YORK, Pa. — The belles of the commonwealth will come together tonight and through the weekend to make their case for why they should become the next Miss Pennsylvania or Miss Pennsylvania Teen.
Last year's winners, Alysa Bainbridge (Miss Pennsylvania) and Jersey Smith (Miss Pennsylvania Teen), spoke about their experience over the past year and how the competition has helped them grow.
"A dream come true," Bainbridge said. "I got to do really fun, cool stuff like Groundhog Day with Punxsutawney Phil; I got to promote my community service initiative, which deals with mental health awareness and battling the opioid crisis, so I got to share my family's story of having two siblings who struggled with mental illness and losing my brother to an opioid overdose; and just inspire people across the state."
"This year has been absolutely amazing," Smith concurred. "It was great to get to travel the state of Pennsylvania with Alysa. I also got to promote my community service initiative, 'My True Glory with Alopecia Areata,' dealing with my journey with hair loss, so that's been an absolute dream come true."
Becoming Miss Pennsylvania is a preliminary for competing in Miss America. The scholarship competition allows young women to show off their talents and earn scholarships towards furthering their education.
Bainbridge and Smith's advice to the next class of contestants is to "just be themselves... and enjoy the experience."
"Be in the moment, live in the moment, because it's such a big opportunity to even be at the state level," Smith said.
Here is the Miss Pennsylvania class of 2023. Those interested in showing their support can vote here. Miss Pennsylvania will be crowned on June 18.
Here are the contestants for Miss Pennsylvania Teen 2023. To vote, click here. The next winner will be crowned on June 16.
Held in York each year, the 2023 competitions will take place at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts during the evenings of June 15-17. Tickets can be bought online. The festivities can be attended either in person or virtually.