Candidates for Miss Haskell and Haskell Brave share why they want to be Miss Haskell or Haskell Brave and why you should vote for them!
It’s that time of year again for fellow students stepping up to show the campus on why they feel they would be a good selection for Miss Haskell or Haskell Brave. Tuesday, April 25, and Wednesday April 26, student, staff, faculty, and alumni start voting at Curtis Hall. You can vote during lunch (11 a.m. – 1 p.m.) or dinner (4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.). You must have Haskell ID present to receive a ballot.
Below, is what the candidates have shared on why they want to be selected to represent our school as our royalty, their platform they want to lead once selected and why they want you to vote for them.
These candidates are shown in no particular order.
There are two Haskell Brave candidates. Their names are Baron Hoy and Bry Smiley.
Baron Hoy is one of the contestants for Haskell Brave. He’s running for Haskell Brave because he wants to serve our Haskell community. In Hoy’s eyes, running for Haskell Brave “gives me the opportunity to really help spark change and work towards our vision as a university”. His platform he wants to use is for increasing educational and occupational opportunities for students and also bringing more awareness to domestic violence within Native communities. Hoy wants voters to select him for Haskell Brave because he wants to “grow Haskell’s representation within Lawrence”. He wants to increase student life opportunities on campus and focus more on our student diversity adding that it’s “our strength here at Haskell”.
Bry Smiley wants to run for Haskell Brave because although he hasn’t held any position of representation in his past, he feels that through his life experiences, he’s learned to conduct himself in a positive manner no matter who’s in the room. If selected, Smiley wants to bring a platform of “representation of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Two-Spirit, and Identified (LGBTQ2+) community here on-campus”. He says that through personal experience, he’s been bullied by others on his identity as an indigenous person. He also hopes to close gaps with the city of Lawrence feeling that Haskell is “slowly forgotten in [Lawrence] even though we contribute to the economy and beautiful diversity”. Lastly, Smiley wants to bring Indigenous languages back to campus through workshops, or preferably, class instruction. Bry Smiley wants eligible voters to vote for him because he feels that he can bring something unique to the table. Adding that he also comes from the community of Pinon who has a reputation for having high numbers of gangs, violence and the negative side effects of its remote location but is happy to call Pinon his home.
There are four candidates for Miss Haskell this year. Their names are Caroline Wiseman, Kayla Bointy, Jamie Colvin, and Randa Deluna.
Randa Deluna wants to run for Miss Haskell because she wants to show people to never give up on your dreams. This is her second time running for Miss Haskell. She ran last year against our current Miss Haskell, Alicia Patterson, and “prove to others that she’s willing to fight for what she wants; that she’s not going to give up.” Deluna’s platform is one based on bringing awareness and promoting personal health and wellness issues that plague Indian Country. She also wants to help empower youth still in grade school and to help them further their education beyond high school. Deluna wants people to select her as our next Miss Haskell because she feels she could represent in a humble and good way. “I always have a smile on my face, am very outgoing and love meeting new people.”
Caroline Wiseman has three big reasons on why she wants to run for Miss Haskell. She wants to represent our school as Miss Haskell to help herself professionally and to also improve upon her communication and leadership skills, to use Haskell’s major tribal diversity to share more information on all tribes represented here at school, and finally because there hasn’t been a Miss Haskell who was from an Alaskan tribe and wants to change that. Her platform is one based on multiculturalism and culture diversity. She wants to promote cultural pride and perpetuation of knowledge. She also wants to bring school spirit to Haskell and feels that “by giving more opportunities for people [within Haskell and Lawrence] to share about their cultures and that it would strengthen our school’s community, Lawrence community and Haskell spirit”. She wants people to vote for her because she would love the opportunity to prove herself as a role model at Haskell and have the ability to “promote our university, Indian Country, and the Lawrence community.”
Jamie Colvin is the fourth candidate running for Miss Haskell. She wants to run for Miss Haskell because she wants to fulfill a dream she’s had since she was young. “Ever since I was a little girl and coming to the Commencement powwows and just looked up to her as a role model and feel that I can be that role model that I was shown.” Colvin’s platform is showing our Haskell community that she’s there for everyone and that she cares about our student body. “I’m here to be everyone’s voice and I’m here to implement everyone’s ideas.” She also wants to correct Haskell’s negative image. “We need to stop putting down Haskell because Haskell brings opportunities to our students and to also bring light to opportunities we offer.” Colvin wants voters to know that she is here for all students and that she doesn’t see her campaign as a popularity contest and as well just being Miss Haskell. “I’m here to be the image of Haskell and set the tone and be the voice of all our students.”
Kayla Bointy wants to run for Miss Haskell because she wants to be among the many great people who have walked through Haskell’s doors and advocate on education. She has a firm grounding in traditional values and a “strong reverence for history”. Adding that, “we are surrounded by future leaders, professionals, and business owners, but we cannot succeed without furthering our education.” Bointy wants voters to know that she will be the voice for students, to “…strive to be the best representative for those who are past, present and future”.
Voting begins April 25th during lunch and dinner hours at Curtis Hall and ends April 26th once dinner is done for the night. You must have Haskell ID to vote. Faculty, staff and alumni are also eligible to vote.
