Francisco, Ben and Begay take different paths to Miss Navajo pageant
Special to the Times | Truman Begaye
From left, 74th Annual Miss Navajo Nation contestants JoAnni Begay of Pinedale, N.M., Tonana Ben of Chilchinbeto, Ariz., and Rochelle Francisco of Valley Store, Ariz., pose with current titleholder Camille J. Uentillie.
WINDOW ROCK
One contestant has carried a Central Agency crown. Another left Arizona State University with a biomedical sciences degree and a sewing business. The third has danced at Monument Valley and helped gather boarding school histories from her community.
Rochelle Francisco, Tonana Ben and JoAnni Begay will compete for Miss Navajo Nation in September during the Navajo Nation Fair.
The Office of Miss Navajo Nation introduced the three contestants July 11. Francisco is from Valley Store, Arizona, Ben is from Chilchinbeto, Arizona, and Begay is from Pinedale, New Mexico.
Each woman arrives with experience that developed before she entered the 74th annual pageant. Francisco has already represented the Central Agency. Ben has worked in science, student service and sewing. Begay has taken part in dance, Diné language discussions and work involving boarding school accounts from Diné families.
To read the full article, please see the July 16, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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