“Telling the Stories of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community”

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“Telling the Stories of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community”

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June 4, 2020

Jr. Miss Salt River Teegan Smith Farewell Message

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Teegan Smith is the daughter of Davina Dallas and Daniel Smith, Sr. She is currently entering her senior year at Westwood High School and will be applying to colleges this fall. She plans on finishing her senior year strong. 

“My year as Jr. Miss Salt River was a great experience,” Smith said. “It was filled with a lot of learning experiences as well. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I spent my time representing Salt River and attending various events in the Community and around Arizona. I enjoyed representing the Community with Manderee Jose, Isabella Dockerty and Marisela Villegas; they made my year very enjoyable. I had a great experience.”

Smith reflects on how the COVID-19 situation affected her year as Jr. Miss Salt River. 

“COVID-19 made a huge impact near the end of my reign,” Smith said. “I was very sad when all the events we were supposed to attend were slowly being cancelled one by one. I was also heartbroken to find out that the annual pageant will not be happening this year. However, I know we are being cautious due to the pandemic for the well-being of our Community members.”

Smith explained the biggest lesson she’ll be taking with her after she passes on the crown. 

“One thing I’ll take away from holding the crown is to be open to new experiences. At first … I was on the fence about [competing in the pageant], but now I’m grateful that I did it and got the new experiences I had while holding the title of Jr. Miss Salt River,” Smith said. 

She offered this advice to Isabella Dockerty and Marisela Villegas, who will be crowned the new Miss Salt River 2020-2021 and Jr. Miss Salt River 2020-2021. 

“My advice to the upcoming royalty is to enjoy every minute of their reign. It will go by very fast,” Smith said. “The upcoming year will be a little overwhelming at first, but in the end, I know it’s going to pay off. It’s going to be a huge honor to represent Salt River.”