Miss Cherokee, Junior Miss Cherokee, Little Cherokee Ambassador Applications Now Available

(L-R) Front Row: 2018-19 Little Cherokee Ambassadors Hunter Sanders, Jaycee Scraper and Ava Oxford. Back Row: 2018-19 Little Cherokee Ambassador Steven Gourd, Junior Miss Cherokee Kaitlyn Pinkerton, Miss Cherokee Whitney Roach and Little Cherokee Ambassador Maysi Fields.

Published June 1, 2019 

Applications for ambassador, leadership competitions due July 16

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Applications for the 2019-20 Miss Cherokee, Junior Miss Cherokee and Little Cherokee Ambassador competitions are now available.

To download the application, visit https://www.cherokee.org/Services/Education/Cherokee-Ambassadors, and then scroll to the bottom of the webpage. Applications are also available at the Cherokee First desk at the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex in Tahlequah.

The deadline for all applications is July 16.

The Miss Cherokee Leadership Competition will be held Saturday, Aug. 24, with the Junior Miss Cherokee Leadership Competition on Aug. 17 and Little Cherokee Ambassador Competition on Aug. 10.

“Each of these competitions offers a great opportunity for the contestants to share their knowledge and personalities with the judges, and it’s something we look forward to every year,” said Lisa Trice-Turtle, Miss Cherokee sponsor and 1986-87 Miss Cherokee. “As ambassadors of the Cherokee Nation, our new Miss Cherokee, Junior Miss Cherokee and each of the Little Cherokee Ambassadors will spend the year traveling and sharing their culture and heritage, while maintaining all the best qualities of Cherokee youth.”

Miss Cherokee contestants must be a high school graduate between the ages of 18-22 as of Aug. 24. Candidates cannot have previously served as Miss Cherokee and must be a Cherokee Nation citizen living in the 14-county tribal jurisdiction.

In the past year, Miss Cherokee has visited the White House and historic sites in Washington, D.C., including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. She has also visited the Oklahoma Capitol and Cherokee Nation community meetings across the country.

To run for Junior Miss Cherokee, contestants must be a middle school or high school student between the ages of 13-18, a Cherokee Nation citizen and reside within the 14-county tribal jurisdiction.

For the Little Cherokee Ambassador Competition, one girl and one boy are selected from each of three age groups: 4-6 years, 7-9 years and 10-12 years. Candidates must be a Cherokee Nation citizen and live within the 14-county tribal jurisdiction.

Committee representatives will accept hand-delivered applications Tuesday, July 16, between noon and 7 p.m. in the lobby of the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex in Tahlequah. Applications presented after the deadline will not be accepted. Hand-carried or mailed applications will also be accepted prior to July 16. Faxed applications or applications submitted after July 16 at 7 p.m. will not be accepted.

For more information on the Miss Cherokee Leadership Competition, contact Trice-Turtle at 918-453-5000, ext. 4991. For more information on the Junior Miss Cherokee Leadership Competition, contact Reba Bruner at 918-453-5000, ext. 5397. For more information on the Little Cherokee Ambassador Competition, contact Kristen Thomas at 918-453-5000, ext. 4974.