Soldier to queen. Priya Simpson puts mental health first

Posted by Donovan Quintero | Oct 9, 2025 | Community |

SHIPROCK

Wearing her crown with pride and calm authority, 21-year-old Priya Simpson, the newly crowned 2025-26 Miss White Mountain Apache Queen, stood on the fairgrounds of the 112th Annual Northern Navajo Nation Fair and spoke about duty, not just to her people but to those struggling in silence.

“I come from the beautiful community of Cedar Creek,” she said. “I am a proud United States Army veteran. That is who I am at the core of it.”

Simpson enlisted at 17, fresh out of high school in 2021, and served three years before returning home last year. During that time, she transformed from a young recruit to a leader, eventually becoming president of a program called Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, overseeing more than 4,000 service members.

“My job was to improve the quality of life of single soldiers,” she said. “I saw the change and impact I had on their lives – and I wanted to see that same impact in my people.”

Simpson’s journey from soldier to queen makes her the first Miss White Mountain Apache to hold the title as a veteran. Her military experience, she said, continues to shape her advocacy and resilience.

“I come from a military family,” she said. “My biological father was Army infantry, my stepdad was a Marine, and my brother also served. Being surrounded by that selfless service inspired me to be part of something bigger.”
Yet returning home was not easy.

“When I first got discharged, I felt that disconnect,” she said. “The world I returned to had changed – and so had I. But I connected again through veterans, particularly the women warriors. That community helped me heal.”

To read the full article, please see the Oct. 9, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.

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