Inspiration struck me when watching the 2000’s Sandra Bullock film Miss Congeniality with my mother at a young age. The beauty pageant world was alluring yet inspiring as Sandra transitioned into a Miss Universe contestant. Miss Universe is dreaming big, I mean really big… but I won’t shut down that dream just yet. What I didn’t know was in the near future I, myself, would be a beauty pageant contestant in my hometown of Pueblo, CO.
The Fiesta Queen Pageant, where contestants of Latina or Hispanic descent compete for the title of queen, was established in Pueblo of 1967. I became acquainted with the pageant when my older sister participated in this tradition in 2017 for the opportunity to win scholarship money to pursue her nursing degree at any university in Colorado. When entering the pageant, my sister had the warm encouragement of my mother as she helped her complete her Miss Congeniality makeover for the program.
The Colorado Fiesta Committee had given my sister the opportunity to stage herself in front of a panel of judges, which is what I would hope to do one day as well. My mother and sister shared the journey of preparing for the pageant as they would shop for evening gowns, rehearse her talent and speech. After watching my sister compete and take home the title of 1st Attendant, while also receiving a scholarship of $1,700, I knew that this tradition would be beautiful to be a part of.
Time flew and six years later I was approaching the end of my senior year, which meant I was deciding on which admission offers to accept and what scholarships to apply for. As a little girl, I knew I was destined to attend the biggest university I could dream of attending, as I excelled greatly in academics. The Fiesta Queen Pageant scholarship was still on my mind as my mother encouraged me to participate. She was faithful that it was going to be an awesome opportunity for me.
My Sandra Bullock makeover journey was shared between my mother and me as I prepared to participate in the annual tradition. The pageant is broken into different categories in which I was prompted with a question to answer in my speech to present in front of a panel of judges. I then prepared a poem telling the story of my immigrant parents’ sacrifices for my talent portion, and my favorite part was shopping for my evening gown for the contest. Other components of the pageant include an interview session with the judges and an opening number with the contestants.
After all portions of the pageant are completed, a winner and runner ups are presented; I was granted the title of 2nd Attendant. The moment I had on that stage was unforgettable, as was the crown, but what I didn’t know was that this was simply the beginning of an amazing journey. When participating in this contest I was able to meet a handful of beautiful and talented Chicanas. The Colorado Fiesta Committee presented us with a beautiful cultural tradition to take part in and offers the opportunity to all young girls of Latina or Hispanic descent in Colorado!
The scholarship committee presented each member of the court of 2024 with tremendous opportunities of volunteer work and experience to know the community on a more intimate and personal level. During my reign, I was able to attend a handful of church festivals, veteran events, parades, and guest speaking activities. A favorite memory of my reign was celebrating the annual Colorado Fiesta Day at the State Fair. On this day, a parade takes place in the morning along with a beautiful Mass, and the day follows with more celebration and ends with El Charro Mexicano. El Charro, is the Mexican Rodeo, where a showcase of Mexican horseback riders, folklorico dancing, and performance from Mexican artists!
My Pueblo community has given me an unforgettable experience of tradition and culture while also helping me achieve my dreams of attending a university like CU Boulder. Embracing the culture of my parents and my own has been an amazing story to share with my community. I enormously appreciate the opportunity and encourage other Chicanas to take part in this tradition. The application for this scholarship has opened and is due April 27. The program will be gifting a total of $15,000 amongst the five titles. More specific information and requirements can be found on the Colorado State Fair Fiesta Committee website, along with the application.