story by Ruth Nicolaus
If Kiara Elegante isn’t running barrels, pole bending or ribbon roping, she’s dancing and singing throughout the house.
The thirteen year old cowgirl, a member of the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association and a resident of Bluffdale, loves to sing and dance as much as she loves riding a horse.
She is an eighth grade student at Summit Academy, and she loves her school. “It’s awesome,” she said. As a charter school, there are fewer students, which she enjoys. She sings in the choir, acts in plays and musicals, plays piano, and dances. She is also on the honor roll.
Utah junior high rodeo fans will notice that Kiara can sometimes be found behind the microphone singing the national anthem at rodeos. She loves to do it, and usually doesn’t get nervous, although sometimes she writes down the words in case she forgets them.
Kiara sings at home, too. “My mom can’t get me to stop singing,” she said, and she often hums along with her favorite artists, who include Taylor Swift and Florida-Georgia Line. Her latest favorite song is “Peter Pan” by Kelsea Ballerini.
When she grows up, she’d like to be a rodeo photographer, and go on a mission for her church.
Kiara competed at state finals last June in the barrel racing. She has two younger brothers: Ace, who is eleven, Dylan, who is seven, and a younger sister, Kambree, age four.
She is the daughter of Tony and Brandy Elegante.
