Three contestants for Ms.Hozhoni presented themselves in the Student Union ballroom at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
The three indigenous women running for Ms.Hozhoni are Lacey Tewanema, Gwendolyn Tsosie and April Yazza.
The Ms.Hozhoni pageant is a pageant for Native American students who attend Fort Lewis College full time.
The contestants run on a platform based on the issues or messages they are passionate about.
This event is part of the Hozhoni Days Powwow, which happens every spring.
Lacey Tewanema
Tewanema, a double major in journalism and multimedia studies and Native American and indigenous studies major, presented first.
Tewanema affiliates with the Navajo, Shoshone-Paiute and Hopi tribes, she said.
Tewanema wants to encourage people to discover their goal, learn and then teach, she said.
Tewanema teaches by inspiring and motivating younger generations--through what she’s learned in both school and experience, she said.
“You cannot teach until you learn,” Tewanema said. “I want to represent these indigenous tribes correctly, appropriately and with respect.”
Gwendolyn Tsosie
Tsosie affiliates with the Navajo Nation, she said.
As an engineering major, Tsosie showed previous projects she has done through Village Aid Project and Solar Spring Break, she said.
Tsosie worked on water systems in Ecuador during the summer of 2014 and solar systems on the Navajo Nation last month, she said.
“It was nice to see the smile on their faces, to see their hopes get up and to motivate everybody to make change,” Tsosie said.
April Yazza
Yazza, a communication design major and a marketing minor, affiliates with the Navajo and Zuni Pueblo tribes.
Yazza presented on the trauma people face and her own experience with sexual assault as a child.
Yazza wants everyone to utilize their resources and never be afraid to stand up and share their voice, she said.
“I am surrounded by survivors of trauma,” Yazza said. “Do not stay silent, because that is hurting you more than you know.”
Ms.Hozhoni Still To Be Determined
Dinner was then served with the chance to meet and chat with the contestants, who were then interviewed by the judges. .
The judges are Haeryon Kim, FLC dean of students, Equal Opportunity and Title IX coordinator; Jacob Wolfe, FLC student and Financial Allocation Board director; Stacey John, FLC alumna and Linda Baker, Durango community member.
These members were chosen to represent different perspectives of the FLC and Durango community.
The three contestants will be showcasing their talents at 6 p.m. on April 10 in the Student Union ballroom.
The coronation of Ms.Hozhoni will be at the powwow on, in the evening on April 14 in Whalen Gymnasium.