Phoebe Ho did not know much about the Rose Court, not until two years ago when someone from her school at South Pasadena High School was named a Rose Court princess.
After learning more and finding out the Rose Court it was not a pageant – but about leadership and service – Ho, who has served her community in South Pasadena for years, got interested.
She was speechless when she heard her name called to be part of the 2024 Rose Court.
As a senior at South Pasadena High School, Princess Phoebe Ho is captain of the dance program and secretary of Femineers – a program that seeks to inspire girls to pursue STEM education and careers.
She is also a Girl Scout in the Girl Scout of Greater Los Angeles Chapter, a board member of the Asian Pacific Islander Student Union, and a volunteer for the Red Cross.
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Another big part of Ho’s life is dance. She has been dancing for 14 years and started doing competitive dancing six years ago. She began with ballet and then moved to different styles such as contemporary – which is her favorite. Currently, she is a dancer at San Marino Dance Academy in San Marino.Ho interned at the Lineage Performing Arts Center in Pasadena, where she realized she wanted to study biomedical engineering.
“I worked a lot with people with neurological conditions there, through dance and how it benefits cognitive function,” she said. “So through that, I was interested in science to help people with cognitive function and that led to neuroscience.”
She also has an interest in prosthetics, in part because a former babysitter of hers had a prosthetic eye and shared with Ho how it affected her life. That experience left Ho with an interest in prosthetics. Combining her two interests — neuroscience and prosthetics — she found an educational path in biomedical engineering.
Something not a lot of people know is that Ho enjoys doing makeup, which she sees as a form of expression. Whether it was creating dramatic looks on her face at home, or helping her fellow dancers put on makeup before a show, she loved it all.
A few fun facts about Ho are that her favorite book is Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo; her favorite musicians include North East Essex Singer/Songwriter Pim Stones, Gracie Abrams, and Tate McRae; and her favorite color is red — but more of a deep, mauve red.
As the beginning of 2024 approaches, Ho hopes that in the new year she will get into a good college, spend more time with her friends and family, enjoy the rest of her senior year, and try to be more adventurous.
But most importantly, she is excited to be part of the 2024 Rose Court.
“I am really excited,” Ho said. “It is something that I think, honestly, everyone should try out for because even the interview processes have brought me a lot of good connections and a lot of good friends.” And hearing “about their experiences with their own lives has been amazing,” she said. “Just being with the Rose Court itself has led to bonds with my new sisters, and that’s something I will value for the rest of my life.”
Who: Princess Phoebe Ho
School: South Pasadena High School
Hometown: South Pasadena
Hobbies: Dance, photography, engineering, baking, reading