and contemporary novels, journaling, traveling, and spending time with friends. Fluent in Portuguese and currently learning Spanish, she is passionate about leadership and service and hopes to pursue nursing with plans of becoming a nurse anesthetist. She looks forward to studying at San Diego State University, Cal State Fullerton or UCLA. Livia is the daughter of Carla de Oliveira and João de Paula and has a brother, Lucas.
Riya Gupta is a student at CalTech and lives in Pasadena. She was the captain of her high school’s junior varsity girls’ basketball team and was actively involved in leadership and service throughout her high school years at Northwood High School in Irvine. Riya is studying mechanical engineering and business economics and management, with the goal of working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to help advance robotics and spaceflight initiatives. She enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, making matcha, and discovering new foods. Riya is passionate about using teamwork to create unity and progress, inspired by her experiences working with peers, teachers, and administrators to expand opportunities for students. She hopes to continue building on that spirit of collaboration as she pursues her studies and future career. Riya is the daughter of Sandeep Gupta and Deepti Mittal and has a younger sister, Yesha.
Olivia Hargrove is a sophomore at Pasadena City College and lives in Pasadena. A graduate of Marshall Fundamental School, she is pursuing a degree in aerospace engineering and is a member of Pasadena City College Motorsports and Cal Tech Racing. Olivia has also been involved with the UC Santa Cruz MESA program, the Cal Teach internship program, and the UCSC Cross Country Club. She enjoys running, hiking, exploring new restaurants with friends, and values teamwork both in academics and athletics. Olivia plans to continue her studies in aerospace engineering and hopes to attend UC Berkeley, UCLA, or UC Irvine, with aspirations of working in the field or obtaining a master’s degree. She previously spent a year at UC Santa Cruz, gaining experience with the Rocketry Team, which solidified her passion for engineering. Olivia is the daughter of Linda Vogel Hargrove and the late Keith Hargrove and has a twin sister, Ava, who attends the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.
Keiko Rakin is a senior at Alhambra High School and lives in Alhambra. She serves as a Student Board ofEducation Member for the Alhambra Unified School District and the founder and CEO of the YoungAuthors’ Alliance, an international youth-led literary arts organization supporting writers in more than20 countries. Keiko has held leadership roles as president of the Creative Writers Club, Alhambra MoorsPoets Society and Library Service Club, as well as co-president of the Black Student Union and LiteraryService Club. She is editor-in-chief of The Moor Weekly, Alhambra’s student newspaper, and previouslyserved as Student Site Council Vice Chairperson. Keiko enjoys creative writing, poetry, hiking, baking,acting, visiting museums and aspires to become a human rights lawyer, fiction author, nonprofit leader,and one day own a bookstore. She plans to study human rights, creative writing, public policy, orphilosophy at Wellesley College, University of Southern California, Bryn Mawr College or HowardUniversity. Keiko is the daughter of Elisa Morimoto and Massimo Bordi and has three siblings, Nero,Ki’ya and Zamir.
Sophia Ren is a senior at Arcadia High School and lives in Pasadena. She is the founder and director ofYouth4ward, a nonprofit supporting foster children nationwide through music education andcommunity initiatives. She serves as head chairwoman of the Arcadia Civic Youth Council, captain of thedebate team, and editor-in-chief of The Arcadia Quill, the school’s newspaper with more than 300,000online readers. Sophia has performed as a flutist at Carnegie Hall five times and is a member of thePasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra Philharmonic, collaborating with Grammy-winning recordingengineers and composers. She enjoys music production, equestrian sports, skiing, debate, travel,volunteering, and spending time with friends and family. She plans to study music production, sociology,and education at the University of Southern California or UCLA, with aspirations of combining music andadvocacy in her career. Sophia is the daughter of Geoffrey Ren and Maggie Han and has three siblings,Angela, Eric and Charlie.
Naira Wadley is a senior at John Muir High School and lives in Monrovia. She is treasurer of theAssociated Student Body, a leader for the Girls’ Empowerment Group and a lifeguard at WaterworksAquatics. Naira also serves as a 6U assistant soccer coach for AYSO, a statistician for the Unified SportsTeam and a youth Rotarian for Altadena Rotary at John Muir High School. She plays on the varsity soccerteam and has also been involved in water polo, swimming, and track and field. Naira enjoys journaling,filming, swimming, watching movies, baking, and eating, and has even started her own cupcakebusiness. Naira plans to study psychology and pursue a doctorate with a goal of working withadolescents. She looks forward to attending UC Santa Cruz, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley,Spelman College or Clark Atlanta University. Naira is the daughter of Natasha Brown and has twobrothers, Adonis and Diego.
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