The Ramona Rodeo officially has a new royal court, with the 2025 Queen, Junior Queen and Young Miss crowned in front of a packed house on April 5 at Olive Peirce Middle School.
Sujhey Rosas was chosen as the new Senior Queen, while Emilee Hudson was named Junior Queen and Macy Mault Young Miss.
Rosas said she plans to use her new platform to spread the word about rodeo.
“I want to use social media to our advantage, and showcase rodeo as an event and how much of a family it is,” she said. “I also want to travel throughout California and spread the word about how special Ramona is.”
Rosas, 23, the daughter of Ana and Frank Rosas, is an agriculture teacher at Holtville High School. The Tecate, San Diego resident graduated from Cal Poly SLO with a bachelors in Animal Science, as well as minors in Law and Society, Agriculture Business and Dairy Industries. She received her masters in Agriculture Education this past June.
As an undergraduate, she was a member of the Cal Poly Equestrian team; after graduation, she represented the Norco Mounted Posse.
She plans to return to school in the next few years for either a PhD in administration or a masters in business.
“I would like to have a cattle business and a full cycle production business,” said Rosas, who said she enjoys everything about the cattle industry. Alternatively, she would also like to have a Western fashion clothing business.
Rosas competes in rodeos and enjoys trail rides with her 5-year-old quarter horse, Timone. Her current goals include learning team roping and competing in ranch riding/reining shows.
In the future, she also hopes to become Miss Rodeo America, representing California.
Rosas competed against Nichole Bell and Candy Evans for the title of Senior Rodeo Queen, for ages 18 to 25.
Hudson, a 17-year-old junior at El Capitan High School, is the daughter of Natalie and Jason Meriman of Alpine.
“My goal is to attend as many rodeos and events as possible and connect with rodeo fans,” she said.
Hudson participates in barrel racing, pole bending and breakaway roping, and is a member of the California Jr. Rodeo Association, Lakeside El Capitan FFA and East County Grange.
She owns quarter horses Dakota, 25, and Payday, 7. She said completing the horsemanship pattern on Dakota was her favorite part of the competition, as “I’ve only owned him a couple of years and it’s always special to compete on an older horse.”
Hudson plans to attend Smith Chason College of Medical Imagining in San Marcos and become an ultrasound technician for people.
Other Junior Queen contestants, ages 14 to 17, included Violet Camerino, Vivian Gragen, Madelyn Kennedy and Lily Swiney.
Macy, 12, the daughter of Chase and Kaitlynn Mault of Valley Center, is a sixth-grader at Valley Center Middle School.
“I was kinda nervous but really excited,” she said about the evening pageant. Her favorite part, she said, has been making “so many new friends.” She said she is looking forward to attending as many events as possible.
A member of 4-H and the Valley Center Vaqueros Young Rider’s Club, she competes in gymkhanas, shows, parades and the Young Riders Drill Team, and volunteers at Milly’s Place Equine Rescue.
She is currently learning breakaway roping with her horse, Slide, a 12-year-old quarter horse. She also owns quarter horses Cash, 10, and Milly, 20.
Macy plans to attend UC Davis and become a large animal veterinarian, and continue with future rodeo royalty titles.
Scarlett McMurray, Sophia Sanchez, Carrie Vincent and Faith Winters also competed for the title of Young Miss, for ages 11 to 13.
About 500 attendees showed up at Olive Peirce to support their favorites at the evening session of the pageant, where the young women were tested on their public speaking abilities, knowledge of current events and professional rodeo and evening wear.
Earlier in the day, contestants had competed in horsemanship, and held private interviews with the judges.
“The pageant went off without a hitch,” said Rachelle Laws, pageant director. “I’m really excited for their year, as they work well together and their camaraderie will help them excel.”
Laws described each of the winners as funny and witty, and expects to have a lot of fun and entertainment in the future.
The event was presided over by the current Ramona Rodeo Queen Izzy Lynch and Junior Queen Kate Dobrotin. Kristina Ramirez was master of ceremonies, along with Miss Rodeo California Janae Wallace.
Rodeo royalty from across San Diego county attended the event, including the Miss Ramona court.
In addition to their Rodeo Royalty titles, the winners received custom belt buckles, perpetual staff and crowns, and equestrian gear. Junior and senior queens also received custom saddles.
Winners are required to attend rodeos in Ramona, Lakeside, Poway and Valley Center, as well as numerous community events, such as Ramona Chamber of Commerce mixers, the Jr. Livestock Fair and the Christmas Tree Lighting.
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