Leadership Competition

Little Cherokee Ambassadors

About the Event

The overall goal of our Little Cherokee Ambassadors is to begin instilling leadership skills that will help them become leaders for our nation. Participating in the Little Cherokee Ambassador event is intended to inspire our youth to achieve their dreams. They are also encouraged to lead by example and become self-sufficient, gain knowledge of their Cherokee heritage and begin to recognize their history, culture and language.

Categories & Awards
Divisions

One girl and one boy will be chosen from each age group:

  • Division One: Ages 4-6
  • Division Two: Ages 7-9
  • Division Three: Ages 10-12
Eligibility & Rules

All participants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Must be a Cherokee Nation citizen
  • Must reside within the Cherokee Nation’s jurisdictional area
  • Must be between the ages of 4-12 years on August 15, 2025 (Age on the day of competition will determine age division)
  • Must be physically able to perform the duty
  • Must not have previously served as Little Cherokee Ambassador in the same age division
  • Must provide a completed Little Cherokee Ambassador application by the deadline
  • Must abide by all safety guidelines, and those that may arise even in a pandemic, including but not limited to: Executive Orders, Cherokee Nation Health and Safety Guidelines, CDC Guidelines, etc.
Participant Information

Contestants will be judged based on the same criteria. Participants will be judged on the following:

  • Personal Introduction (10-12 Year division ONLY): 10-12 year old contestants will introduce themselves. This is not a judged category for 4-6 and 7-9 year old divisions.
  • Cultural Presentation: This presentation is of the contestant’s choice and judges will be looking for accurate knowledge of the topic, Cherokee cultural relevance and content. A table or chair will be available upon request for a display, if needed. This presentation should not exceed three minutes.
  • Cultural Interview: The interview will be conducted by an emcee and will consist of three questions selected from the information in the applicant packet. Each division will be asked different sets of questions.
  • Overall Stage Presentation: Additional points will be given for overall knowledge, confidence and ability.

Event Details

Event details coming soon. Follow us on social or check back later for updates.

Wado to everyone who came out to celebrate this year’s event. We’ll see you next year!

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Watch Now
Little Cherokee Ambassadors
Leadership Competition
August 15, 2025 at
6:30 PM

Join in the celebration of Cherokee National Holiday. Watch this year’s events live or check out recordings from the past.

Continue the celebration all year by rewatching livestreamed events from past Cherokee National Holidays.

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Harper Lowe

Division One: Ages 4-6, Little Cherokee Ambassadors, 
2025

Harper Lowe is 5 years old and is in Kindergarten.  He has two cats and two dogs. Harper enjoys swimming, baseball, and soccer.  He loves camping at the stomp dances.  His favorite food is chili dogs.  He enjoys sharing how to make watercress salad.

Mylee Gideon

Division One: Ages 4-6, Little Cherokee Ambassadors, 
2025

Mylee Gideon is 5 years old and is in kindergarten.  She’s from the Peavine community. Mylee loves swimming, playing with her 5 siblings, dress-up, and Spiderman. When she grows up, Mylee wants to be a police officer so she can catch all the bad humans.  She enjoys storytelling, especially the Origin of the Strawberry.

KennaFay Brison

Division Two: Ages 7-9, Little Cherokee Ambassadors, 
2025

KennaFay Brison is 7 years old.  Her Cherokee name is Walela.  She enjoys making Cherokee textiles and being a cheerleader.  She looks forward to learning new skills in Cherokee art.  One day KennaFay plans to be a master artist.  She enjoys sharing how to make pucker toe moccasins.

Guthrie Rogers

Division Two: Ages 7-9, Little Cherokee Ambassadors, 
2025

Guthrie Rogers is 8 years old and is in the third grade. He loves being outside, where his favorite activities include flag football and riding bikes. He enjoys playing the harmonica, and he’s in a rock band where he plays guitar and drums. The summer of 2025, Guthrie followed along with the Remember the Removal bike riders, where he was amazed at their strength and determination. He enjoys sharing about blowgun darts.

Kayni Duncan

Division Three: Ages 10-12, Little Cherokee Ambassadors, 
2025

Kayni Duncan is 11 years old. She’s a dedicated member of the Cherokee Challenge Bowl Team and continues to build her knowledge of Cherokee culture and language. She is actively involved in 4-H and her church. Kayni’s Cherokee name is Ge-you-ga. She’s very passionate about her language, which she shares with her Duda Randy, a first-language Cherokee Speaker. She enjoys dancing and singing the Hokey Pokey in Cherokee.

Ryan Altaffer

Division Three: Ages 10-12, Little Cherokee Ambassadors, 
2025

Ryan Altaffer is 11 years old and a sixth grader. He’s very active in his school, where he excels in academics, gifted and talented, and Cherokee class. He plays basketball, runs track, and cross-country.  Outside of school sports, he is also active in flag football, baseball, and basketball.  He’s a member of WSA soccer and Kuk Sool Won martial arts.  Ryan prioritizes his faith and family. Most of all, Ryan enjoys spending quality time with his loved ones and friends.  Ryan also enjoys singing in Cherokee.

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