Last week, the 3 and 4-year-olds in Ms. Griselda’s class at F.M. Day had a very special visitor: Miss Colorado. Dressed in a glittering sash and sparkling tiara, recently-crowned Kate Brunetti read one of her favorite books, Woo Hoo! You’re Doing Great! By Sandra Boynton. The book shares important lessons about trying new things and being kind to one another.

 

Reading to children counts toward the community service hours for her title as Miss Colorado Queen, but that’s not why Brunetti does it. Having worked as a nurse in pediatrics, Bruneti developed a strong connection with her patients. But once they were discharged, she never knew what happened to them.

 

“You lose that connection,” said Brunetti. “If we had a CPS or social work case, I would never know anything after making that report, and that was really difficult. I thought– maybe I should be that person that's with these kids until I know they're okay.”

 

So Brunetti changed her focus to Public Health at the University of Northern Colorado, an important stepping stone on her path to becoming a social worker.

 

A life of service seems to come naturally to Brunetti, who also does outreach to help food-insecure students and staff at her school. She also helped organize a toy drive in December for patients at Colorado Children’s Hospital. As a person living with endometriosis and chronic migraines, Brunetti also uses her platform to raise awareness for invisible and chronic illnesses.

 

As the excited children lined up to try on the sparkling tiara and get their picture taken with Miss Colorado, Ms. Griselda emphasized how important it is to practice kindness and inclusion. “It is a big job and one we can all take part in, even a "queen" like Miss Colorado!”

 

Brunetti herself only decided to try competing in pageants just three years ago, during a pandemic-inspired “gap year.” “I grew up watching Toddlers and Tiaras when I was little. And I was like, oh, that looks so cool.” She had her doubts, but ultimately decided to put herself out there. “It's important to try,” said Brunetti, “because you never know what outcome is going to come from it!”

 

Brunetti serves as a model for the children at F.M. Day as she inspires the next generation to try new things, embrace challenges, and make a positive impact on the world through hard work and empathy.