When you see Lisette Parker waving from under the jeweled, floral canopy of the Tournament of Roses Rose Court float, think of this: mere months before, she didn’t see herself sitting among the flowers at all.
Lisette, a senior at Maranatha High School, a Christian private school in Pasadena, said the 15-second initial interview at the storied Tournament of Roses house was so nerve-wracking, she threw away her candidate badge, so little did she think of her chances. Making it to the 2025 Rose Court forced her to ask why she told herself no (and precipitated an embarrassed request to officials for a new badge.)
“I overcame my no by applying to become a member of the Rose Court and in these months, have grown leaps and bounds in becoming the person I wish to be,” Lisette said.
Her accomplishments bely any self-doubt: Lisette is a member of Maranatha’s soccer team, serves as a student ambassador there, volunteers at Union Station Homeless Services, works in the youth group at La Cañada Presbyterian Church and belongs to the Rose Bowl Riders, a nonprofit that connects people to the horses and the outdoors. (An outdoorsy recommendation from this Pasadena native: hike the incredibly beautiful Hahamonga Watershed and Eaton Canyon trails.)
Fluent in Spanish (her father Jaime is of Salvadorean and Costa Rican descent), Lisette’s hobbies include horseback riding, horsemanship, fitness, running and reading. She plans to major in natural sciences, biology or business in college.
Lisette said the seven-member Rose Court’s visit to Pasadena Humane, where she has long volunteered to foster animals, was a highlight of her time.
“I was able to see everyone in a place I was familiar with and spend time with shelter animals,” she said. “We also had a lot of fun hand-making toys for the dogs.”
Lisette said her time as a pet foster parent is not without its lows: Lisette remembers an orphaned puppy named Rocket who came to her malnourished and suffering from pneumonia. She tube-fed him and fretted about his breathing struggles until “Rocket was unable to keep fighting and passed away in our arms late at night,” she said. “But (he) was surrounded by people that loved him.”
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The thorny episodes color her appreciation of good days.
“For me, the Best Day Ever is a day you can look back to and reflect on when in times of sadness or doubt,” Lisette said.
