Carla Feathers hopes to dance to the top of the world.

Feathers, a senior at Haskell Indian Nations University and a student teacher at Woodlawn School, will compete this week in the Miss Indian World competition in Albuquerque, N.M. It’s part of the 20th annual Gathering of Nations Powwow, one of the largest in North America.

“I’m looking forward to the competition,” Feathers said Friday. “It’s an opportunity to be a positive role model for indigenous youth.”

After three days of competition beginning Wednesday, the winner will be crowned Saturday.

Feathers, 25, is Pawnee and Cherokee but grew up on the Zuni Reservation near Gallup, N.M. She plans to graduate from Haskell in May with an education degree.

Participants in the Miss Indian World competition are judged on native dance, public speaking, talent and interviews.

Terry Tuckwin, a Woodlawn kindergarten teacher who has mentored Feathers, said children in the class offered a glowing assessment of Feathers’ talent presentation. It’s a colorful quilt with imagery of blazing sunsets and glistening stars.

“When the morning class saw the quilt, they burst into applause,” Tuckwin said.

Feathers made the quilt with assistance from the Grandmother’s Circle quilting group at Haskell.

Haskell Indian Nation University senior Carla Feathers, a student teacher at Woodlawn School, reads to her kindergarten class. Feathers was Miss Haskell in 2001-2002, and she is competing this week in the Miss Indian World competition in Albuquerque, N.M.

At the competition, she also will perform a traditional dance in a satin shirt and a skirt with ribbon work.

“It’s a slow, graceful dance. You’re supposed to be poised and confident,” she said.

Her years at Haskell have helped prepare her for the competition, she said. Feathers was Miss Haskell in 2001-2002 and was on the university’s volleyball team. Studying in an environment that focused on native culture was invaluable, she said.

“It’s been one of the best experiences I’ve had,” she said. “It isn’t something I could get anywhere else.”

She isn’t certain of her future after the graduation, but she expects to work as a teacher. The children at Woodlawn have helped her understand the challenges in a classroom, she said.

“It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I really liked it.”