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Hosted by SRPMIC Assistant Community Manager, Lena Jackson-Eckert, this podcast takes a closer look at the programs, services, and people that help shape our Community. From everyday resources to unique stories and conversations, we’re here to share what matters. So let’s go ahead and zoom in.
Hey, welcome to Lena's Lens. I'm Lena Jackson Eckert, one of the assistant community managers with the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. From helpful resources to unique conversations, we're on a journey to explore our community. So let's go ahead and zoom in. Welcome back to Lena's Lens.
Lena:Today, I'm honored to have the newly crowned Miss Salt River six-twenty twenty seven Jizelle Juan join me in the studio today. She was crowned at the thirty eighth Annual Miss Salt River Pageant on June 20. Jizelle now steps into a role that carries deep cultural responsibility and pride within the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian community. Along with her new title, Jizelle brings a strong background in youth leadership and community involvement. She's also the former president and now the vice president of the Young River People's Council.
Lena:She has also served as junior Miss Salt River and was selected as one of UNITY's 10 Earth ambassadors for twenty twenty five-twenty twenty six. And that's just a few of the accomplishments she carries with her into this new chapter. You sound very busy, Ms. Giselle. Today we will discuss her pageant experience, her first moments holding the title, and the vision she brings into her year of service.
Lena:We'll talk about what it means to represent the community, how she hopes to uplift youth and elders, and the cultural values she plans to carry with her throughout her reign. Thank you for joining us today. Jizelle please go ahead and introduce yourself to the audience.
Jizelle:Miss Salt River twenty twenty six-twenty twenty seven. Good day. My name is Miss
Jizelle:Salt River twenty twenty six-twenty twenty seven.
Lena:Awesome. Thank you. Congratulations on being crowned Miss Salt River twenty twenty twenty six-twenty six-twenty twenty seven. How has it felt so far stepping into this role over the past week, right?
Jizelle:Yeah, it's been really exciting. Everyone's really excited for me as well. I've already had a couple of events, so we're already getting started.
Lena:Oh, wow. You've been already busy. Can you take us back to the moment your name was announced? What was going through your mind? How are you feeling in that moment?
Jizelle:I was just so nervous, and then once they called my name, I felt so relieved, and just all my hard work had really paid off. And then I was also kind of crying, but I was trying not to cry for the pictures.
Lena:I mean, it's a moment to be proud of, so I can understand some tears. What does holding the title mean to you personally and culturally?
Jizelle:It means so much. I mean, it's so much more than just like a title. Like, you carry the community, you carry our young girls, just everything. And so I feel like you have to really do your best and carry yourself in the best way. But it really means so much to me and then the rest of our community as well.
Lena:Yeah, absolutely. It probably feels really good that you're also representing the community at other events where other tribes are going to be at, where other native communities are at. So I know we're all very proud of you. As Miss Salt River, you'll be, like I said, representing the community throughout the year. What is your platform?
Jizelle:So my platform will be continuing from when I was Junior Miss. My platform was keeping in touch with our Himdalak. But at the time I didn't know much about Pipahash. And then I also, throughout time, I found out I'm also Pipahash. So I want to add that with this.
Jizelle:Keep in touch with our Himdak and our Ayul Luis. That focuses on keeping in touch with one another, focusing on togetherness, like staying connected with our family and friends, but also focusing on culture. Oh, nice.
Lena:And what responsibilities are you most looking forward to?
Jizelle:I guess just going to events with our younger girls too. I'm so excited to work with our Miss Core and our Junior Miss Core, but also meeting different people.
Lena:Yeah, yeah. You're like going to be a role model for all of them. How do you envision showing up for the community in this role? So it kind
Jizelle:of just goes back to what I saying, like being there for our young girls. Something I keep saying is why I decided to run is so I can be a role model to not only our young girls, but our young people. I feel like I want to be that big sister I never really got and just be there, be someone they can look up to, be someone who they can go to for anything.
Lena:Are you the oldest child in your family?
Jizelle:Yeah.
Lena:Well, takes a lot for you to want to be a big sister and for it to be that role model, but I know you can do it. Many young people, like we've been saying, look up to Miss Salt River. What kind of role model do you hope to be?
Lena:I know you talked about being a big sister and also really focusing on cultural practices, but what other things can you think of?
Jizelle:I want to be a safe space, just honestly someone they can talk to, someone they don't feel judged. Because another thing is I felt like when you do certain things, people will get mad at you or look down and say, hey, like, you're not doing that right. Or they'll just be very, they won't come about it a good way. So for me, I really, really want to uplift our youth, empower them and just help them, guide them in the right way without putting them down or letting them feel so bad about it.
Lena:I know, I think it was Was it last year that you also sat on our panel for young leaders during our summer speaker series? And I thought at that time you talked a lot about mental health awareness. Is that something that you still want to focus on? Because it kind of sounds like that with what you just mentioned.
Jizelle:Yeah, I feel like it's something It really is important and it is something we should focus on as because for that, I really love seeing what JTR does and seeing how they help. Someone that I do look up to is Bowie Leonard. I know he helps a lot of people. He guides them instead of going to addiction, you go to traditions. And I'm seeing a lot of these people, they come in these spaces and they start sinking, and that's their new way of guiding them.
Jizelle:So that's what I love to do, is having culture with mental health.
Lena:I love that. Yeah, and I think it's proven to be successful. And like you said, you've seen it yourself through Bowie's work. What are your goals or your priorities for 2026, 2027 as Miss Salt River?
Jizelle:My goals are just trying to show up in the best way that I can, going to as much events as I can, and just representing in the best way possible.
Lena:Are there any particular community events cultural activities that you're excited to help with?
Jizelle:I'm excited for like a lot of the different events, but
Jizelle:one of my personal favorite events is the Piipaash Matasheevm I feel like it's such a good time just to dance and then just see people you haven't seen in a while and then just dance with your family and friends.
Lena:It's always a nice event. The Miss Salt River title, as you know, carries a deep cultural significance. How do you hope to represent us with that?
Jizelle:For me, I feel like trying to represent in the best way possible is I like to switch between my clothes, because again, constantly one thing we're saying is we're two tribes in one. So for me, I will switch from my O'odham clothes to my Piipaash clothes, but not only that, whenever I introduce myself, I always try to introduce myself in Piipaash and O'odham, so to represent both of it.
Lena:How do you hope to inspire pride in culture, especially among the younger community members?
Jizelle:I hope to inspire just showing them, like, it's just fun, it's something you can do as an outlet, and just always inviting them. Because lately, I've actually seen really big interest within our younger people, and so I'm just showing them, hey, you can do that as an outlet or just for fun to show them, like, it's good and you should be doing it.
Lena:Will you host any type of events, cultural events like that, that young people can come and participate in?
Jizelle:I'm hoping to with my platform, but we'll see.
Lena:Yeah, we'll be looking out for that. You stepped into leadership role before, because as I said in the beginning, I know you've had a lot of other experience with the Young River People Council and some of the other activities that you participated in. What leadership qualities will you lean on the most this year?
Jizelle:I feel like I'll lean on my public speaking a lot. I feel like with this title, people really ask you to do a lot of different things. And it also gives me time to work on it too, because like, I'm still learning and just also like my problem solving or just quick thinking because sometimes people will ask you to do stuff like on the spot or like just different things. I'm hoping to really like lean on those and they'll help me throughout this time. That's really cool, because
Lena:I know public speaking, most people don't like public speaking, so if you can really focus on that and make that craft better, you're only going to be better as you get older and be asked to say a few words at different events. You might even be one of our council members, who knows? How do you balance representing tradition with supporting the next generation's ideas and voice?
Jizelle:I feel like I balance both is by, well, obviously listening to our ways, but also kind of incorporate different things with different ideas that we have, because something I feel like I constantly stress and that I want people to know is that our youth have voices too, that they always say we're the next generations, but like we are the now, we're leading now. So I'm hoping just to have our ways that we've been taught, but also just listening to those ideas incorporating in the best way that makes sense, but also respecting our traditions. Nice.
Lena:So this year you're joined by first attendant Ella McGilberry and second attendant Cherish Vavages. How do you hope the three of you will work together as a court?
Jizelle:Each of them are really They inspire me both. I haven't been with Cherish too much, but during, she's just funny. Like, she makes me laugh. So I just feel like she'll really make us comfortable in times where we're nervous. And Ella, Ella's like really creative in the way she thinks.
Jizelle:I feel like sometimes I can be creative, but sometimes I'm just like not thinking of something I should be thinking, and she like suggests something. So like, I feel like each of us can really contribute to this to
Lena:you can play off of each other's strengths. It sounds like you have some fun too, if Cherish is funny. All right, looking ahead, when you imagine the end of your reign next year, what do you hope to look back on and feel proud of?
Jizelle:I hope to look back on just all of the hard work I've done, because one thing they tell us is that, like, what ever work you put in is what you're gonna get out of your reign. So I'm hoping to put so much work into it just to where I feel so good about it and also that I feel like I made an impact because I really, really, really want to make our youth feel good. That's just something I'm really, really stressing, and that I want our people to know that it's very important that we all focus on our youth.
Lena:Yeah, absolutely.
Lena:And what message would you like to share with the community as you begin this new journey as Miss Salt River?
Jizelle:My message is just that I'm really thankful for our community, for their love and support, and also my family and my friends. Like, it's not easy, and I'm truly thankful for how many people showed up to the patching because I heard there was a of people standing and their receipts are filled up. I'm so truly thankful for our community, for their love and their support, and just I hope that they can help support us in the best way and just show up for us. And I'm thankful for the community.
Lena:Oh, nice. We're thankful for you. Thankful for you to take on this commitment. I also just wanted to I think it's important to let the listeners know that Ms. Giselle, I think she Well, I don't think, I know.
Lena:She takes this role as Miss Salt River so seriously that she actually came in and put on her sash and even put on her crown, and I think that shows how committed and how she feels about this role that she has. So Giselle, did you have anybody in particular or want to give any special shout outs to anyone who supported you through the process? I'd just like to thank my family, my friends, and also the Miss Salt River Community, because none of
Jizelle:this would be possible without them. So just thank you, everyone, that supported me and followed me throughout my journey.
Lena:Just curious, how
Lena:did you celebrate when you were selected?
Jizelle:After the committee had a dinner, so I got to celebrate with some of them. Oh, okay.
Lena:How about with your family? Did you guys do anything?
Jizelle:I haven't seen my family yet. We've all been kind of busy, but Yeah, I'm hoping to celebrate with them
Lena:that will be fun. Do you have any thoughts about running for Miss Indian Arizona or is it too early to ask that?
Jizelle:Actually, I've thought about it, but I don't think it would be. I think that would be kind of in the future, not right after.
Lena:Yeah, you just got selected, so I know you still got some work to do, but thank you so much for being available today and for joining us. I'm sure community members have learned and our listeners have learned a little bit more about you and are excited to hear from you and to see what the future holds. So as Giselle begins her reign, we look forward to seeing the ways she will represent the community with strength, cultural pride, and dedication. Her commitment to uplifting others reminds us the importance of unity, youth leadership, and carrying our traditions forward. Thank you to our listeners for tuning in and supporting the voices and the stories of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian community.
Lena:Until next time, take care, stay connected, and continue looking through the lens of the community.