14-Year Old Emily Spatto of Remsen is a Triple Threat – Business Owner, Pageant Winner and Now… a Published Author
Emily Spatto – a ninth grader from Remsen – has accomplished more by the time she entered high school than many have as adults! This highly driven, exceptionally organized and amazingly kind young lady is poised for success in many areas of her young life. As she is getting ready to pitch her business to investors next month and competing at the Princess of America National Pageant in July, we wanted to shine a light on her accomplishments locally.
An Entrepreneur Inspired by Her Grandmother
Emily is the baker, owner, and operator of The Tasty Crown Bakery, a baking business she began in 2023 fueled by her love for baking “all the time”! Specializing in giant cookies, she sold several hundred at the Remsen Barn Festival last year and has even combined her love for community service in the business by planning to deliver cookies to the patients at the Golisano Children’s Hospital sometime early this year. She is a participant in Mohawk Valley Community College’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA), where she is enhancing her business model, working with mentors, and formulating future goals for her business. She will be pitching at YEA’s Investor Panel event on April 17th and vying for start-up money from investors along with twelve other student businesses. When she was in Pre-K, her teacher told her parents that “one day she’s going to be the CEO of her own business” because she was always doing something and always moving. She contributes her entrepreneurial spirit and “never sit still” work ethic to her grandmother, who passed away when Emily was young. “I’m just like her – she lives on through me. She never stopped, she was constantly helping people and ALWAYS on the go!”
Representing New York State Through Pageants
Emily is also the reigning Princess of America Miss Teen New York. She began doing pageants when she was 13 and with her current title, has been working diligently with pageant coaches to get her ready for nationals this July in Missouri. To secure her title, she competed in traditional categories like interviewing, formal wear and casual wear, but also wowed judges with a performance of “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman in American Sign Language (ASL), which she has been studying for the past year. She enjoys pageants and making national connections and expanding her network by meeting young, talented women from all over the country.
A Newly Published Children’s Book Author
Now, Emily can add “published author” to her list of accomplishments.
She is passionate about diversity and inclusion of all individuals. She developed her platform – Different is Beautiful – in November 2023. She works through Different is Beautiful to make a more welcoming and just world through her Diversity Club at school. Her diversity club also attends Elevating Student Voices (ESV) at OHM BOCES to find more ways to make the community and school a more welcoming and just place. Hoping to spread more awareness towards the deaf community in particular, Emily authored “Milo and Luna – Standing Out and Fitting In” – a story that teaches about bullying, inclusion, and a sense of belonging, where the bond between a brother and sister leads to acceptance. Emily started concepting the book in October 2023 and wrote out the whole story in one night. Her aunt Diane Warner, who lives in North Carolina, illustrated the book for her and brought her characters to life.
Emily’s mother, Amber, is an instructor at the New York State School for the Deaf, and Emily’s passion for the deaf community and learning sign language was ignited by Amber’s work with the students there. Emily says, “All people should be treated the same, no matter what. The deaf community is often underrepresented, and I hope that by bringing characters like Milo and Luna to life, I can help raise awareness and shine a light on the many talents and contributions of those who are deaf and hard of hearing.”
“Milo and Luna” is now published and Emily will begin to book appearances to talk about and sell the book locally starting in April.
For more information on Emily and her many hats:
Instagram:
@the_tasty_crown_bakery