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Local woman crowned as new Miss Pennsylvania

Sinisi becomes second Altoona native to win

Meghan Sinisi of Altoona celebrates after being named Miss Pennsylvania on Saturday in York. She will compete in the Miss America 2022 competition in December. Courtesy photo

Altoonan Meghan Sinisi remains on “cloud nine” after being crowned the winner in the Miss Pennsylvania Scholarship Competition on Saturday in York.

Sinisi, who turns 26 today, is the daughter of Tony and Lori Sinisi of Altoona and will represent the commonwealth in December as she vies for the title of Miss America 2022. She competed as Miss Central Pennsylvania.

“It made for a great Father’s Day present for my dad,” Sinisi said in a telephone conversation late Monday afternoon.

“It really hadn’t sunk in until about 30 minutes ago,” she said of her victory. “I had a (TV appearance) and watched a recording of being crowned so it’s beginning to seem real.”

Sinisi is the second Altoona native to wear the Miss Pennsylvania crown. The first, Jill Shaffer Swanson, Miss Pennsylvania 1981, was born in Altoona, according to Deborah E. Butcher, executive director of the Miss PA Scholarship Foundation Inc. “So on the night we celebrated (Swanson’s) 40th anniversary, a new Miss Pa. was crowned from Jill’s hometown,” Butcher said in a text.

Five Miss Pennsylvanias have become Miss America. The last was Evelyn Ay in 1953, who also was the last Miss America not crowned on live television, according to the Miss America website. Ay was from Ephrata, Lancaster County, and died there in 2008.

Sinisi was awarded a $10,000 scholarship given by York businesswoman and community leader Chloe Eichelberger. She also received a Volkswagen Taos provided by Hanover Auto Team to use during her reign.

Sinisi was crowned by Miss Pennsylvania 2019-20, Tiffany Seitz from Freeport, Pa., creating “a full-circle moment” for Sinisi. Sinisi won and then resigned as Miss Laurelwood 2019 to attend graduate school.

Seitz, her first runner-up, replaced her and went on to become Miss Pennsylvania. Seitz’s reign was extended to a second year due to competition cancelations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sinisi was one of 22 candidates from across Pennsylvania for the title of Miss Pennsylvania and the opportunity to represent the state at the 100th Miss America Competition in December. The Miss America Competition will be held at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut.

“I’ve not had a chance to respond to messages yet, but I am so grateful and feel so loved by everyone,” Sinisi said. “It’s been a whirlwind.”

Sinisi is a graduate of Syracuse University and has a master’s degree from the University of Missouri in Speech Language Pathology. During the competition, she presented her social impact initiative “Inspiring Autism Acceptance.”

Her interest in communication disorders is an outgrowth of her experiences with students on the autism spectrum while attending Altoona Area High School. She graduated in 2013 and went to Syracuse, where she competed in that state’s competition where she placed fourth.

Her winnings will be used to pay down her student loans and assist her nonprofit organization, From a New Perspective, Sinisi said. She plans to partner with state and national speech and language associations and experts in speech communication.

Many children with an autism diagnosis also have speech delays, deficits and difficulty with social communications, she said, explaining the relationship between her studies and social impact initiative. From a New Perspective helps parents of children with an autism diagnosis find resources and services. For more information visit www.fromanewperspective.org.

Sinisi said she plans an initiative to fund the establishment of sensory rooms in public venues to provide a safe, calm space where families and children diagnosed with sensory processing disorders can go when sights and sounds become overwhelming.

“Many events have loud sounds and bright lights that can be triggering, but families still want to attend these experiences and create memories,” Sinisi said. “Having such a space makes it more inclusive.”

For her talent, Sinisi executed a baton twirling routine. She serves as a coach for the Carolettes of Altoona.

“I’ve been twirling since I was 3,” she said. “I am hoping to represent my little twirlers well and be a good role model so they aspire to great things as well.”

Sinisi said she will spend the coming months making appearances and preparing for the Miss America competition in December.

Readers can follow her at @missamericapa or @misspascholarshipfoundationinc on Instagram or via the Miss PA Scholarship Foundation page on Facebook.

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