Mr. and Miss American Indian pageant honors Native American students

Norton Staff Reporter

The first Mr. and Miss American Indian pageant to be held in years. The annual Native American Honoring Ceremony and crowning of Mr. and Miss American Indian will be on Saturday from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Student Union Theatre.

The Native American Student Association is sponsoring this event, where the Center for Sovereign Nations will be celebrating the hard work and successes of their 2023 Native graduates. Included in the event will be the crowning of this year’s Mr. and Miss American Indian, as well as a speech from APA Featured Psychologist, Dr. John Chaney.

The Honoring Ceremony is held by NASA every year to congratulate

Strawberry Blonde Student band takes center stage in Stillwater

in high school.” the Native graduates who have overcome obstacles like the overwhelmingly small percentage of Native Americans that attend college in the United States.

The night is over, but Strawberry Blonde is just getting started.

The student organization shows its pride for their academic accomplishments with a semi-private graduation ceremony to acknowledge their hard work in an intimate setting.

The event is open to anyone from all ethnic backgrounds. They are encour- aged to witness an afternoon of Native American heritage.

Junior political science major, former Miss American Indian and current president of the Native American Student Association, Kait Pinkerton, has assumed the role of organizing this important event. She emphasized the importance of the Honoring Ceremony to make sure Native students are recognized for their hard work.

See Pageant on 7

The night is young, the air is fresh, and the energy in the crowd is electric. They take the stage one by one.

First, the man from outer space, lead guitarist Robert Paddack followed by the chemically activated man with the beat, drummer Alex Miller. Next, spouting flame from his base guitar Andrew Rowley and the inspiration behind the name Aaron Williams. Together they are Strawberry Blonde.

Paddack struck a chord, and the band was off. Their music filled the concert venue at Coney Island, bleeding onto The Strip. Soon passersby wandered into the crowd of friends and supporters. Williams sang as Millers’ steady beat laid the groundwork for the crowd.

Rowley created the bridge that melded the sound together; the rest is history.

Strawberry Blonde continued playing, showing off multiple originals with a few covers sprinkled in.

A mosh pit took shape to match the energy of the killer solos. Williams, Paddack, Rowley and Miller took a bow after giving their newly devoted fans an encore to play repeatedly in their heads for weeks.

Paddack couldn’t believe it.

“That was the most fun I’ve ever had in my entire life. It was honestly surreal going up onstage and having every one of my friends in the crowd cheering us on,” Paddack said.

Williams couldn’t contain his excitement.

“It was everything I wanted it to be,” Williams said. “Afterward, we got in the car, and we’re all just screaming.”

Miller got lost in the music.

“I felt like I was playing for five minutes because when we were done, I was like, I could definitely play for another hour.”

Rowley hadn’t seen anything like it since hanging up his band uniform.

“It was awesome,” he said. “I haven’t been in front of a big crowd like that since marching band

Strawberry Blonde is a student band taking the streets of Stillwater by storm. The indie rock group debuted at Coney Island, or “Coney’s,” as it’s known in Stillwater, performing for students and friends. Since then, the group has played two other concerts, one at Coney’s and one for the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology.

Strawberry Blonde started at Release Radar, a club started by Oklahoma State students to help local musicians build a network. Lead singer Aaron Williams and future lead guitarist Robert Paddack met and started the band’s formation. Robert brought in drummer Alex Miller and bassist Andrew Rowley to complete the lineup.

“We all just kind of got to chitchatting,” Paddack said. “Aaron suggested that we start a band, and Alex and I had been wanting to start a band for a while.”Before the group could establish itself, they needed a name. Look no further than the lead singer. With his mixture of pink, red and blonde hues, there was only one option: Strawberry Blonde.

“I’m a redhead, but I have darker and lighter roots,” Williams said.

“Three or four people told me within a really short period of time ‘You’re strawberry blonde.’ I was like, that’s a cool name, so let’s roll with it.”

The band greenlit the idea, loving the simplicity and the Indie Rock vibe that followed.

“It just rolled off the tongue and was kind of fun.” Miller said, “We like Indie Rock, Indie Pop, so it was that style.”

Williams, Paddack and Miller held practice for about three months before taking the stage, with Paddack bringing Rowley in to complete the group. Each band member relied on their musical background to get the ball rolling. Williams played in a band in high school and was inspired by his favorite band to take up guitar.

“I got into guitar just from my favorite band, Hippocampus; they are a huge inspiration to me,” Williams said. “I just listened to the music, and I was like, this is pretty sick.” See Band