Kaeahliyah Howard crowned Miss Indigenous SUU

Blanding local Kaeahliyah Howard was crowned Miss Indigenous Princess at Southern Utah University in early November.
A San Juan High graduate, the junior is studying sports communications at SUU. Kaeahliyah made the decision to enter the pageant week-of and walked away with the title thanks to support from her family.
Kaeahliyah, a Diné Tribal member from Blanding is a member of the Indigenous Student Union Club at SUU. She explained a 2024 Utah bill that bans diversity equity and inclusion funding at Utah colleges means their program no longer receives funding from the school, but the club remains a tight-knit group on campus.
Kaeahliyah explained that the previous year’s princess helped organize another pageant for the student-led group with help from the Paiute Indian Tribe community in Cedar City.
Kaeahliyah said her decision to participate in the pageant relates to a reconnection with her heritage and culture.
“In college I’ve learned to appreciate that more, being in a place where people were interested in my culture and language to not only be a part of the club but also to run but I saw the support for everyone running for Princess.”
Preparing for a pageant in under a week is quite the challenge so Kaeahliyah’s family drove over from San Juan County to help.
Kaeahliyah’s mom Shyra, was herself crowned Ms. Indian Broken Trail at Whitehorse High she says she supports her daughter in anything she wants to do.
“It was just awesome to see her step into that role. Being a competitor in a pageant it was just kind of an all of sudden late decision and it came so fast. We got everything ready for her. Grandma made a skirt in a day we came together fast and it was worth all the traveling, all the work her grandma put in to making the skirt. It was a happy experience that we all got to be there for her.”
Kaeahliyah said it was heartwarming to have her mother, grandmother Esther Dennison and her aunt Shilo Martinez all come support her. The group drove over early the morning of the pageant and offered support before driving back the next day. Kaeahliyah said seeing that support “warmed my heart.”
“I was doing my talent, singing and in the beginning I lost part of the song I was singing, forgot the beat and first few words of the song. I was taken back. How could I forget the song? I think it was the nerves that kicked in but my grandma started singing the beginning of the song, she started the beat of the song, once she started to sing it lifted my spirits.”
In addition to helping her with her talent grandma also assisted with her skirt.
“When I won I dedicated it to my grandma, because I learned all of this from them.”
Kaeahliyah’s dad Kevin said he was so excited when he found out she had won. “She’s participated in smaller pageants throughout her life, her mom was a former princess at Whitehorse High School. So being in a college competition was very nerve wracking, but I had full confidence she’d do a good job especially with support from her mother and grandmother.”
Shyra shared she’s very proud of her daughter.
“She's an overachiever. Anything you ask her to do she’ll do it. This title she’s holding will take her places and meet new people and open her eyes up to the fact that theres more out there in the world.”
Now crowned Ms. Indigenous SUU Kaeahliyah plans to continue to connect with her heritage and culture and the Native American community in Cedar City.
“We are closely connected with the Paiute tribe (in Cedar City) so I’d like to represent my culture and heritage to the best of my abilities and inspire the young kids to express their culture and heritage because some think they can’t without getting judged because I felt that as a kid, I’d want everyone to feel more comfortable, be a part of our culture, not having to be deeply invested but having that respect. In all just connecting with the younger generation. I really want to make a place where everyone feels welcome and that they belong here, not just the Indigenous community but everyone.”
Kaeahliyah is studying communications with an emphasis in sports communication.