When Aubrie Christensen began her queening journey just a few years ago, she never imagined it would end with a national crown atop her cowboy hat. A relative late-comer to rodeo queening, Aubrie didn’t start competing until her sophomore year of high school. But what began as a fun way to make friends and ride horses quickly turned into a deeper calling, a mission rooted in family, legacy, and a powerful sense of heritage.
Aubrie started out queening at a city level, at just her local rodeo. She says, “I started queening just because I saw it as a great opportunity to make friends and ride horses.” But as she dove deeper into the world of rodeo royalty, she discovered that being a rodeo queen, for her, was about purpose more than anything else. “At one of my first clinics, a clinician asked, ‘What’s your why?’, and I said, ‘To represent the Western heritage.’ She replied, ‘Every queen does that. What’s your why?’ And that question stuck with me.” The answer would come over time, revealed through conversations with family, shared memories, and a small but powerful keepsake: a $2 bill.
Photo by Art of Aperture
Aubrie’s aunt, Dawn Christensen, was a fellow rodeo competitor who tragically passed away in 1996 at the age of 17 following a breakaway clinic in Delta, Utah. Though Aubrie never met her aunt, their shared love for rodeo and even holding the same queen title created an unbreakable connection across generations.
Aubrie’s grandparents always used to carry around $2 bills for rodeo entries, and Dawn used to put them in her hat for good luck. “It was something my grandma told me in passing, and I decided to try it myself.” The first time she tucked one into her own hat was at Delta, Utah, the same town where Dawn had passed. There, Aubrie won her first-ever high school rodeo queen competition. Aubrie recalls, “That was a pretty neat experience for my grandparents to come backto Delta because they hadn’t been back since her passing.”
But that was just the beginning.
In a state known for producing top-tier rodeo queens, Aubrie’s path to the Utah High School Rodeo Queen title was anything but expected. Utah hosts seven high school rodeo queen competitions throughout the year, making the state title one of the most competitive in the country. Going into the state pageant, Aubrie was actually in third place behind her two friends, points-wise. And at the state pageant, it was almost a three-way tie for the crown between these three girls. “It was a huge shock for everyone that I won,” she says. “I cried when they put the Utah crown on my head because I would’ve never imagined myself being crowned the Utah queen,” she recalls.
The National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyoming, brought together 41 contestants from across the United States and Canada in 2024. While Aubrie only won the interview category, she placed in the top ten in every other division, from horsemanship to modeling to speech, and in the end, brought home the crown to the Beehive State. “Consistency is key,” she says, a motto she carries proudly alongside her other two mottos she lives by, “Win from within” and “If you’re not winning, you’re learning.” The national pageant was extra special for Aubrie because she got to bring along her Christensen family. They had never been able to qualify for nationals during Dawn’s time competing in high school rodeo.
Winning the national crown opened doors Aubrie had never dreamed of. She has traveled to countless events across the country and has met many rodeo legends, student officers and lifelong friends. But even with the spotlight on her, Aubrie has used her platform to elevate others, especially her fellow high school queens. “I’ve been doing little spotlights for all the state queens who competed at nationals,” she says. “They’re doing amazing things too.”
Though Aubrie gives up her title this July, her journey is far from over. She graduated high school in May and plans to attend Snow College in Utah, studying agricultural business and competing on the rodeo team. Looking ahead, she hopes to run for titles like Miss Rodeo Ogden, Miss Wilderness Circuit and, eventually, Miss Rodeo Utah.
Photo by Art of Aperture
But no matter where she goes, Aubrie is determined to continue the legacy her Aunt Dawn left behind. From holding local titles, like the Strawberry Days Rodeo Queen – a title Dawn once held herself – to her unprecedented national victory, every step in her journey has felt like a full-circle moment.
Whether she’s reading to schoolchildren in suburban classrooms, making rodeo appearances, or encouraging younger queens to dream big, Aubrie embodies the spirit of rodeo: Grit, grace, and a deep love of Western heritage and, most importantly, family.
“Rodeo is about family!” Aubrie says. “And it’s brought my family a lot of joy that I’ve been able to carry on my aunt’s legacy.”
Follow Aubrie Christensen’s journey this year on her socials. Instagram @nationalhsrodeoqueen or Facebook at @OfficialNHSRAQueen
