Native woman named Ms. Wheelchair America

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Congratulations go out to Cinda Hughes, member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, for being named Ms. Wheelchair America 2004!

Hughes competed last week in Des Moines, Iowa, where the annual event was held, and walked away with the title Saturday night. "Cinda told me she is the very first Native American to ever win the national title," DIVA Arigon Starr informed us yesterday in an e-mail. "I am so proud of her I can hardly stand it!!!"

Hughes, 41, works for the Oklahoma State Senate as a receptionist and research assistant. A quadriplegic since birth, she uses a wheelchair to get around.

"There have been lots of obstacles and lots of challenges, but I realized there are two choices I can make regarding this journey. I can be bitter or I can use it as a means of teaching others about empathy and fair play," she told The Native American Times earlier this month.

This year's contest featured competitors from 23 states and Washington, D.C. They spent a week preparing. "I'm completely overwhelmed and so honored," Hughes said after receiving the honor, The Des Moines Register reported. "I've had the most wonderful week of my life."