June featured Native Youth and Rodeo Queen
Adrianna Tess Bitsie
Hello, I am Adrianna Tess Bitsie, I am the 2013 Miss Indian Junior Rodeo Association Queen , I am 15 years old. I am of the Mexican People clan, born for the Folded Arms clan, my maternal grandparent is Spanish, and my paternal clan is the Salt People clan. I attend Tohatchi High School as a Sophomore, and plan to attend college to study Nursing. I am also a member of the National Honor Society and Business Professionals of America. I participate in volleyball and track for the Tohatchi Cougars. My parents are Curtis and Annette Bitsie of Mexican Springs, New Mexico. I have an older sister Rebecca Boone. Also, my two older brothers Shawn and Cody who left us tragically too soon.
I participate in barrels, pole bending and sometimes breakaway roping. I have two horses Fierce Delight and Roxy. Delight, I use for barrels and pole bending events, and my beautiful Roxy I recently trained just for queen activities. My other hobbies are riding horses, volleyball, reading, baking, fishing and joking. I have been riding horses since I was five, started out with slow, gentle horses, and just recently unexpectedly advanced to faster horses.
The message I would like to send out and focus on this year as Miss IJRA is the importance of staying in school, because it will help you meet new people, build good character, and will also get you to a job that you will love. Learn everything you can while your mind is young and teachable. Education is the foundation of life, it opens the doors to so many opportunities in this world. And just as important stay away from drugs and alcohol you can become addicted and then you only begin to care about getting high, forgetting about yourself and your horse. People use drugs and alcohol to make themselves feel better, but you only end up making things worse. Drugs and alcohol limits your ability to make good choices. The smartest thing to do is never start, because it is hard on you and the people who care about you. We are all talented in what we do, and our horses trust us, that we are making the right choices when we compete on them.
Me and my horse Roxy look forward to seeing everyone in parades and rodeos and waving to the crowd as the 2013 IJRA Rodeo Queen. I look forward to representing and being a part of this tradition of the Indian Junior Rodeo Association. I look forward to meeting everyone this rodeo season.
Native Youth bio on Adrianna
Name: Adrianna Tess Bitsie
Age: 16
Family: (Mom, Dad, Grandparents, brothers, sisters)
Parents: Curtis and Annette Bitsie
Siblings: Shawn Billie, Cody Bitsie, Rebecca Boone
Paternal Grandparents: Ernest and Betty Bitsie
Maternal Grandparent: Katie Lyman
What tribe are you a member of or descendant from?
Navajo with a little bit of Spanish.
Grade in School, name of school:
Junior at Tohatchi High School, Tohatchi, NM
Activities you are involved in at your school:
Volleyball, Student Council, National Honor Society, and Business Professionals of America.
Pets: (horses, cats, dogs, lizards, cattle, pigs, Llama’s, etc)
7 horses, 5 cats, 4 dogs, and 8 chickens
What events in Rodeo, Horse Showing, Showing Cattle, photography, or helping your family with are you involved in? (If you travel with your Mom and Dad at rodeos or horse shows, cattle shows, or working the ranch, please explain what your responsibilities are)
In rodeo I compete in barrel racing, pole bending, sometimes goat tying and breakaway. My responsibility during travel to rodeos is feeding, watering, and grooming. At home my responsibilities are to water, feed, groom, and clean horse stalls. My dad recently became the new president for the IJRA and I now have more responsibilities at rodeos such as collecting equipment, helping out in the arena, and chasing cattle. My job is not done until all the animals are fed. What achievements have you made in your event you compete in or activities you are involved in? This past year I was the 2012 year end champion barrel racer in the senior division for the IJRA. I also placed fifth in the standings for 2012 season in pole bending. In school, I qualified to go to the Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida to test in computer applications. What are your future goals in your events you participate in? In rodeo I want to do it while I still can and educate others on my experiences. In school however, I want to do the best I can so I can qualify for scholarships to help me in my college education. Who is your ultimate hero? My ultimate hero would have to be my mom. She’s the definition of super woman for me. Her and my dad, have encouraged me in whatever I wanted to pursue. She sees the good in me and my willingness to try. She is the wall that keeps me standing and I wouldn’t be where I am without her. Within the Rodeo world: Who is your ultimate favorite Cowboy and or Cowgirl? My favorite Cowboy would have to be Cory Soloman, a professional tie down roper, because he woke up one day and had a dream and was so determined to reach it and went against the negative things people said. On the other hand, my favorite Cowgirl would have to be Sherry Cervi, a professional barrel racer, watching her run gets me so excited to get out into the arena and make a fast time, sort of my inspiration. Also, she takes great care of her horses and believes that if you take care of them they will take care of you.
What is your favorite TV show? My favorite TV show would have to be Awkward on MTV.
What is your favorite Movie? My favorite movie would be Hotel Transylvania.
What are some of your favorite songs or musicians? I don’t have just one favorite song but I do like something I can dance to.
What do you do, to help others? I do whatever I can to help others, whether it’s a math problem or lending a hand. I like to teach others new things and show them how I learned myself.
When you grow up and graduate from school, what are your plans for your profession? When I graduate from high school I either want to apply to a nursing program or go into the business field.
Do you plan to attend college, if so, what is your major? Yes, I do plan to attend college; my major would probably be becoming a nurse.
If you could give advice to another Native youth on how to get started doing what you are involved with, what advice would you give them? I would tell them to get more involved in their community and to help others. I started out so shy, I would advise them to reach out and get out of their shell. Do things you would not normally do like simply volunteering to help out at a local event.
If you were granted one wish, what would it be? If I had one wish, it would be when I go to heaven I will see both of my brothers.
What would you do to educate others about being a Native American Youth from your tribe? (tell them about my culture, our tradition, share music with them, etc)
Well, I would let them know what I understand about our Native American History and ancestors. I would share with them the beautiful places, jewelry, and artwork, and food. I would describe some of the ceremonies that I am familiar with and what takes place in the healing process of others. Also, I would show them the practice of walking in beauty and becoming humble and praying for yourself and others.
We would like to thank Adrianna and Annette Bistie the IJRA queen coordinator for completing this bio on such a short notice.
