Rose Queen for New Year Day celebration announced

Erika Karen Winter, a 17-year-old Flintridge Preparatory School senior, was named at the Pasadena Convention Center on Thursday as the 2016 Rose Queen for New Year Day celebration.

Winter is the 98th Rose Queen in history. She was chosen from among the seven members of the Royal Court, who are all 17 years old. The members of the court were selected earlier this month from a field of more than 900 applicants.

Winter is a member of her school's cheer and dance team and Student Senate, and president of the Hip Hop Club and Craft Club. She is a peer counselor, a volunteer instructor for dance classes for autistic youths and had the lead role in her school's spring musical. She enjoys singing, acting, spin cycling and watching hockey.

"I went into complete shock, when they called my name out, my knees buckled a little bit," said Winter of hearing her name as Tournament of Roses President Mike Matthiessen announced her to be the 2016 Rose Queen.

Winter and the six princesses will make as many as 100 community and media appearances, culminating with the 127th Rose Parade and the 102nd Rose Bowl Game. The parade theme is "Find Your Adventure."

Among the six princesses, Rachelle Liu is the only Chinese-American. "To be able to represent the Asian-American community on the court is such an honor. I hope to open doors for Asian-American girls like me in the future and hopefully encourage them to try out, go out and find their own adventures," Liu said.

Rose Parade is one of the traditional New Year celebration activities, and it is the most influential and favorable New Year's Day event in U.S. West Coast. It has 126 years history. On each New Year's Day, dozens of flower decorated floats will march on the route down the Colorado Boulevard in U.S. western city of Pasadena in Los Angeles County, California. Meanwhile, thousands of spectators will line up the route sides to celebrate. Endt