'A dream come true': Santa Fe resident Emma Cameron crowned Miss Rodeo America

Emma Cameron knows she always wants to put her best forward.

For eight days, the Santa Fe resident competed in Miss Rodeo America, where she was representing New Mexico.

On Dec. 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Cameron was named Miss Rodeo America.

The win capped off a full-circle moment for Cameron, 24.

Growing up, Cameron was at a luncheon where Miss Rodeo USA was the guest of honor. She had an “a-ha” moment, which began the yearslong journey.

“It’s really a dream come true,” Cameron said. “I’ve been doing pageants for 15 years now. It was really special because I remember the moment when I was a child meeting Miss Rodeo USA.

“It’s my turn to carry that torch.”

Cameron stood on stage with Brylee Johnson, Miss Rodeo Texas, as the final two contestants.

As Cameron’s name was read as Miss Rodeo USA, chaos took over.

“I don’t remember a lot about it,” she said. “It was a blur.”

Cameron becomes the third New Mexican to win the crown. The other two were Patricia Eaves in 1969 and Joyce (Shelley) Loomis-Kernek in 1963.

This year, 31 contestants represented their states in the weeklong national pageant consisting of a horsemanship competition, a written test on equine science and rodeo knowledge, extensive interviews, extemporaneous speaking and a fashion show.

The top five contestants — Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, New Mexico and Washington — each answered a question about what Miss Rodeo America represents and how she would relate that to someone who was not familiar with the organization.

Of the six categories, Cameron was tops in personality, horsemanship and written test.

Cameron grew up in Santa Fe, where she began going to junior and high school rodeos while attending The Master’s Program.

She took a six-year break from pageants to go to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

After graduating with honors from Cornell, she worked as a commodity risk management analyst in Kansas City, Missouri, before moving back to New Mexico, where she is working as a diagnostic technical specialist in the animal health industry.

In her spare time, she enjoys rodeoing, showing ranch riding and reined cow horses, weightlifting and working with 4-H and youth rodeo organizations.

“I really love riding,” she said. “That’s what I like to do in my spare time. The people in the industry are like no other. They’ve always welcomed me to the table and made me feel like family.”

Cameron plans to attend law school and pursue a career representing producers to ensure the sustainability of the agriculture industry. Outside of the rodeo and agricultural arenas, foster children and children who face less fortunate circumstances as they learn who they are in the world have always held a special place in her heart.

During her reign as the official representative of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Cameron will travel about 50,000 miles and appear at nearly 100 rodeo performances, as well as make appearances at schools, civic groups and other special events in order to educate the public and create awareness about the sport of rodeo, its sponsors and its opportunities. She will also serve as a spokesperson at a variety of promotional events and model in advertisements for western clothiers, publications, sponsors and other service providers to the western industry.

“I will spend all of January in Denver and then head to South Dakota and then Louisiana,” she said. “It will be a year full of events and education. In this position, I’m going to be the connection between the association and the people. It makes me excited that I’m going to be able to do this and help inspire others to learn about rodeoing and more.”