Serena Guo receives the Rose Queen crown from Tournament of Roses President Mark Leavens, Tuesday at Tournament House in Pasadena. (Photos by MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS / Rafu Shimpo)

By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS
Rafu Staff Writer

Arcadia High School senior Serena Guo was selected as the 2026 Rose Queen on Tuesday, during a ceremony on the front steps of the Tournament of Roses headquarters in Pasadena.

Guo was chosen from a court of seven young ladies who will represent the organization and the greater Pasadena community at functions and events throughout the year, including the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl football game on Jan. 1.

“I’m so honored to be given the responsibility of representing the court and I think I have a great court,” Guo said after receiving the Mikimoto crown featuring more than 600 cultured pearls and six carats of diamonds.

In addition to being a solid student, Guo is the captain of her school’s Congressional Debate Team and is a standout on the Apache volleyball Team. She volunteers at the Arcadia Public Library and the Foothill Unity Center. Hoping to pursue a career in law in the future, she has interned at a law firm and has taken part in legislative conferences with state and local representatives.

Family and friends of the new queen and court were on hand for the event, including Elisa Morimoto, mother of Princess Keiko Rakin.

“I’m so excited for her. It’s so nice to see her so happy and how much she’s enjoyed the whole experience and the sisterhood,” Morimoto said. “There’s a lot of people around her and supporting her, so it’s been wonderful.”

Rakin is the first member from Alhambra in the 120-year history of the Rose Court, after she herself helped lead the push to have the city added to the selection area last year.

Earlier this year, Rakin was named by Assemblymember Mike Fong as one of a dozen Women of Impact for 2025. At Alhambra High, she is editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, founded an international youth-led literary arts organization, and is co-president of the Black Student Union. She plans to study human rights, creative writing, public policy, or philosophy once she heads off to college.

Also in attendance were Rakin’s grandparents, Tak and Roseanne Morimoto, as well as Liana Yamasaki, the 1993 Rose Queen who now serves as the official Court Etiquette Consultant. She knows firsthand those stunning moments when the new queen hears her name called.

“For me, the floor felt like it was falling out from beneath me,” Yamasaki recalled. “I was beyond surprised.”

According to the Tournament of Roses, the Queen & Court Committee made their selections from hundreds of applicants representing 41 area schools, based on criteria including academic achievement, community and school involvement, public speaking ability, and youth leadership. Each member of the court receives a $7,500 academic scholarship.

The 2026 Rose Court, from left: Naira Elaine Wadley, John Muir High School; Riya Gupta, California Institute of Technology; Livia Amy de Paula, Temple City High School; Queen Serena Hui Guo, Arcadia High School; Sophia Bai Ren, Arcadia High School; Keiko Rakin, Alhambra High School; Olivia Hargrove, Pasadena City College.

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