#SoCaltech: Riya Gupta

“I was at a Tournament of Roses event when the president of the Caltech Women’s Club invited me to attend a talk with Dr. Katherine Faber [Simon Ramo Professor of Materials Science], who I’m a huge fan of. I attended the talk as a student and as a representative of the Rose Court, so my Rose Court chaperone was with me. When I was introducing myself as a member of the Rose Court to people after the talk, a woman, who I believe graduated from Caltech in the 1970s, overheard me and approached me.

“She came up to me and shared that she knew about the Rose Court applications during her time at Caltech, but Caltech had only begun to accept women at that time. She shared that women did want to partake in the Rose Court tradition but were afraid that women at Caltech would be perceived in a different way had they participated in something like that.

“I thought it was so interesting because I had similar thoughts when I was applying, knowing Caltech had never been represented on the court. Perhaps people had a certain perception of us being super in the books and always in the lab while the Rose Court is a more public-facing group. Honestly, to me, Caltech is one of the best representations of grace and heart, so it just made sense to apply.

“I'm grateful that I can hopefully show people that if you're a student at Caltech, especially if you're woman at Caltech, you can do all these other things. You're not only just good at STEM; you can excel in different areas, and you can balance it as well.”

Riya Gupta is a first-year undergraduate studying mechanical engineering and business, economics, and management. She is the first Caltech student to serve on the Rose Court, whose members are selected by Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses every year. On January 1, 2026, Gupta will represent Caltech aboard the Rose Court float during the annual Rose Parade and at the Rose Bowl Game.