Meet Your DJJD Royalty Candidates: D'anna Nelson

In just a few days, three young women will be selected as the new ambassadors of the Defeat of Jesse James Days.

A queen and two princesses will be selected from seven young women at the 7 p.m. Saturday coronation at the . Those selected receive scholarship money and represent DJJD all year at festivals, fairs and parades throughout the state.

Two youngsters will be selected as junior royalty at 2 p.m.

In the coming days, Northfield Patch will introduce you to this year's candidates.

Saturday's 2 p.m. event is $4 plus $4 for the DJJD button, which offers admittance to other events during . Saturday's 7 p.m. event is $6 plus $4 for the DJJD button.

Name: D’anna Nelson

Age: 19

Parents: Denise and Dan Nelson

Employer: Nelson Dairy Farm

Sponsor:

Education: 2010 High school graduate and has attended 2 years at South Central College where I completed the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) of general education classes. This fall I will be attending St. Cloud State University where I plan to major in Biotechnology or Biomedical Sciences.

Educational goals: I plan to attend St. Cloud State for the next three years and graduate with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biotechnology or Biomedical Sciences. Both are very similar degrees and which one I choose depends on if I decide to focus more on agriculture or the medical field. My goal is to maintain and graduate with my current 4.0 college GPA.

School activities, honors, clubs, etc.: I have been in 4-H for most of my life with the Wheatland Wheaties 4-H Club and have been in many positions including Secretary and President. I have also been on the Rice County 4-H Executive Board. In this group I have done everything from exhibiting projects and animals to cleaning ditches and serving on many project committees. In addition I volunteer for many projects for Most Holy Trinity Church, Salvation Army, Epilepsy Foundation, Multiple Sclerosis Society and at several nursing and retirement homes.

Hobbies and recreation activities: I enjoy playing piano and sewing which I have done since 2nd grade. I enjoy writing, baking, reading and listening to music. For recreation, I love to ice skate and roller-skate and ride my bike. I have lots of fun fishing and having bonfires with my family. I also like to swim in the summer and have sledding and snowmobile parties with my cousins in the winter.

Career or long-term goals: Once I graduate from college, I want to work in a lab solving problems. It may be ag-based working with GM (genetically modified) crops or creating better herbicides and pesticides. Livestock genetics and medications are also possibilities. My degree can open the door to working with renewable energy sources such as improved biofuels. Otherwise I may focus on human health, including things such as genetic disorders, new medications or virology. The three things I want out of life are a family, a career that I love, and the money and time to travel. 

Why do you want to a part of the DJJD Royalty Scholarship Program? I want to promote and educate people on the history of Northfield. Every town has local history, such as when the old schoolhouse was built or who the first mayor was; but Northfield’s local bank raid history is also known on a national level. Northfield citizens are the keepers of some fantastic history that is still relevant outside the city limits. You can wake up and go down Division Street to get a morning treat from the bakery, on the way you can walk where the James-Younger Gang once walked. You can stand on the corner where they stood while waiting to go into the bank. We can interact with our history every day very easily. People outside of Northfield know this history so I think that everyone within Northfield should know it as well, put a claim on it, and take pride in it. Not everyone gets to live in the town whose citizens were the downfall of Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang. I would also like to be part of the Royalty Program for the things I can gain from it. By going through the candidate program I hope to make new friends and acquaintances and also improve my public speaking, presentation, and interview skills.

What do you hope to accomplish if chosen to be a part of the Defeat of Jesse James Days Royalty Scholarship Program? I would promote DJJD to people who have never attended but also to people who do attend. There is so much happening that it becomes quite possible to overlook some of the festivities. As an ambassador we need to learn the festival inside and out and promote all of it. I also love the history that surrounds the festival which I would like to inject more history knowledge into our festival so that Northfield citizens can take even greater pride in their heritage. On a personal level, I hope to gain experience and skill at public speaking and staying cool during interviews. Being an ambassador for DJJD would also help me improve my ability to be a group communicator, to think on my feet and stay poised in different settings.

What is your favorite event during the Defeat of Jesse James Days Celebration and why? My favorite event to attend is one of the rodeos. They are a great way to spend a few hours with family or friends, and for me, they are the most entertaining event at DJJD. I love to watch the mutton bustin’ and the antics of the clowns, especially as they are popping in and out of their barrels. Bull riding, calf roping, and the other elements of the rodeo are also great fun. The rodeo inspires a sense of community that isn’t always fostered at other events. Together we watch the same child and mentally or vocally cheer them on, telling them to hold tight to that sheep. We all watch tensely and let out a collective cheer when someone manages to ride that seemingly impossibly bronc—and we all sigh, disappointed, when a rider turns too tight, knocking over a barrel after what started as a great run. This togetherness can’t be found at every event. The rodeo brings the community together and it’s downright entertaining as well, so it’s my favorite event. But it’s difficult to pick an event to label as my favorite, and the raid reenactments come in a close second. The reenactments also bring together the community but not with the same power and emotion as the rodeo. But what the reenactments do have is the history that is the town of Northfield and the basis of the Defeat of Jesse James Days festival. I love history and I find the most interesting history is tragic, mysterious, or local. The bank raid has all three of these characteristics and passes with flying colors to be fascinating.