The Last Frontier is the place 21-year old, Michailia Massong, calls home, “It is a place where your neighbor is your family and you can feel the wilderness calling your heart.” A born and raised Alaskan from the small town of Chugiak she has been a part of the equine community since she first started riding at age three. Horses are her true passion but she enjoys a variety of other activities including hiking, archery, mushing, filmmaking, writing and reading, and ballroom dancing. Not content to simply learn skills she strives to be a leader in her community to help others along their life journeys, throughout High School and the years after she graduated she put together dance groups, a film group, and co-lead a Bible Study for younger girls while having the opportunity to speak at various conferences. Currently, she is working on earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Communication through Lumerit Education while pursuing her dream of starting a ranch for at-risk youth in the state of Alaska where they can gain life skills while experiencing an authentic western lifestyle. She is certified through EAGALA to practice equine assisted psychotherapy as an equine specialist and has enjoyed volunteering at various equine therapy barns around Alaska over the years. Her passion is to inspire people, especially youth, to follow their dreams and be all they can be. She is excited to be Miss Rodeo Alaska 2017 because it allows her to network and connect with people across the nation as she shares her love for rodeo, community, and horses with all she comes in contact with.