St. Joseph High School senior Morgan Fasse is living one of the most special times of her life.
On Friday, June 5, Fasse, 17, will receive her diploma and graduate from St. Joe’s.
Before Fasse and her large family commemorate that momentous occasion, they have something else to celebrate: winning the title of Queen of the 2026 Santa Maria Elks Rodeo.
During the Friday night performance of the 83rd annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo, Fasse was crowned queen of the rodeo, finishing first of four candidates who spent the last seven weeks in a mad dash to raise the most money.
Fasse and her committee raised $412,109 for the St. Joseph High School Athletic Boosters.
“This competition taught me to follow my dreams,” said Fasse. “I’m so excited. This money goes to the St. Joe Boosters and will help them provide so many things for our school.”
As one of nine children, Fasse was quick to point out just how much her family contributed to her win.
“My family is super supportive of me and of each other, no matter what we do. At the end of the day, my family always shows up for each other.
“And St. Joseph is my second family. I am so grateful for all their support. I could not have done this without them.”
St. Joseph actually had the top two competitors as Reiyna Sarin finished second.
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Sarin, at 16, was the youngest queen candidate this year and is finishing up her sophomore year at St. Joe’s
Sarin raised $271,313, representing a different group of boosters: the Hancock College Athletic Boosters.
“I was hoping to win, but I think I did great,” said Sarin. “The money will help the Hancock Boosters with their support of the Hancock Rodeo team and other athletic programs.”
The four young women raised a grand total of $871,804.
Savannah Salcido, the candidate of the Kiwanis Club of Guadalupe, and Annabella Williams, representing the Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club, rounded out the field.
The amounts for Salcido and Williams aren’t broken out individually, but the duo added $248,380 to this year’s total, bringing the total raised during queen campaigns over the years to $19,117,406.
“I said at the Queen kickoff dinner (on April 4), that we had a shot to go over the $19 million mark this year,” said longtime Elks Rodeo Queen Committee Chairman Peter Sterling. “Well, we did it; $19 million-plus. And remember, that money all stays here in the community. It’s distributed to local schools and organizations so everyone wins.”
“We had the most amazing group of girls this year. I love them all so much,” said Fasse. “We became such close friends. Win or lose, it’s all about community. We are all so thankful for the support we received from the community, and we’re all thrilled to be able to give back thousands and thousands of dollars that will directly benefit schools and non-profit organizations.
“Every year, we can only crown one young woman Queen of the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo,” said Sterling. “But these four great young ladies are all winners.”