Rose Parade Princess Salia Baligh is the first to represent the deaf community

Salia Baligh (Courtesy of Tournament of Roses)

Flash forward to Jan. 2, 2023: It’s Princess Salia Baligh on the float carrying the 134th Tournament of Roses Royal Court. She is perfectly coiffed and prettily made up, gowned and crowned, a wash of flowers in her arms.

Somebody saw this day coming.

“Growing up in Pasadena, I watched so many Rose Parades,” the 17-year-old said. “My dad would wake me up at 6 a.m. and tell me, ‘That’s going to be you one day.’”

She turns her head, and look: Her position on the right side of the float gives maximum exposure for the cameras to catch the simple headband she wears attached to a small black box.

Read on at https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/12/27/rose-parade-princess-salia-baligh-is-the-first-to-represent-the-deaf-community.