Turtle Mountain citizen Gabriella Lilley is on her way to becoming the first Native reigning Miss North Dakota. She will qualify to seek the Miss America crown if she wins the state title.

Lilley said in an interview with Buffalo’s Fire, her passion for helping people embrace diversity is what put her here today. “I started competing when I was 16 years old in another organization,” she said. “But what really drew me to the Miss America organization was the emphasis on community service.”

Before being crowned Miss Turtle Mountain, Lilley won the titles of Miss Grand Forks 2023 and Miss Williston 2022. Another organization, Miss USA, crowned Lilley’s fellow tribal citizen SaNoah LaRocque Miss North Dakota USA in 2022.

Miss America requires contestants to take up a community service initiative. Many focus on mental health, body positivity, or raising awareness of other causes. Lilley began her initiative, Younity Embracing Diversity, in November 2022. She received the crown of Miss Turtle Mountain 2024 on Oct. 16, 2023.

Reading books that address diversity is one of the activities Gabriella Lilley does with younger students, such as those at Washington Elementary in Minot on Feb. 16. (Photo courtesy of Gabriella Lilley)

Earning the local title put her in line for Miss North Dakota. Winning the state crown this upcoming weekend would allow her to run for Miss America. After taking last year’s top local spot, Lilley, 22, continued serving her community. Meanwhile, she has been preparing for the next phase of the competition. She and 14 other girls from around North Dakota are set to participate June 5-8 in Williston.

Since she began Younity Embracing Diversity, Lilley has spoken to some 600 students across North Dakota about her initiative. Her discussions often include how students can be more accepting of their peers and be kinder to one another. She shows students a presentation about giving kindness, respecting others, opening the heart and welcoming differences, also called GROW. Lilley said students of all ages have been receptive and interactive with the presentation.

One of Lilley’s activities with younger students is reading them a book addressing diversity. Her current favorite is “Josie Dances” by Denise Lajimodiere and illustrated by Angela Erdrich, her fellow citizens of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. “Josie Dances” is a coming-of-age story about an Ojibwe girl’s dream of dancing at the summer powwow. Lilley wanted to read this book to students on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation to show them the importance of embracing their culture. “I thought that was cool to read to a handful of students just because it talks about our culture, and maybe some students haven’t been to a powwow,” Lilley said.

Her work with Younity Embracing Diversity is important to her because she has struggled with inclusion for years. A key moment in Lilley’s life when she felt excluded was her first day of sixth grade.

“I want Indigenous youth to know that their circumstances do not define them. Lean into the people that do support you and do see you as an amazing person, because they matter so much more than what anyone negative has to say about you.”

Gabriella Lilley- Turtle Mountain citizen and Miss North Dakota candidate

“I had just moved to Minot for the first time, and I was going to a predominantly white school, which was a really scary experience for me,” recalled Lilley. “And I remember the first day experiencing so much prejudice and racism simply just because of where I came from and what I looked like, which, as an 11-year-old, is a hard concept to grasp. I just remember feeling so ashamed of who I was and where I came from.”

During Lilley’s younger years, her father worked on assignments abroad for the Marines, Army and Air Force. Between deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, he lived in Minot. Her mother lived on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. Growing up, she felt out of place between the two.

“Going back and forth, I always felt like I’d never really been in either community,” said Lilley. “It wasn’t really until I got older that I realized being unique is something that should be embraced, not something that I should feel like I have to hide about myself. So I named my initiative Younity, to embrace the things that make you unique.”

In addition to Younity Embracing Diversity, Lilley has been the volunteer coordinator for the University of North Dakota’s Indigenous Association for the past two years. She also can be found volunteering for the Salvation Army. At United Way, a nonprofit charity ordained to build equitable communities, Lilley stuffs backpacks and organizes the closet.

Gabriella Lilley said students of all ages have been receptive and interactive with her work through Younity Embracing Diversity. She comes out to various events, such as the Halloween powwow on Oct. 23, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Gabriella Lilley)

Lilley is thankful for the Miss America opportunity because it encourages her to amplify Indigenous voices and representation across North Dakota. “I think that this organization highlights why it’s so important to give back to your community and use the platform that you have to talk about issues that are important to you,” Lilley said.

She graduated from the University of North Dakota this spring. While in school, she majored in criminal justice and minored in political science. She plans to attend law school so she can assist in easing the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples.

“Something I’m interested in is going into tribal law,” said Lilley. “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women has been such a prevalent issue that I’ve seen, that I’ve experienced, that I’ve witnessed. It really drove me to enter the legal field to be that representation for Indigenous people who otherwise wouldn’t have that.”

No matter the results of the competition, Lilley wants to let Native youngsters watching her feel they can do anything their hearts desire.

“I want Indigenous youth to know that their circumstances do not define them,” Lilley said. She tells them to “lean into the people that do support you and do see you as an amazing person, because they matter so much more than what anyone negative has to say about you.”