It was a day of coming full circle for the 2019 Rose Queen and Sequoyah High School senior Louise Deser Siskel, a resident of San Marino, as she visited with parents and young students from her own school for an all-grade morning assembly in the open-air gathering space at its elementary and junior high campus last Friday. Deser Siskel shared her views on becoming Rose Queen, which included a sense of wonder at how much the Pasadena Tournament of Roses organization does for the community and how much her role plays into that mission.
“I didn’t expect that I would love going around to meet so many different people and talking about what I love most,” Deser Siskel said. “I didn’t realize that people would look up to the Rose Queen or the court as much as they do.”
On the school’s stage, Deser Siskel reflected on how grateful she was for the educational opportunities she received and stressed the importance of scientific inquiry, funding scientific research and education along with kindness and inclusion. Along with participating in the traditional Royal Court activities and attending more than 100 events culminating with the Rose Parade on January 1, 2019, she’s also looking forward to representing groups that often haven’t been represented as Rose Queen. For her, personally, she shared that she’s the first Jewish Rose Queen and also the first to wear glasses, points that were met with warm cheers from students and parents alike.
While some young women may have dreams of fame and grandeur with one day becoming Rose Queen, Deser Siskel was humbly honest and shared that she initially applied “on a lark” as she and a friend were interested in tickets to the Royal Ball, which can only be attended by applicants.
“We bought dresses from Goodwill,” she shared. “My mom sewed me into mine and we went.”
That lark soon turned to a sense of duty and responsibility, as Deser Siskel learned how the queen and her court utilize their platform to not only be ambassadors for the Tournament of Roses, but also for the community of Pasadena and beyond.
Recently, Deser Siskel visited senior citizen homes, schools and met with a group of students from East LA at a science workshop at The Huntington, looking at flowers under microscopes.
“I love speaking to kids,” said Deser Siskel. “I think that I didn’t realize how much they would look up to this tradition and to the girls on the court. We’ve had a number of opportunities to speak to kids and every time I hope to encourage them to pursue their education and pursue their passions.”
As Deser Siskel spoke to the students at Sequoyah, she also shared her experiences within science and how rewarding collaborating with others can be. Within the realm of science, she said she’s most interested in the issue of health disparities. Over this past summer, she delved into research on the issues of differences between mortality rates in African American and Caucasian women who have triple negative breast cancer.
“There’s a huge problem which is that minorities, especially African American women, but also Latino people and other minorities, have a hugely higher mortality rate from the same diseases that Caucasian people get,” said Deser Siskel. “We’re trying to understand why that is and how to best address those.”
Deser Siskel’s scientific curiosity extends beyond our planet as well. In 2017, she traveled to NASA’s Ames Research Center near San Francisco to conduct research in the space biology department, analyzing data sets collected from space missions. She and her team looked into the reduced rate of how drugs like acetaminophen, Tylenol and caffeine are metabolized during spaceflight.
“One of my favorite parts about science is that you do all this research on your own but then you get to share it with other people,” she said.
Assistant head of Sequoyah School Azizi Williams said it meant a lot to both the school and her personally as someone who grew up in Pasadena to see Deser Siskel take up the mantle as Rose Queen.
“I’m so encouraged by their decision to choose someone like Louise who has worked so hard and has really advocated for women in science and math and leadership, and who has brought so much leadership to Sequoyah,” said Williams. “So it’s been so exciting to see that acknowledged and recognized.”
Towards the end of the program, Deser Siskel was surrounded by young students with scraps of paper, eagerly asking for an autograph or waiting patiently to touch her crown, a traveling version that can withstand some wear and tear. Kindergartener Talia Metcalf said she was excited to meet a Rose Queen as she politely held out her paper for Deser Siskel to sign.
“I wanted to remember her,” explained Talia.
Eighth-grader Nadia Trinidad said hearing Deser Siskel speak was “extremely impressive” and she enjoyed hearing about her resumé and accomplishments.
“She’s doing a lot of stuff and it’s inspiring,” said Nadia. “I want to do something like that.”
Deser Siskel’s mother, Abigail Deser, held her crown carrying case and looked on fondly as her daughter took the time to write personalized notes to each student. Deser called the entire experience “moving,” and credited the mentors, teachers and older relatives in her daughter’s life for inspiring her.
“I think the relationship between a student and someone with more experience is something that means so much to her, and so I think this feels really rewarding,” said Deser. “I can see it in her whole body. I think this is the best part of the job really: getting to share what she loves with other people who share her interests, whatever age.”
Louise Deser Siskel is the daughter of Charlie Siskel and Abigail Deser and has a brother, Simon Deser Siskel. She is a member of the debate team and the Judicial Committee at Sequoyah High School and is involved in YMCA Youth and Government. She is currently researching breast cancer under Dr. Shehla Pervin at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, according to the Tournament of Roses. She plans to pursue cellular and molecular biology in college. She previously attended Westridge School and Marengo Elementary.
In addition to Rose Queen Deser Siskel, the Royal Court consists of Sherry Ma from San Marino High School, Helen Rossi from Flintridge Preparatory School, Rucha Kadam from La Cañada High School, Lauren Baydaline from Westridge School, Micaela McElrath from Westridge School and Ashley Hacket from John Muir High School.
