MOSES LAKE — “So what do you all want to be when you are older?” 2017 Miss Moses Lake Roundup Emma Gunderson asked a classroom of second-graders at Sage Point Elementary on Thursday. “I want to be a doctor,” says a boy. “I want to be the first girl president,” proclaims a girl. “I want to be you,” a little girl says with a large smile on her face. To say the students were enamored of Gunderson on Thursday would be quite the understatement.

Gunderson visited Sage Point to talk to the kids about ethics, positivity, respect and setting goals.

“It’s so important to take your smile with you everywhere that you go. Because that is how you show people who you are. Always wear that smile with you wherever you go,” Gunderson told a classroom of second-graders.

Gunderson regularly goes from rodeo to rodeo representing Moses Lake, but also gets the opportunity to speak at schools in the area. Her current goal is to become Miss Rodeo Washington, and hopefully go on to become Miss Rodeo America.

In the meantime, Gunderson is proving to be a role model and inspiration for local kids. So much so, in fact, that a classroom of first-graders let out a collective moan when they learned Gunderson wasn’t going to be in their class all day long on Thursday. That groan turned into glee however when they learned she was going to be around the school for most of the day.

“I just want you all to remember, it doesn’t matter what you are wearing or anything like that. Or what you have or where you live. What really matters is what is on the inside and how you treat others. That is what is really important, so never forget that,” Gunderson told the students.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.