The Miss Humble Rodeo Pageant is a network built by women, for young women, with the belief that every girl deserves to learn the confidence of radical self-love. Entirely led and coordinated by co-chairs/volunteers Tonnie Geiser and Nikki Adams, the pageant exists to build young ladies' confidence, character, and courage rather than measure their beauty.
For Tonnie and Nikki, the pageant is not a single annual production. No, it is a calling shaped by months of preparation, countless late nights, and a shared conviction that girls need spaces where they feel fully seen. What most people never see is that the women holding this space for others are doing so while carrying their own burdens. Tonnie lives with a permanent disability that has reshaped her body, her work, and her daily life. Nikki has spent this year navigating cancer treatments, choosing to show up for this pageant even on the days committed to her treatment. It is a true testament to both of these women's strength.
Years ago, when the pageant went away, something meaningful disappeared with it. Girls in the community lost the opportunity to gain a group that would support and encourage their growth. What disappeared was not a stage, but a place where girls could practice believing they mattered before the world asked them to prove it.
Both women felt that absence and sincerely wanted to answer the call to bring the pageant back, not for recognition or revenue, but because the community needed it. They were clear from the beginning that this pageant would be different because they knew what was missing from the girls' community for too long. The Humble Rodeo and the Lake Houston Area are very lucky to be one of the few communities in Texas that still have a pageant that welcomes participants from every background, interest, and ability, including the princess division for girls who are not of age yet, and the sweetheart divisions created for girls with physical and cognitive differences. Both co-chairs want every girl who steps onto that stage to feel a sense of belonging and feel the sisterhood, regardless of any differences.
At its heart, the pageant has two incredible leaders who, through their own actions, teach the girls what it means to take up space with bravery, to live confidently, and to have the grit to overcome. During this season, Nikki has balanced pageant planning with chemotherapy appointments, joining calls while receiving treatment, and showing up when her body worked against her at every turn. There were moments when she asked for grace, not because she was weak, but because she knew her presence and her showing up were acts of love, and after all, that act is the lesson she wants every girl involved in the pageant to learn.
Behind the scenes, the work is relentless, and the two women have been pouring themselves into the pageant's success. Tonnie understands that inclusion is not a concept, but a lived truth. Disability did not remove her from leadership or purpose; it clarified it. Nikki brings the heart of a woman who has spent her life uplifting others through beauty, now redefining it through perseverance. Together, they lead and show that bodies change, paths shift, and worth remains untouched. In a way that shows life doesn't end when countless things go wrong. No, life begins in the minutes and hours spent creating an experience that feels meaningful. In learning that commitment matters, if not more than victory, because trying after you think there is no more try left in you is the hardest, but the best lesson learned in the journey we call life.
Rodeo is a testament to perseverance, it's so much more than the boots and the bling, it represents a way of life rooted in determination, discipline, and showing up even in the heartache. Because when you do the work, even when it's hard, the value you gain from it is worth those trials tenfold. The crown itself carries more weight and meaning... the crown then reflects what they know to be true in their own lives. Strength is not loud. Grace is not passive. Survival can be beautiful. And, Winning is never the goal. Growth is. Whether a girl leaves with a crown or not, she leaves knowing she tried something hard and survived it. And Tonnie and Nikki are living proof that grit to survive can coexist with kindness and grace.
As February arrives and rodeo season fills the grounds of the Humble Civic Center and Arena with energy and excitement, on Feb. 6th, you will find all the Miss Humble Rodeo Pageant court present for pictures with the community. Feb. 7th, the four title holders will take the stage in recognition and tradition before performer Casey Donahew. You can also spot the title holders at engagement events, like the Humble BBQ cook-off, throughout the year. Businesses and organizations are encouraged to contact the coordinators to arrange guest appearances at local events to raise awareness of the pageant. Any support is welcome, as all funds raised go toward scholarships to help secure the futures of these young women. It doesn't have to be big, though significant donations are welcome at any time; you can help young women learn to love themselves first and take up space without apology. All proceeds from this event go towards the Humble ISD Education Foundation.
Tonnie and Nikki have a simple, but powerful, truth to share: our community is made better for having a pageant, and for supporting this effort, even if it's just by attending the big event it teaches a lesson that is passed from woman to girl, from community to every generation touched by the pageant, making this so much more than just winning a crown. In a world that often asks women to shrink, the Miss Humble Rodeo Pageant teaches something different. Work hard. Stand tall. And, try, try, try again. These women and girls are living examples of a tradition built on investing in young women who learned early to move through the world with confidence.