The district band of Alhambra, Mark Keppel, and San Gabriel High School performed for the 2019-20 Rose Parade President Laura Farber (middle) in the arena on Dec. 3. Farber received gifts from junior Bebe Tran (right) and the assistant drum major of Mark Keppel High School, junior Genevieve Chin.
Farber presents “The Power of Hope”
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The 2019-20 President of the Rose Parade Laura Farber visited campus to meet and attend a performance by the district band, consisting of San Gabriel, Alhambra, and Mark Keppel High Schools. on Dec. 3. During her visit, Farber gave a presentation on the 2020 Rose Parade theme and held a question and answer session in the Multipurpose Room.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Farber left for the United States with her family, leaving the Dirty War that was taking place. An alumna of Alhambra High School and a graduate of UCLA and Georgetown University, Farber has volunteered for the Rose Parade for 26 years and is the third woman and the first Latina to be president of the Rose Parade.
“Wanting to be diverse and inclusive is something that you prioritize when you come from a diverse background,” Farber said. “Everyone has their experiences in life, so we all come from different places and have different ways of looking at things.”
The district band, after participating in the Rose Parade in 2009, the district band was chosen once again, in consideration of musicality, talent, and number of times the band was featured in the parade.
“We took into account whether we thought the band would be representative of diversity, and Alhambra [Unified School District] certainly qualified for that,” Farber said.
The theme for the 2020 Rose Parade is called “The Power of Hope.” Developed a few years ago, Farber said that the theme was inspired because of what the country represented, a beacon of hope.
“Hope is dignity and respect and joy and happiness and aspiration and achievement,” Farber said. “You can aspire to do better and in turn inspire others to reach higher, and what’s beautiful about hope is that it never quits. And with hope anything, in fact, everything is possible.”
The largest number of international bands in the parade will be participating, from countries such as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Denmark, and Japan.
“I thought it was very important to have our diverse world represented on the largest international [parade]” Farber said. “
Farber hopes the Rose Parade will serve as a reminder that everyone comes from different walks of life and to embrace and celebrate that.
“I’d like to leave people with the power of hope,” Farber said, “hope that nobody that nobody can ever take away from them, hope for our future, hope for this amazing country to come together and for the world to come together as humans.”
