“There really is no place like NEPA... I don’t think there’s any other place that can match the energy, the enthusiasm, the passion, the drive.”
Shayna Canty was born in Brooklyn, New York, and relocated to Henrysville, PA with her family in 2004 when she was eights years old. Her parents were drawn to the Poconos for its natural beauty, family-friendly atmosphere, and strong public schools—seeking a safer, more peaceful environment to raise their children.
A graduate of Pocono Mountain East High School, Shayna is a first-generation college student. She earned an associate’s degree in Business Management from Eastern Gateway Community College and is pursuing a bachelor’s in Communications with a minor in Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University.
Her career began in hospitality at Camelback Resort and Skytop Lodge, but a passion for service led her to AmeriCorps VISTA, where she supported volunteer programs in Scranton. In 2021, she joined Monroe County Meals on Wheels as an administrative assistant and was promoted to Communications Coordinator in 2023. Today, she oversees the organization’s outreach, digital outreach, manages social media and newsletters, and helps amplify the mission of supporting seniors across the region.
Beyond her professional role, Shayna is deeply involved in civic engagement. She was appointed by Governor Josh Shapiro as a Youth Commissioner with AmeriCorps, advocating for national service programs throughout the state. She was also selected as a National Youth250 Ambassador, one of only a few representatives from Pennsylvania—and the only one from Northeastern PA—engaged in shaping youth involvement ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.
We met with Shayna at Monroe County Meals on Wheels in Stroudsburg, where she spoke about her passion for travel, her dedication to public service, and her genuine love for connecting with people. And we had to ask — Why NEPA?
How long have you lived in NEPA?
I have lived in Northeastern PA for over 20 years.
What do you love about your town?
What isn’t there to love? I’m definitely going to say the people. They really make the town special—with their personalities, their dedication to serving others, to serving the community, to business revitalization and development. It’s really the people—and that can be as young as myself, even younger, or older—in their 70s, 80s, even 90s. Everybody here has played a role in the development of Monroe County, and I’m honored that I get to be one of the people involved in the continued development and greatness that Monroe County has been building for as long as we’ve been here.
What’s your favorite NEPA restaurant?
There’re so many different places and so many places that I want to go. Like, Lake Wallenpaupack has Glass—I really want to go there. Hazleton has Top of the 80’s—I’d really love to go there.
For places I’ve been to here in my area, I’m definitely going to say Soul Food Chess House in Tannersville. They are absolutely incredible. The plate sizes are massive—it can feed you for days. It’s fantastic. That’s definitely one of my go-to spots. I frequent Philadelphia a lot, and even compared to places in Philly, Virginia, or Delaware—it doesn’t matter where I go—Soul Food Chess House has the best soul food. So if you’re a soul food fan, I highly recommend going there.
As for up in Scranton, I will say we love going to Nina’s Pizza all the time. And ice cream—this is probably gonna be a little controversial ’cause we do Jimmy’s down here—but I love Manning’s Ice Cream. I absolutely adore it. I just—the quality of it is better, in my personal opinion. So we love visiting the one up there in Dunmore. We’ve been to the one in Clarks Summit. I really hope to go to the farm location one day just to see where all the magic happens.
What’s your favorite thing to do in NEPA?
Oh wow. Again, that’s a loaded question. There’s just so much to do. If you’re a foodie, there are plenty of places to eat. If you’re into hiking, there are tons of parks and nature reserves to explore. If you love volunteering, there are plenty of organizations to get involved with. If you love entertainment—I mean, I’ve been to Mohegan Arena probably more times than I can count on both hands, just to see wrestling, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Monster Jam, etc.
The arts and culture scene is great too. If you love galleries, we have many of those. If you enjoy plays and theater, there’s plenty of that as well.
It’s hard to narrow it down, but I’m definitely going to say that my favorite thing here would have to be—this might be a bit of a cop-out—but when you work in several different positions, you get the opportunity to meet people. So my favorite thing is definitely meeting people here.
My mom is my adventurer—anywhere I go, she comes with me. She’s met just as many people and been to just as many new places as I have, thankfully. I wouldn’t have had those opportunities if I wasn’t in the position I’m in. But I think even if I wasn’t working here, there’s so much going on around here that I still could’ve gone to something new and met someone every single day. So it’s definitely meeting people and going to new places.
What’s next for you?
Being in my late 20s, there could be a lot, honestly. My term as Youth Commissioner ends this year, and I’ve selected a new person — so hopefully, knock on plastic table — they’ll be confirmed by the end of the year.
My national advisor role for Youth250 ends next year, in December 2026, after the big celebration — and then, you know, post-celebration evaluations, reports, and things of that nature. Same thing for the 250 committee I’m part of here in the county.
I don’t want to say ‘I don’t know,’ but you never know where the wind’s going to take you. I pride myself on being up for anything. I take pride in my adventurous spirit and my love for life. So, whatever opportunities come my way, I’ll gladly take them on — just like I’ve taken on these three in the past year.
I didn’t expect to be representing NEPA on the national stage with my Youth 250 role. Life can surprise you in so many different ways. I’m ready for whatever surprises the next 5 to 10 years may hold — whether that’s here in NEPA or representing NEPA on a national or international stage. I’m up for anything.
Where do you see NEPA heading in the future?
I’m optimistic about how the community has engaged Northeastern PA. You know, people are like, ‘We’re tired. We want change.’ And they go out and seek that change. Whether that change is good, bad, or ugly — that’s up for debate, of course, depending on who you speak to. But again, change is inevitable. And where there’s change that many people don’t like, there’s hopefully going to be change that people do like and advocate for.
So I definitely see — especially with the levels of engagement we have now — NEPA heading in a great direction. I have an optimistic perspective on Northeastern PA. I see good change in the future, especially with individuals like myself who are doing the advocacy now — and a lot of them are even younger than I am.
I definitely see a bright future for NEPA. I think that as long as folks keep pushing for the positive change they want to see — and again, ‘positive’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting there — NEPA is headed in the right direction. I have all the optimism in the world for Northeastern PA, and I hope to continue being part of that change. I hope to be part of that bright future that I envision.
Why NEPA?
Of the many places I’ve been, and of the many folks I’ve talked to who’ve had the opportunity to travel — even overseas — everyone always says the same thing: there really is no place like NEPA.
Whether it’s transportation — being two hours from New York, two hours from Philadelphia, just an hour from New Jersey — or the entertainment, we’ve got Mohegan Arena, the Kirby Center, the Scranton Cultural Center, the Sherman Theater. And the arts scene, too.
Then there’s the food — whether it’s the places I’ve mentioned before or the many others I haven’t been to yet but hope to someday. Or the nonprofit organizations we have here — working tirelessly every single day, even on holidays and weekends — making sure that everyone, no matter where they are in Monroe County, Lackawanna County, Luzerne County, etc., has the best life they can possibly have.
I don’t think there’s any other place that can match the energy, the enthusiasm, the passion, the drive. Genuinely, I don’t think anywhere else that can match up to NEPA.
And I would highly encourage anyone who asks, ‘Why NEPA?’ to check out places like DiscoverNEPA — see the incredible locations you’ve highlighted and profiled, the organizations, the businesses, the entertainment, the arts, and more. From you guys especially — but also, just come visit us. Come check it out. You never know what you’re going to find here. We’ve got something for everybody.
