More candidates for Miss Wasco Rose Queen

The Miss Wasco Rose Queen pageant has been set for Thursday, Sept. 10, though in what format it will be produced is still to be determined by

organizers. The rest of this year's 22 contestants will be featured in next week's Wasco Tribune.

PHOTOS BY VINCENT MARTINEZ | VINCENT MARTINEZ PHOTGRAPHY

Maybeth Lopez

Sponsored by Canyon Hills Assembly of God

Maybeth Lopez Dominguez was born in Mexico; at the age of 3, her family moved to Lost Hills and when she was 16, they moved to Wasco.

"I ask myself why I want to be Rose Queen," she said. "Being a Rose Queen is more interaction with the community and their citizens and that's the thing that drew me closer to wanting to be a Rose Queen."

She is the daughter of Norelia Dominguez Torrez and Candelario Lopez Ruiz. There are three girls in her family. The oldest is Karen Miranda Dominguez, second-to-youngest Stephanie Lucero Dominguez and Maybeth.

Her favorite thing about living in Wasco is her family, friends and people she knows and just being in Wasco itself.

She considers Estefania Lopez and her boyfriend Andre Cordova her best friends.

She participated in volleyball and softball while in high school. Maybeth considers her passion revolves around whatever it is that she is doing at the moment.

She doesn't have one favorite teacher but said that all the teachers she has had are her favorites. "Most of the teachers I knew were like my friends and most of all, they were there patiently teaching me many things," she said.

Maybeth's favorite subject is school is math.

Her plans for college are still up in the air; however, she is interested in Norwich University either online or in Northfield, Vt. and California State, Monterey Bay.

"In five years, I still see myself fighting my way to becoming a surgeon or being a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)," she said. "When I grow up, I would like to be a great wife and mother, if God gives me the chance to be one."

If she could live anywhere in the world, Maybeth would live anywhere near a river or lake where she can have a house with plenty of space for her parents to live with her. "Also, the river or lake would be the fishing spot for my father and me," she said.

Jennifer Luna Solorio

Sponsored by the Wasco Woman’s Club

Jennifer Luna Solorio is the daughter of Esther Luna Solorio and Mario Luna Perez. She has one brother named Marco Antonio Luna Solorio.

“I want to be Rose Queen because ever since I was a little girl, I always looked forward to being Rose Queen,” she said. “I would like to help out the community and show the young ladies that anything is possible in life.”

Jennifer considers Daisy Cendejas, Bianca Espinosa, Stephanie Garcia and Cheyenne Fernandez. She also said that her favorite teacher is Mrs. Morales because she has always helped her out when she had any questions regarding school.

During her high school years, Jennifer participated in swim her freshman and sophomore years, golf, the Wonderful Academy, FFA and the MAYA Club.

She lists listening to music as her passion and her favorite subject in school is English. “I enjoy reading,” she said.

Although she wasn’t in student government, she did help make posters and helped with anything they needed help with.

“I would like to go to California State University, Sacramento,” Jennifer said. “In five years, I see myself pursuing my career in child development and having my own family.”

Jennifer said if she could live anywhere in the world it would be in Orange County because that is where most of her family lives. “I absolutely love it so much since it is my hometown where I was born, and I cherish it a lot.”

Jordan Abernathy

Sponsored by Cakes by Karen

Jordan Abernathy is the daughter of David and Jenifer Abernathy. She has one brother, Tyler Abernathy.

“I want to be Rose Queen because I would love to be a positive role model to all the little girls looking up to the Rose Queen like I did when I was a little girl,” she said. “I would also love to be the next Rose Queen for the experience and to push myself out of my comfort zone and lastly to be more involved with the beautiful city of Wasco.”

Jordan likes living in Wasco because she likes everything about being in the city. “What I love is the small-town atmosphere and how everyone knows everyone. This town is like one big family.”

During high school, Jordan participated in sports, academic competitions, FFA, theater and band.

She says her passion has to be animals. “I love working with animals and taking care of them,” Jordan said.

She sees herself attending college at the University of California, Monterey Bay, and in five years sees herself very successfully working for a marine biology aquarium.

“If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live in Australia, because of all the wildlife and because of how beautiful it is there.”

Mackinley Grace Wankum

Sponsored by Westside Family Fellowship

Mackinley Grace Wankum is the daughter of Matthew and Tiffany Wankum. She has an two sisters, Madison and Millicent.

Mackinley wants to be Rose Queen because she feels she would be a good example in the community. “It would allow me to reach out to our community,” she said.

She loves Wasco because it’s a familiar town with great traditions. She considers her best friends Jordan Abernathy, Haley Allen and Nick Lopez.

Mackinley participated in volleyball during her freshman year and for the past three years has been heavily involved in FFA.

“I am passionate about spending time with my friends and family, which includes traveling and trying new things while having fun,” she said.

Mackinley plans on being a cosmetologist after graduating and wants to pursue a career as a hairstylist.

“If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live in the state of Montana because I love the outdoors and the scenery there,” she said.

Natalie Elizabeth Guerrero

Sponsored by Wasco Rotary

Natalie Guerrero was born in Long Beach and moved to Gardena, then Delano and finally Wasco.

She is the daughter of Diana and Jose Guerrero. Natalie has a sister, Vanessa, and two little brothers, Steven and Julian.

“I want to be Rose Queen to inspire positive change in the community, to be a role model and to make my family and my community proud,” Natalie said.

Natalie has a lot of best friends, and they are her castmates from her last play. She named Judy, Ruben, Ben, Marco, Mari, Tori and Gio.

She was a busy girl in high school, participating in sports, academics, competitions, FFA, theater, band, drama club and the newspaper, joined the drama club as a freshman and was in two productions her junior year. “I started work on the Orange and Black as a sophomore and was able to begin printing as a junior, acting editor and president of the journalism club,” she said.

Natalie is passionate about writing. “I think it’s a powerful tool and a valuable talent to put words onto paper and make people feel something,” she said.

Her favorite subject in school is English. She loves reading, writing and discovering new ideas in literature. “I’m always learning new things and perfecting my writing,” Natalie said.

She sees herself attending the University of Southern California, majoring in writing for screen and television. “I hope to one day make someone’s favorite movie,” she said.

In five years, she sees herself working for a network, ideally Netflix, where she can try new things. “I want to be a screenwriter for Netflix,” she said.

Daisy Cendejas

Sponsored by the Wasco Knights of Columbus

Daisy was born in Bakersfield and grew up in Wasco.

She is the daughter of Maria de los Angeles Navarrete Narez and Victor Cendejas Ramirez. She has a 2-year-old sister named Carmen Candejas.

“I would like to be Rose Queen because I would like to help my community and just be able to grow more as a person,” Daisy said.

Daisy likes living in Wasco because it is calm and a close community. “There are always people who are willing to help others out,” she said.

Her best friends include Jennifer Luna, Gladis Castillo, Idaly Flores and Brenda Acosta.

Daisy has participated in various activities throughout her school years such as sports, academics, competitions, FFA, theater, band, track and field, FFA, Skills USA and yearbook.

Her favorite subject in school is chemistry because she finds it to be very interesting and the subject wasn’t too difficult for her to understand.

She was the class vice president for her freshman year.

Daisy’s favorite teacher is Mr. Martinez because he always helped her out with her schoolwork and even helped her with her college courses.

Daisy wants to attend UC, Davis and major in agriculture business. In five years, she sees herself graduating from Davis and beginning her career in agriculture business. She would like to be a person who works in human resources for a company.

“If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be Milan,” she said. “I would like to visit historical places, try new foods and learn about different cultures.”

Kimberly Gonzalez

Sponsored by Saldana Welding and Fabrication

Kimberly Gonzalez was born in Bellflower, grew up in Ontario, and ended up in Wasco.

She is the daughter of Candido Gonzalez Ponce and Maria Elena Jimenez. She has one little brother, David Gonzalez

“I want to be Rose Queen because since I moved to Wasco, the community has been so welcoming and extremely kind to me,” Kimberly said. “I would love to help and make the community even more amazing than it already is as much as I can.”

Kimberly said that her friends include other Rose Queen candidates Yesenia, Milagros and Jordan, along with Maritza and Lesly, who are not candidates.

“FFA has been a very big activity that I participated in during my school years,” she said. “I raise rabbits and show them in the Kern County Fair. This is something I found that I love to do while in high school.”

Kimberly is a part of the Wonderful Academy and will have her associates degree when she graduates from WHS. She participated in sports, academics, competitions, FFA, theater and band while in school.

Her favorite teacher at WHS is ag teacher Ms. Rodriguez. “This year was her last year at the WHS, but she was the person who introduced me to rabbits and showing,” she said.

Her favorite subject in school is mathematics.

She was the junior class vice president last year as a junior.

She wants to attend California State University, Fresno, and major in criminology. In five years, she sees herself obtaining experience so she can work for FBI and wants to join the FBI Academy.

Idaly Flores Landeros

Sponsored by Mike and Sunni Dobbs

Idaly Flores Landeros is the daughter of Elizabeth Landeros- and Maurillo Flores. She has one younger sister.

“I want to be Rose Queen because I want to empower the young generation to believe in them and to not let their past determine who they become in the future,” she said. “I want them to let their struggles be a learning experience to better them. I want kids who don’t have as many opportunities to realize hard work can get you far and it’s okay to have bad days, but push yourself and be a hard worker and a good person.”

Her favorite part about living in Wasco is how close the community is. “We are all supportive of one another,” she said. “I like to be friends with everyone I meet, but if I had to choose, I would say my boyfriend Alejandro Prieto, who is more like my bestie than my boyfriend. My closest friends would be, of course, Daisy Cendejas and Gladis Castillo, who always find a way to convince my mom into anything.”

Idaly participated in the Wonderful Academy College Prep program, FFA, yearbook, class office and having the chance to raise an animal for the Kern County Fair. She is also this year’s ASB Publicity Manager and looks forward to the new and creative things the school will be trying in order to keep students at WHS involved through distance learning.

Her passion in life is to be there for others the same way that she would want others to be there for her. “We live in a world where hat is thrown so easily, so having the ability to make someone smile when they are having a rough day brings me joy,” Idaly said. “I would also like to repay my parents one day for all they have given me and be able to fulfill their dreams, just like they are supporting mine.”

Idaly’s favorite teacher is Mrs. Castruita. “She doesn’t know it, but sometimes when she’d talk to me in AP English after a question, I’d actually tear up knowing we had a teacher like her at WHS,” she said. “She always knew what to say and never made students feel silly for asking a question.”

Her favorite subject in school is art, but if she couldn’t choose art, she would choose English, because she admits she could talk for days.

Idaly was involved in student government by being the publicity manager for the junior class, and this year she is the ASB publicity manager.

She would like to attend California State University, Chico after she graduates from WHS. In five years she sees herself with a degree and living in a small ranch out in the country where she can ride horses off into the sunset. She also wants a lot of animals around her.

“If I could live anywhere in the world, I would like to live in Italy,” she said. “Not because my name is Idaly, but to live in Italy on a ranch filled with green grass, tons of trees, hills, flower fields and horses. As long as it’s beautifully green and rustic and I have horses, I’ll be happy.”

Irene Vargas

Sponsored by Frank Sanchez Ag

Irene Vargas is the daughter of Yanitsy Diaz and Alberto Vargas. She has two sisters and one half-sister.

“I feel like being Rose Queen would be an amazing experience and opportunity for me,” she said. “I have always loved this little town I call home and being able to represent it would be a huge honor.”

What Irene enjoys most about living in Wasco is that the community gets together every year during the parade. “That’s the one time of the year where you see all the locals participating,” Irene said. “The feeling of being there and eating donuts from Donuts to Go is amazing.”

Irene’s best friend is her older sister, Marisel Vargas. “She is one of the only people I can be myself around without feeling like I’m being judged,” she said.

She was involved in FFA during her freshman and sophomore years. She also served as a class officer her freshman year. She participated in the yearbook club her junior year and has been a part of the Wonderful Academy College Prep Program for three years.

Irene’s passion these days is mental health. “I want to be able to go to college and pursue a career in psychology so I can help others when they feel like there isn’t anyone else they can go to,” she said.

Her favorite teacher is chemistry teacher Mr. Martinez because he is very helpful when students need help in any of their classes.

Irene’s favorite subject is math. “I love math,” she said. “it’s the subject that has always come easiest to me.”

She plans on staying local and attending Cal State, Bakersfield.

Mikayla T. Orozco

Sponsored by Wasco Historical Society

Mikayla T. Orozco is the daughter of Juan and Merissa Orozco. She has one brother.

“I would like to be Rose Queen to show my community that I am a young lady with self-confidence and am instilled with great morals and values,” she said. “And to be more involved in my community and to be a great role model for young girls in the city of Wasco.

Mikayla loves living in Wasco because of the small community feeling and knowing almost everyone in the city.

Her best friend is Carina Leyva.

Mikayla participated in cheerleading her freshman and sophomore years. During her four years of high school, she also participated in FFA and raised and showed market swine.

She has a strong passion for agriculture and her favorite teachers are all her FFA teachers while her favorite subject in school is math.

Mikayla was the Wasco FFA Historian during the 2019-2020 school year.

She plans on attending Texas A&M or the University of Arizona. She sees herself in five years still at the university studying veterinary medicine.

“If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live in Pismo beach,” she said. “I chose Pismo Beach because of the great coastal weather, and it has a small-town community feeling just like Wasco.”

Marlen Paredes Ruiz

Sponsored by Maria’s Tax Service

Marlen Paredes Ruiz is the daughter of Iris Paredes Ruiz. She has an older sister, two older brothers and a younger brother.

“I would like to be Rose Queen because I love to be out in the public and help my community,” Marlen said. I also love helping those outside of my community and helping those in need while giving back to everyone who has given me so much.”

Marlen likes living in Wasco because of the people and the community. “Everyone is so kind and generous, with open hearts and smiles,” she said.

Marlen’s best friend is her mom. “She’s my best friend because she has always been there for me since day one and will still be there for me to listen, advise me, help me, teach me, comfort me, discipline me and many more,” she said. “A mother is like glue, the heartbeat to your home and the purest love anyone could ever know. A mother is not only your mother but your friend first, your best friend as a teen, but your forever friend for always and forever.”

She participated in sports, academics, competitions, FFA, theater and band. She also was a part of choir and steel drums band.

Marlen’s passion is music. “Music has always been a major part of my life that it’s everywhere and in everything I do on a daily basis or even beyond my daily life,” she said.

Her favorite teacher is her mother. “Mothers are our first teachers,” she said.

Marlen’s favorite subject is performing arts because she enjoys different forms of art such as singing, dancing, acting and performing them in different ways.