A rush of shock and gratitude took over Naomi Stillitano as she was named the 105th Rose queen for the 2024 Rose Parade.
Stillitano, 17, was named the Rose queen at a coronation ceremony in late October, joining a revered list of royal Tournament of Roses ambassadors.
It was a dream come true, with a little nudge from mom.
“It’s every little girl’s dream to be a princess,” she said. “I really wanted to try out, and I honestly did forget about the Tournament of Roses because I was so busy with school, theater, and swimming, but my mom brought it up last year, and she was like, ‘you know, you’re getting to that age where you can apply to be on the Rose Court.’ And I was like, why not.”
Stillitano was born and raised in Italy, where she lived for seven years before moving to California. The big move was made during the winter, a season in which she was captivated by the Rose Parade – and the Rose Court.
The “why not” turned into a long process of interviewing alongside hundreds of other hopefuls for the Rose Court. And then came the day when she was named as part of the 2024 Rose Court.
“I went in there with the intention of having fun, meeting new people, meeting new friends, and getting the experience of being interviewed because that’s a life skill,” she said. “But I came out as a Rose Court member and I was so excited. It was an exciting moment, the best moment of my life.”
Then another memorable moment happened – she was named the 2024 Rose Queen.
“Again, (it’s) a moment that you will remember forever and it only happens once in your life,” Stillitano said. “It was an amazing moment and I’m really happy that the six princesses were there with me, too.”
What being the Rose Queen means to Stillitano is being a leader and taking charge. But she also sees a role in making sure everyone – in the Rose Court or around her – feels “safe and good.”
Things have been busy for the teen and her peers.
The…
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