USU Communications Student Lives Double Life as Rodeo Queen

When Utah State University Agricultural Communication and Journalism major Morgan Perkins isn’t riding her horse, signing autographs and educating people about agriculture and rodeos, she is covering Cache Valley news.

She wears both hats during rodeo season as she competes throughout Utah. At her most recent rodeo competition fall semester, Perkins was named queen at the Miss Wilderness Circuit Rodeo Pageant and won the interview and impromptu speech categories.

She is a representative for all the circuit rodeos in Utah, Idaho and Nevada and plans to head to the east coast to compete in the First Frontier Circuit Finals in Pennsylvania.

“I ride horses in parades and rodeos, sign autographs, talk to people and help behind the scenes,” Perkins said.

Part of her work behind the scenes is gathering video content and interviewing rodeo winners. She credits her video knowledge to USU’s Department of Journalism and Communication, where she is in her senior year. She weaves her rodeo competitions with being a student.

“I know how to operate a video camera and am a professional in the field I want to work in right now,” she said.

In addition to being named Miss Wilderness Circuit Rodeo Queen most recently, she was crowned Cache County Fair and Rodeo Queen in spring 2023. When summer 2023 rolled around, she competed for Miss Rodeo Utah, placing third runner-up and earning the Miss Congeniality title. At both competitions, she enhanced her communication skills by forming relationships with sponsors, contestants and the community.

“We got to take sponsors [rodeo] tickets to thank them,” she said. “It’s awesome to create lasting relationships.”

The competition process is time-consuming during rodeo season. Therefore, while she was preparing for the Cache County and Miss Rodeo Utah events, she cut back on her credit hours at USU to make time to prepare for the competitions.

Perkins is an accomplished seamstress and along with her mother designs and sews many of her elaborate competition outfits costing thousands of dollars. They also design and sew for others who participate in the rodeo queen competitions.

“I only took half of the credits that semester so I could prepare to speak in front of people and keep my video skills strong,” she said.

Perkins stays on top of her rodeo duties and assignments as a student by taking it one day at a time.

“I focus on school with the mindset that it will help me get to my end goal,” she said.

Her goals after she graduates in fall 2023 are to compete and win Miss Rodeo Utah then work for the Cowboy Channel, a broadcast channel focusing on agriculture and Western sports.