Sho-Bans in the Spotlight: Cowgirl McKinley Miller named Marsh Valley High co-valedictorian
McKinley Miller with her horse Fergie.
By LIZZIE BOYD
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — McKinley Miller is an 18-year-old senior at Marsh Valley High School in McCammon and a Shoshone-Bannock Tribal member.
She has a 4.0 GPA, is graduating with honors and is one of the Marsh Valley High School’s Class of 2026 Valedictorians on May 20.
McKinley is the daughter of Danielle and Cody Miller; she resides in the Ross Fork District. Miller is a member of the National Honors Society and played on the school’s soccer team and rodeos in District 4.
In her free time, she enjoys working cows with her parents, and has shown market animals in 4-H for the past ten years at the Bannock County Fair and Eastern Idaho State Fair. McKinley also enjoys spending time with her friends.
McKinley is an all-around cowgirl. One of her favorite rodeo events is roping but she also enjoys pole bending in which she competes on her favorite horse Fergie. She is a three-time Idaho High School Rodeo State Finals qualifier and credits much of her success in the pole bending event to her pole horse Fergie, and her late grandfather Paul Miller, who put many miles and work on the mare when she was young. McKinley has trained Fergie for the pole bending event, since she started riding her in the eighth grade. She also competes in the breakaway roping, team roping she is the header for her brother Kolter. She also is in the barrel racing event and used to compete in the goat tying event.
When McKinley enters the rodeo arena to compete, she tells herself, “I am here to do my job, I know I can do it, if I don’t try and try to win, I can’t win.”
After high school, McKinley plans to attend Idaho State University on an academic scholarship, pursue a degree in Business with an emphasis in Agricultural economics and to rodeo for the Idaho State University Bengals.
McKinley wants to encourage all youth, and said, “Work hard, believe in yourself and you can do anything you put your mind too.”
Her five-year plan and goal is to be a good person, Miller said, “I just want to be successful in whatever career I choose and keep following in what I think is right.”
McKinley would like to thank her parents, brother, her Cutler grandparents, Miller grandparents, and her family. She would also like to thank her rodeo support families; Nash Family, Jones Family, McClain’s, Shauntel Falter, Max and JB Hoge, Boyd Family and lastly a special thank you to the family of Tom and Shanna Swan, Gayle, Tommy, Dawn, Nikki, Timmi and Tristen for allowing “Hot Shot” to be a part of her high school rodeo journey. She said, “running Barrels on Hot Shot is truly an honor.”
