Facing The  Reign is the story of Jessa Thomas, the inspiring 17-year-old cowgirl from Kittitas County, Washington, who is the reigning Miss Teen Rodeo Washington 2024 and the first African-American state title holder. 

Jessa's passion for caring for animals extends beyond the rodeo arena. At home on Windswept Farms, she raises miniature Herefords and looks after the farm's livestock. Her natural ability to care for animals has driven her to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian. 

As the first African American state title holder, Jessa is determined to provide greater representation for different demographics through her platform, "Be YOU-tiful." She encourages everyone to be proud of who they are and to embrace their uniqueness. Jessa believes that everyone should have the chance to experience the feeling of standing in an arena surrounded by a patriotic community, coming together to pray, cheer, and laugh.

“The importance of uplifting Black stories across our region is paramount and is at the core of what we do at Converge Media. As soon as Stephanie Johnson-Toliver at the Black Heritage Society of Washington State told me about Jessa and her journey a few months ago, I knew this was a story that we had to tell without delay and, to be honest, a story I personally needed to tell as so many of our film efforts lately have been about loss and tragedy so it feels good to have such a happy and inspiring story to share with all of you.

One thing that makes Converge special is that we don’t wait. If there is a story, we are on the way.” - Omari Salisbury

“Growing up, I remember my Dad taking me to Ocean Shores, and my favorite thing to do while I was there was riding the horses on the sandy beach. But that was the closest I ever got to riding horses, so needless to say, he would have to hear me saying I want a pony the whole ride home. Well, when I heard about Jessa Thomas, the first African-American Miss Teen Rodeo, I was hype. Like, the little girl in me was so excited for the amount of representation Jessa was being crowned with this title, which gives to other girls who aren’t used to seeing someone that looks like them as a cowgirl. As I keep saying, with having this show, it’s important to use my platform for more than just cool restaurants and things to do in Seattle. It’s about telling the story of those in our region in a way that only Converge Media can.” - Besa Gordon

Stay tuned for the release date of Facing The Reign on FOX 13 Seattle and you can follow Jessa on Instagram at @MissTeenRodeoWashington

Big shoutout to our team of film Converge Media filmakers, Winfield Ezell Jr., Brady McAtee, Trey Ezell, Matt Bermudez, and our Production Manager, Alaia D’Alessandro for once again creating a film that highlights trailblazers in our region.