By MacKenzie White | Special to The Herald

An Arkansas State student spent a semester working at Disney World and earned multiple Arkansas pageant titles, including Miss Arkansas State University, while promoting mental health education for students.

Riley Strube, a junior communication disorders student, currently holds the title of Miss Northeast Arkansas 2024 and previously held the title of Miss Arkansas State University 2023. 

Strube’s aunt, Daley Gamblin, was a part of the Miss Arkansas Organization. Strube got to be her princess in the pageant at just four years old, however, she did not get involved in pageants until she was 11-years-old. 

Strube’s pageant philanthropy, Time 2 Talk, advocates for mental health education for Arkansas students. Strube said she struggled with her own mental health, and despite being open about it, she said she was not sure if it was what she wanted her platform to be. 

That changed when one of her pageant sisters died by suicide, and she decided she needed Time 2 Talk so she could help others in her position. 

“It’s all about getting them more comfortable talking about their mental health so that way we can see a decrease in the amount of suicides that students are currently facing in Arkansas,” Strube said.

Strube held the titles of Miss Central Arkansas, Miss Conway and Miss White River in the Miss Arkansas Teen Organization. She moved up to the Miss Arkansas Organization, where she was previously Miss Arkansas State University 2023 and is now Miss Northeast Arkansas 2024. 

“Riley is authentically herself. In every phase of life, she never strays away from being exactly who she is. She is energetic, outgoing and real,” Erica Parker, Strube’s pageant friend, said. 

Strube has been dancing since she was 2 years old. Strube’s mom owns a dance studio, so she grew up learning from her mom and older girls.  

Strube does a tap dance for her talent in pageants and said she eventually wants to teach other girls to dance. Her goal is to cheer for the NFL and she recently attended the Tennessee Titan NFL cheer clinic. She said she never wants to stop performing and NFL cheer would allow her to get in front of a crowd to continue doing what she loves.

In addition, Strube spent Jan. to June of 2022 in the Disney College Program. Strube said it was a fun and rewarding experience.  She made friends from Canada to Puerto Rico, who she still talks to today. 

Strube mostly worked in food service, but her favorite job has been bartending. She said one of the coolest experiences was serving a margarita to Jimmy Buffet. She was 18 when she attended the program, which is the legal age to serve in Florida. In Arkansas, a person must be at least 21 to serve alcohol. 

During Strube’s first year of college, she studied pre-medical biology but realized mid-semester that path was not for her. Strube’s family were huge Disney fans and went to the parks often, so once her cousin went through the Disney College Program, she realized there might be a way to gain extra time to figure out her future. 

Rather than continuing to spend money on education with no end goal, she decided to take a semester at the Disney College Program, giving her time to not only figure out her plan but also earn extra money for schooling.

“When I came back, I was ready and more set on what I wanted to do. I got to focus on school that would help me in my career, rather than just being in school to be in school,” Strube said. 

Students can apply for the Disney college program online through their website as long as they meet the eligibility requirements.

Strube now studies communication disorders in hopes of becoming a speech and language pathologist. Strube’s mother, Andrea Strube, and aunt, Daley Gamblin, both have careers as speech pathologists. Strube describes herself as their “guinea pig” growing up, as they would practice their exercises with her. 

“When Riley was in middle school and high school, she came and shadowed me several times at work,” Gamblin said. “She interacted so well with all of my patients and I think it really made an impact on her. She cares for others and their wellbeing and always tries her best in everything she does.” 

Categories: Life