Contestants to vie for 2022-23 Choctaw Royalty titles

The Choctaw Nation Princess Pageant will kick off the annual Labor Day Festival in Tvshka Homma with 30 young ladies taking the stage to vie for the title of Little Miss, Junior Miss or Miss Choctaw Nation 2022-2023. The event will be held Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Tvshka Homma amphitheatre.

District 1

Kristin Faith Jefferson, 11, of Idabel is the daughter of Whitney and Paul Jefferson. She attends Idabel Middle School and will be in the seventh grade this fall.

Kristin has served as District 1 Little Miss 2019-2021 and 2021-22 and was first runner-up for Little Miss in the 2018 and 2021 Royalty Pageants. She was also chosen Little Miss Owa Chito Princess in 2018 and 2019.
Kristin has been a Choctaw Nation STAR student for five years, received perfect attendance for 2020-21 school year, and was awarded the State Superintendent Reading Award, AR Reading award, and math and citizenship awards. Kristin has been on the honor roll for six years and was chosen the 2016-17 Masonic Lodge Student of Today.

She enjoys attending church, reading, playing softball, riding her bike, and spending time with her family and friends.

LeAndra Denise Carter of Idabel is the 13-year-old daughter of Andrea Fox and the granddaughter of Margaret McKinney.

She has participated in softball, basketball and track. During the summer, she plays with the league on weekends and with a travel team. She would like to further her education to be a coach. LeAndra’s leisure time is spent with her two younger sisters. She also enjoys spending time studying the Bible with her uncle and skating.

Kalli Battiest of Idabel is the 22-year-old daughter of Kenneth and Kimberly Battiest.
Kalli has obtained an electrical engineering certificate and a phlebotomy license from Kiamichi Technology Center.

She enjoys helping others whenever and wherever she can. During her free time, she loves spending time with family and friends and cheering on her nieces and nephews in everything they participate in.

District 2

Cambree Elaine Colbert of Broken Bow is the 12-year-old daughter of Katherine and Jeremiah Colbert.

A seventh-grader, Cambree has been on the A/B honor roll since first grade. She has participated in curriculum contests since the third grade, placing three times.

Cambree likes playing sports, especially softball, basketball, and stickball. She loves spending time with her family and has started to learn how to sew and goes fishing with her dad. She also likes to read and play cornhole.

Melea Habli Jefferson, the 17-year-old daughter of Annette Jefferson, lives in Broken Bow and is a junior at Broken Bow High School. Among her activities and special recognitions are 2022 American Indian Leaders Youth Council, Broken Bow High School Band 2nd Chair playing the flute, and First Place FCCLA State Interpersonal Communications (level 2). She was also president of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference and selected to dance with Choctaw Nation youth dance group in Bakersfield, California. She was the AILYC Princess last year.

Melea enjoys spending time with family and friends. She loves volunteering her time by serving at the House Upon the Rock with church family, picking up trash on the roadside, raking, and donating to fundraisers. Most of all, she enjoys Choctaw dancing with the AILYC club, learning more about our culture and taking Choctaw language class. She also beads earrings and donates them for fundraisers.

Zoe Tisho of Broken Bow is the 22-year-old daughter of Tracy and Robbie Tisho.

She attended Southeastern Community College in Idabel during the Covid-19 pandemic. She was invited to be a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. Also, while at work, without knowing it, she became a blue ticket winner in November.

Her interests are spending time with her dog, Girly, and her family and friends. She also likes to watch family play baseball or softball. She enjoys hiking, traveling, learning new things, volunteering at the Hochatown Rescue Center Petting Zoo and guiding others on learning the Lord’s Prayer in sign language and social dancing.

District 3

Carmen Garcia of Talihina is the 12-year-old daughter of Nakista Ludlow. Her grandparents are Clifford and Cathy Ludlow and Herb and Marvada Bohanan. She is a seventh-grader at Talihina.

Carmen is a Choctaw STAR student and is on the Principal’s Honor Roll. She is a member of the Tvshka Waya Youth stickball team and plays for the Talihina Junior High basketball and softball teams. She is also a member of the Junior High Cheer Squad.

Carmen enjoys hunting, fishing, learning Choctaw hymns, and cooking traditional food. She spends her spare time volunteering at her school’s JOM events, District 3 community center events, and spending time with her elders. Carmen is excited to finally be able to take Choctaw I class at her school with Mr. Archie Meashintubby.

Emma Battiest of Talihina is the 14-year-old daughter of Jimmy Battiest and Heather Ramsey.

Emma is a ninth-grade student at Talihina Jr. High where she is a member and vice president of FFA. She is also a member of the Youth Advisory Board and Native American Club. She is taking Choctaw language classes and recently won first place in the poster submission category for the Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair. She was Student of the Month and on the Principal’s Honor Roll. Emma plays stickball for Yvnnvsh Homma and her position is defense.

She also served as 2021-22 District 3 Little Miss.

Masheli Watson of Honobia is the 20-year-old daughter of Agatha Watson and Robert Lewis.

She was awarded Top Salesperson in FFA for three years. She was also awarded Miss Congeniality in Choir for one year, Student of the Quarter, and All Tournament in softball for one year.

Her interests include phlebotomy, traveling, and gardening. During her leisure time, she likes to bake, walk, babysit, and help serve lunch at her community center.

District 4

Korinthia Rose Mercer of Poteau is the 9-year-old daughter of Leona Ward and Daniel Mercer.

A fourth-grader, Korinthia is on the honor roll, a Choctaw STAR student, and has been named Student of the Month at Poteau Upper Elementary.

Korinthia enjoys reading, drawing, singing, softball, playing drums, and going to cultural events and pow wows. She is wanting to learn Choctaw dances and stickball.

Ruthie James of Poteau is the 21-year-old daughter of Kristele James.

Ruthie enjoys drawing, painting, and baking. She spends her leisure time playing outside with her nieces, nephew, and little cousin, and cuddling her cat, Chili. She practices stickball, volunteers at the community center during events and holidays, and does traditional dance and stickball demos with the Yvnnvsh Homma Youth stickball team.

Micah Davidson is the 15-year-old daughter of Jennifer and Michael Davidson. She is a sophomore at Howe Public School and served as District 4 Junior Miss for 2021-22.

Micah is a 2022 Poteau Regional FFA Speech winner in plant science, and FFA Area Speech qualifier. She is a Choctaw STAR student, JOM academic incentive participant, and on the Superintendent’s Honor Roll. Micah was a member of the 8th/9th grade academic district runner up team, the 2021 FFA opening/closing ceremony team placing first, and 2021 state qualifier with FFA opening/closing team. She is a member of the Howe Lady Lion softball team, participates in the Gifted and Talented program, and the Howe FFA officer team.

She is a member of Faith Community Church of the Nazarene 356 Youth Group, and a member of the Yvnnvsh Homma senior division stickball team. Micah enjoys raising her three hens, studying astronomy with her father, and spending time with family and friends. She enjoys sharing her culture and heritage with others as well as participating in stickball, language, and social dancing programs. She serves as the Howe Youth Advisory Board chapter secretary.

District 6

Hatapushik Ramsey of Wilburton is the 10-year-old daughter of Heather Ramsey and Curtis Billy and Jimmy and Tracey Battiest.

Hatapushik attends Wilburton Elementary where she is in the fourth grade. She met 100% of her reading goals for first, second, and third nine weeks of the last school year. She is proficient in math and language arts, earning proficient and mastered ratings in both.

She enjoys drawing, watching YouTube drawing tutorials, playing stickball with Yvnnvsh Homma, softball and basketball, social dancing and cultural activities year-round.

She also enjoys Tik Tok dances, cooking with Mama, fishing, pow wows, and traveling to Mississippi to watch her mom and Curtis play in the World Series of Stickball games.

Aiana Sky Holman is the 16-year-old daughter of Crystal Holman. She is an 11th-grader at Red Oak Public School.

Aiana is a Choctaw STAR student and former District 6 Little Miss and Jr. Miss. She was a member of the 2020 Class B fastpitch softball state championship team and 2021 Class A slow-pitch softball champions.
Riley Paige Isabell is 20 years old and from Wilburton. She is the niece of Sheri Isabell and granddaughter of Geraldine Isabell and Jimmy and Gayla Wingo. She is attending Eastern Oklahoma State College.

Riley held first chair in band for 7 years while also holding superior ratings. She was a part of the 2018 Pride of McAlester that won First Place at the Bixby Tournament of Bands. She had a story titled, “Captain Choctaw” place first at the language fair in Norman. She was also nominated and accepted into the 2022 Oklahoma Student Leadership Forum. In her free time, Riley enjoys spending time with friends and family and volunteering with the District 6 senior citizens.

She has volunteered at several events around District 6. She enjoys singing traditional Choctaw hymns with her grandma and with the District 6 Seniors. She also enjoys making wreaths.

District 7

Aubree Horn of Antlers is the daughter of Tosha and Jerry Horn. She is 9 years old and is in the fourth grade. She was awarded Student of the Month for citizenship at Antlers Elementary.

Aubree is very active in the community and in sports. She plays stickball, soccer, softball, and cheer. When she isn’t busy with practices or games, Aubree enjoys playing with her little brother and sister or going to her grandma’s house. She likes to go to her grandma’s house because she takes Aubree places to learn about her culture and her grandpa talks with her in Choctaw.

Mia Janelle Reich is the 14-year-old daughter of Jay and Melissa Reich of Wright City. Mia is a freshman at Wright City Junior High.

Mia was chosen Little Miss Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma 2018-19. She was valedictorian of her sixth-grade class and of her eighth-grade class. She is a Choctaw STAR student, on the Superintendent’s Honor Roll, and a Choctaw Youth Advisory Board chapter representative. She has earned the National Girl Scout Bronze Award, the National Girl Scout Silver Award, and was a member of the 2022 Junior High Cross Country State Champions.

Mia enjoys playing basketball and softball. She is a member of the cross-country team, track team, cheer team, competition dance team, and academic quiz bowl team. Mia is learning Choctaw hymns from her grandmother Lillie Ott. She has learned how to make banaha and fry bread. Mia has made beaded earrings and her first bracelet was made on a loom. Mia shares her culture at area schools by signing the Lord’s Prayer, participating in social dancing and singing Choctaw hymns. She also teaches younger students how to pronounce animal names, colors, and numbers in Choctaw.

Mia’s hobbies include fishing, hunting, reading, camping and riding 4-wheelers. She serves her community through the Choctaw Nation YAB and Girl Scouts Troop 7121.

Aliyah Myers, 20, of Finley is the daughter of Christy Sapulpa-Myers and Troy Myers.

She was an active member of the Choctaw Nation Youth Advisory Board for 2 ½ years. She also graduated from high school with a full year of college composition and plans to attend Southeastern this fall.

Aliyah enjoys spending time with her family as well as weaving traditional Choctaw baskets and playing stickball. Her interests include learning more about her Choctaw culture so she can give back to the children and teach them about who they are and where they came from.

District 8

Embery Ensey is the 11-year-old daughter of Hailey and Steven Ensey. She is a sixth-grader at Bennington Public School.

Embery enjoys spending time with friends and family. She plays softball and enjoys arts and crafts, skating, dancing, and camping.

Mya Elizabeth Thomas is the 16-year-old daughter of Sammie and Daniel Teague and Lynsey Thomas. She is a junior at Fort Towson High School. Mya is on the Principal and Superintendent Honor Rolls and has won a Chapter FFA Degree award and KTC Health Science program award. She was state finalist for National American Miss two years in a row. Mya also served as 2017-18 Little Miss Choctaw Nation.

She loves being outside, singing, drawing by the creek or reading in a tree. She enjoys spending time with her loud and funny family and friends, whether it is pulling pranks on each other or sitting around and sharing old stories. She also enjoys sewing, baking, and beadwork.

Jocelyn Rice of Hugo is the 18-year-old daughter of Stormy and Tamara Rice.

While at Soper High School she maintained A/B honor roll all four years. She was All Conference slow and fast pitch softball, MVP Slow Pitch, and Best Defensive Player Fast Pitch during her freshman year. Jocelyn was also All Conference slow and fast pitch during her sophomore and junior years and captain of the softball team as both a junior and senior. She enjoys playing softball, spending time with family, attending church at Victory Baptist Church where she sings in the choir, and learning the Choctaw language and beadwork.

District 9

Kinzley Nevaeh Hammond of Bokchito is the 9-year-old daughter of Jacob Hammond and Cynthia Perez. A fifth-grader at Rock Creek, Kinzley enjoys playing softball and spending time with her friends and family.

Haleigh Diane Gibson of Durant is the 22-year-old daughter of Jeff and Jennifer Gibson. She has also served as District 9 Senior Miss for 2019-21 and 2021-22.

Haleigh has been a Choctaw Nation registered artist for eight years and has attended and participated in the Trail of Tears and Labor Day Festival. She is honored to speak and do the Lord’s Prayer for meetings, conferences, and funerals. One of her cornhusk dolls was sent to Ireland as a gift from the Choctaw Nation and she is honored to make medallions for the Chief, Councilmembers, and other special projects.

Haleigh is family oriented. Spending time with ones she loves is very important to her. She also spends a lot of her time beading. She loves to ride the motorcycle with her dad. She enjoys attending any pow wows she can make it to. She participates in many charities and fundraisers to help give back to those in need.

District 10

Skylar Bryant of Atoka is the 9-year-old daughter of Tiffany and Jeff Bryant. She completed the third grade this spring at Atoka Elementary School. Skylar is a high honor roll student. She has earned awards for citizenship, math, and reading, and was voted most organized.

She enjoys playing softball and track. Her goal is to play softball at Oklahoma University and one day to become a lawyer. Skylar also enjoys crafting, making bracelets, and cheering on her siblings at ballgames. She attends church at The Family in Atoka.

Skylar had the opportunity to represent District 10 as Little Miss in 2021.

Daryan Eubanks of Durant is the 14-year-old daughter of Wendi Eubanks.

A ninth-grader, Daryan has twice been awarded the Champion of Character Award at Durant Middle School. She has also earned a Green School Excellence in Leadership award, was in the top 10% of her class for two years, a member of the Oklahoma Middle School Honor Society, and on the Superintendent’s Honor Roll.

Daryan likes to play softball and basketball. She has played since she was 5 years old. She has participated in both sports for the last two years at Durant Middle School. She is a member of Inten City, a travel softball team based out of Norman, Oklahoma. She is a pitcher and a utility player. She has also participated in youth stickball.

Kamryn Baker of Atoka is the 20-year-old daughter of Michelle Holt and Wayne Baker. She is a sophomore at Carl Albert State College. She was chosen to be in the Cultural Center in Durant, was president of the Native American Club at Carl Albert College and helped lead dances during Camp Chahta at Carl Albert. She is an honorary ambassador for College FYI with the Choctaw Nation. Kamryn is also a student representative for student government and a freshman representative for the Oklahoma Aspiring Educators Association.

She enjoys spending quality time with her close friends and many family members. She also enjoys going to church every Sunday and traveling to different churches to hear singings. She likes to spend time outside at the lake kayaking, playing softball, or trying to learn new stickball tricks. She loves to learn more about our culture and telling others about it.

District 11

Alexandria Jo McFarland of Hartshorne is the 11-year-old daughter of Crystal and Daniel McFarland. She is in the 6th grade in Hartshorne where she received Student of the Month twice at North Ward Elementary School.

Alexandria loves to sing at church and at home. She enjoys playing with her cat, decorating her room, and designing outfits.

Raina Cheyenne Meashintubby of McAlester is the 17-year-old daughter of Whitney Pope and Harold Meashintubby Jr. She attends Pittsburg Public School where she is in the 11th grade.

Raina was a member of the 2020-21 District Champion Fastpitch Softball team and 2021-22 District Champion slow-pitch softball team. She is a two-time recipient of PH 8 All Conference softball award, and member of 2022 District Regional Area Champion basketball and 2022 Class B State Champion basketball teams. Raina was also a member of the 2015, 2016, and 2017 Choctaw Nation Youth Stickball Champion team. It is the first Oklahoma youth stickball team to play and win in Mississippi.

Raina has been accepted to the KTC Teacher Prep/Early Care and Education program.

She enjoys beading, making ribbon skirts, dancing, and learning to play the Native American flute. She likes going to pow wows and other cultural events. Raina enjoys learning the Choctaw language at school and at home. She likes to cook and bake and loves all varieties of music. Most of all, she loves that her family is involved in everything she does because she enjoys spending time with all of them.

District 12

Dorothy “Dot” Rogers of Coalgate is the 10-year-old daughter of David and Lora Rogers. She attends school in Coalgate where she is in the fifth grade.

Dot is an honor roll student and has received a superior rating on piano guild. She enjoys softball, piano, bike riding, and chasing siblings.

Candis Battice-Louis of Coalgate is the 16-year-old daughter of Jolee Battice-Louis and Micah Louis. She is a junior at Coalgate High School. She also served as 2021 District 12 Junior Miss.

Candis has received a Choctaw language award, first place for better speaker, and fourth in Senior Sword Drill in the Choctaw/Chickasaw Association Youth Rally.

She enjoys going to church and helping out three times a week. She helps younger girls with Choctaw and the Lord’s Prayer. She also enjoys hanging out with her family or running during any of her free time.
Tenaya Perkins, 19, of Krebs is the daughter of Montana Perkins. She is the granddaughter of Maudie Stubblefield.

Tanaya is a first-generation college student at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah and a recipient of the Billy S. McDaniel scholarship. She placed second in the Oklahoma State Fair for arts and crafts. She is a two-time Pitt 8 All Conference for fast pitch softball and McAlester News Capital All Area fast pitch team. She was on the Principal’s Honor Roll throughout high school and is now on the President’s Honor Roll in college.

Tenaya works and volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club in Tahlequah. She also works as a lifeguard for the City of McAlester. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to church, spending time in nature and working out.