Smiling brightly while sitting in her wheelchair, 27-year-old Erica Sander helps a parade coordinator place a sparkling crown atop her head of dark curled hair.

“This is the best part about winning pageants,” she said laughing. “I love wearing the crown.”

As Ms. Wheelchair Arizona 2009, under the Ms. Wheelchair USA pageant, Sander was all smiles and joy as she led the Native American Connections Parade as parade marshal on a recent Saturday.

Her contagious grin and laughter that patrons saw during the parade, however, have not always been representative in Sander.

For her, it took one accident and years of mental and physical struggle to get to the positive place she is today.

Sander was born and raised at Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.

“Growing up was boring,” Sander said. “I went to school and played in the desert with my two brothers and sister.”

She attended Fountain Hills High School until 2001 and then began pursuing her GED. In February 2002, the then 20-year-old found out that she was going to receive more than just her diploma later that year.

She was going to have a baby boy.

“I made a big mistake,” Sander said. “I had to find a way to make it work because I had another life I was going to have to care for and the first thing I had to do was get my GED.”

Sander continued with school and, in October 2002, a healthy boy named Fabian was born: “It was hard because I was alone… but so amazing to have this new life.”

Sander later received her GED in December 2002 and began working.

Seven months later, two days before Sander was to start college, her life turned completely upside down.

Sander was shot in her right bicep, left forearm, right hand and her back, causing her to become paraplegic. She was in a coma until September 2003 and then in neuro-rehab for 30 days following.

“I was young and involved with the wrong crowd,” Sander said. “A man wanted some money and this is what happened.”

Sander claims that it was hard to adapt at first. “I had so many thoughts going on at once -- stressful because of all the medication, wound changes, doctors’ appointments, back pain, leg pain, hip pain and just not wanting to get out of bed.”

Sander said that she often felt sorry for herself -- seeing it embarrassing for people to stare and gossip. She also felt that her new image would leave her solo.

“I thought, ‘No one will ever like me with the wheelchair,’” she said.

It wasn’t until Fabian’s first birthday, the same day Sander was discharged from the hospital, that she realized she needed to change her mind-set.

“I realized that I needed to set an example for Fabian,” she said. “I told myself that I had to fight back and show people and Fabian that despite having an injury, you can accomplish your dreams and goals in life.”

Sander began her transformation in January 2004 when she began college to study criminal justice.

“I hoped to become a juvenile probation officer,” she said. “I felt that if you can change a person while they are young, they will have a better chance to not commit violence.”

Sander graduated in 2007 with her AAS in criminal justice and then transferred to University of Phoenix in 2008 to pursue a full degree in criminal justice.

During this time, her uncle introduced her to a man name Richard.

“It was nice because the family already approved,” Sander said laughing. She and Richard were married this past April.

During that same month, Sander grasped an opportunity to share her past and what she hoped for in the future by entering in the Ms. Wheelchair Arizona beauty pageant.

“I thought, ‘I could make a difference through pageants,’” Sander said. “Doing one was the best way to share what I know.”

In April, Sander won the title of Ms. Wheelchair Arizona, under the Ms. Wheelchair USA pageant.

“It was great to win,” Sander said. “I then knew I could finally get people to listen.”

Sander wants people to pay attention to her words and teachings centered on youth empowerment and focusing on acceptance of people with disabilities as well as cultural acceptance.

“A lot of youths don’t understand culture,” she said. “I just want youths to accept each other no matter what because life is too short for oatmeal, as my son would say.”

Karen Leveleve, a mother of young Native American children, said that Sander’s message is really important.

“Young Native American children don’t know the traditions and don’t understand… it makes me happy to know she’s speaking about it,” she said.

Another focus of Sander’s is the empowerment of young Native American females.

“I want to be a positive role model,” she said. “I want to set an example for young moms and girls. I had a child and I was able to move on from a bad past; so can they.”

A by-stander at the parade, Will Daychild knew of Sander prior to being named parade marshal.

“She’s a great role model for not only women and people in wheelchairs but also for Native Americans,” he said. “She’s not limiting herself, and I’m proud of what she’s doing to get our culture known.”

Sander claims that speaking about youth and cultural issues is something “heart filling” for her and that she didn’t want to stop at spreading her message to just Arizona.

Sander recently competed for the Ms. Wheelchair USA title. Although she didn’t take home the crown, she did walk away with the Ms. Congeniality award.

“It was amazing,” she said. “I was there listening to all the women talk about the changes they wanted or have changed in society, and it had me realize there was something I wanted to help protect to -- America’s youths.”

Sander continues to attend the University of Phoenix and persists to be the best mother she can and provide for her son.

While Sander has overcome many challenges and has already proved herself an eminent role model for youths, females and Native Americans, she is only getting started.

“There is a lot of change that still needs to be done,” she said. “I’ve only just begun.”