New Graduate Balanced Education With Being State's First Black Rodeo Queen

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Ja'Dayia Kursh

A typical week for the average Fulbright College student is far from reality for newly minted Fulbright College alumna Ja'Dayia Kursh, whose week is never typical and whose life is anything but average.

Kursh graduated from Fulbright College on May 13 with a Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies after achieving another an extraordinary milestone: she's the first black rodeo queen in Arkansas.

A Fort Smith, Arkansas, native, Kursh was crowned Miss Coal Hill of Arkansas in 2017. Her weeks as a student and rodeo queen found her traveling between Fayetteville and Texas, working sponsorships and photoshoots, visiting rodeos, completing classwork, studying for exams, and even hauling her own horses.

If her accomplishment and work ethic weren't impressive enough, partnerships from Wrangler and Justin Boots and interviews on The Today Show and The Kelly Clarkson Show are evidence that this rodeo queen is still taking the bull by the horns.

"If you meet most cowgirls, they're not really afraid of anything," Kursh said.

As a rodeo queen, Kursh said, she is an "ambassador for the rodeo," an all-encompassing role that has her wearing many hats — cowgirl hats, that is. Raising money for the rodeo, representing the rodeo at different events, and working with kids in the community are just a few of her responsibilities.

"People don't understand the hard work and dedication that goes into this work and industry," Kursh said. "Statistically, I shouldn't be this woman — growing up in Fort Smith with the circumstances I came from — but being introduced to this industry changed my whole life and gave me the freedom to feel like I can achieve anything."

Kursh is the daughter of a single mother, and her father is in prison. As a first-generation college student, Kursh looked to her older cousin, University of Arkansas School of Law alumnus Tony Jones, who inspired her journey.

"Hearing that I helped her gives me hope to continue," Jones said. "This goes to show that we never know who's watching — just as I inspired her, now she is inspiring so many others, including myself."

An interdisciplinary studies major, Kursh found, was the right choice for her wide range of interests, which led her to three areas of study: communication, journalism, and criminology.

Read the rest of the story and see more photos of Kursh in the Fulbright REVIEW.