Tianti Carter was crowned as the 2017 Miss Rodeo Texas on Thursday, June 15th at the Miss Rodeo Texas Pageant coronation in San Antonio, Texas. Carter is a 21 year old native of Fort Worh, Texas, and represented as Miss Rodeo Austin during the pageant, also winning the prestigious category of horsemanship. In addition to earning an incredible prize package, Carter will receive a scholarship sponsored by the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo and Miss Rodeo Texas Association, Inc.
Carter earned her Bachelors of Science in animal science from Texas A&M University where she graduated with Cum Laude Honors. She is ecstatic about beginning her year and looks forward to representing the state of Texas promoting the sport of professional rodeo.
“I’ve learned so much being a first generation cowgirl! I hope to convey the values of our sport to the next generation,” said Carter.
Carter is a member of the Texas CattleWomen, Masters of Beef Advocacy, Texas A&M PreVet Society, Texas A&M Rodeo Team, Saddle & Sirloin Club, National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association and the American Quarter Horse Association. With her servant heart, she enjoys volunteering with the Autism Speaks Foundation, the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and recently went to Thailand to work with veterinarians on rescued elephants. Carter is an avid breakaway roper and barrel racer and wants to remind young rodeo enthusiasts to “set big goals for yourself and work towards them every day. You will be surprised by how much you can achieve when you just believe in yourself!”
The newest Miss Rodeo Texas’ achievements include 2016 Miss Rodeo Austin, 2015 Miss Rodeo Jacksonville and the 2012 Miss Texas High School Rodeo.
Reflecting on coronation night, Carter said, “I was overwhelmed with joy when they said my name and Miss Rodeo Texas in the same sentence. I have been working towards this goal for a long time and there were days when it didn’t seem possible. My hard work paid off in a way that was bigger than I could have imagined.”
This year, Carter will travel over 50,000 miles promoting professional rodeo, western heritage and agriculture.
A Texas tradition for more than five decades with the Miss Rodeo Texas inauguration crowning in 1959, the Miss Rodeo Texas Pageant has produced eight Miss Rodeo Americas. Since the inception of the Miss Rodeo Texas Pageant, Miss Rodeo Texas has served as a vibrant, colorful, goodwill ambassador of rodeo, the official sport of Texas, working closely with professional rodeos, rodeo associations and community organizations to preserve our western heritage and keep the western industry alive and flourishing in today’s society.
Contestants from all over the state participate in the Miss Rodeo Texas program competing for thousands of dollars in scholarship awards and other prizes among three age groups vying for their respective crowns. The Miss Rodeo Texas contest consists of pageant winners from 19 to 24 years old. The Miss Rodeo Texas Teen consists of winners from 14 to 18 year old. The Miss Rodeo Texas Princess competition consists of 9 to 13 year old contestants. The selection of each of the rodeo queens is based on horsemanship, appearance, and personality competitions with the crowning of the winners on coronation night in San Antonio, Texas. Please view the Miss Rodeo Texas website, www.missrodeotexas.com for more information. As the reigning Miss Rodeo Texas 2017, Carter will be competing in the Miss Rodeo America pageant in Las Vegas, Nev., in conjunction with the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
As a former student of the department, we wanted to catch up with Tianti and see what her future plans are and how her education played a role in her big win!
What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
Ultimately I want to attend Texas A&M’s College of Veterinarian Medicine. I applied to graduate school as a back-up plan, but I will not be attending in the next year now that I have won. I will be working for the organization until June 2018. I cannot attend school while traveling the state and working for rodeos so graduate school is on hold for the time being.
I will compete for Miss Rodeo America in December during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Vegas. It will be another week long competition, and I hope to do my best there. I would like to be the first state to bring the Miss Rodeo America crown home two years in a row. It’s going to be tough, but I have a great example to look up to with our current Miss Rodeo America 2017, Miss Rodeo Texas 2016, Lisa Lageschlaar.
Did your rodeo experiences have anything to do with why you chose to study animal science?
It had everything to do with it. As a child, I always had a passion for animals. I am a first generation cowgirl so I didn’t grow up around the agriculture industry. When I started to rodeo, I began dreaming of becoming a veterinarian. I stuck with that dream, which is what led me to pursue a degree in animal science.
Do you think your time at Texas A&M had any effect on you winning Miss Rodeo Texas?
It made a significant impact on my ability to succeed in Rodeo Queen contests in general. I went on a study abroad to Argentina and Uruguay with other animal science students, which opened my eyes in a sense. I learned so much about the different production systems and how they vary from the United States. Rodeo and the agriculture industry go hand in hand; therefore, my experience abroad set me apart when the discussion turned to those topics.
We wish Tianti luck as she continues to pursue her dream of becoming Miss Rodeo American and of attending vet school!
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For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Maggie Tucker at maggie.tucker@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.