Eagle Leaders: Merisa Cominiello

Many people may think the only leaders at Chadron State College are juniors and seniors, but Merisa Cominiello is a great exception to this belief.
Cominiello, 20, sophomore of Burlington, Colorado, has become a young leader for the CSC’s rodeo team and has become a significant role model for new team members.
Cominiello grew up in Burlington on a 5,000 acre ranch. She grew up riding horses throughout her life. The first time she rode was as an infant with her mother.
Cominiello and her family raise their own horses. She has five siblings and four of them ride as well.
She was once bucked off of a horse as a child and broke both her leg and arm. She was scared to ride horses after that incident for a long time, but eventually picked it back up again.
Cominiello started to competitively participate in rodeo when she was a sophomore in high school at the Colorado Junior Rodeo Association. She had numerous successes and losses at CJRA.
The cowgirl from Burlington is taking on her next challenge, Chadron State College. She is an elementary education major and is on the rodeo team.
“I chose Chadron State because it was the perfect distance from home, it’s affordable, and I wanted to rodeo,” Cominiello said.
Cominiello wants to teach third grade in her hometown or another rural town.
Cominiello really enjoys the rodeo team at CSC and has made many close friendships with her teammates.
“Everyone was really welcoming when I first joined the team,” Cominiello said.
The events that she competes in are team roping, barrel racing and breakaway roping. She has had successes and losses in her college rodeo experience, just like her high school experience.
“I always struggled with my barrel horse in high school, but my very first college rodeo ever I placed third in the long go,” Cominiello said. “The successes are so much sweeter since we raise our own horses.”
Cominiello said she’s the only person that has trained her barrel horse. She also said that her proudest accomplishment is that their family works hard to raise their horses.
Cominiello has personal and team goals at Chadron State College. She said that the rodeo team hasn’t performed the greatest as a whole this season, but they’ve had many individual successes.
She said her parents have been great influences on her and provide her with support constantly.
“My goal in college rodeo is to make the College National Finals Rodeo. It also would be awesome to take a team to the CNFR,” Cominiello said.
Cominiello considers herself a positive person that inspires others. She tries to help the new rodeo team members feel welcome.
“I like to think that I can be a light in the dark world that we live in,” Cominiello said. “The team is really like a little community. We have extremely close relationships.”
Cominiello strongly recommends the rodeo team to anyone thinking about attending Chadron State College.
Despite her age, Cominiello has made strides as a part of the rodeo team and has proven that age is but a number.