“To have the opportunity not only to represent Pennsylvania, but specifically NEPA, is something I’m so grateful for. I think that the world needs to know that some of the best people in the world live right here.”
Victoria Vespico has always been a proud Northeastern Pennsylvania girl. Born in Shavertown and raised in the Back Mountain, she graduated from Dallas High School before earning an associate degree from Luzerne County Community College and a bachelor’s in Corporate Communications from Penn State Wilkes-Barre in 2021. Today, she’s pursuing a master’s degree in Education at Wilkes University.
Her journey to the Miss America stage began at 13, when Gina Major, a former Miss Pennsylvania herself, encouraged her to try the Miss America Opportunity’s teen program. What started as a hesitant “maybe” quickly became a lifelong pursuit. She competed year after year, serving as second runner-up twice before being named Miss Pennsylvania in 2025 — bringing the title home to NEPA for the first time in more than 15 years.
For Victoria, the crown has always been about more than competition. Her community service initiative, Sustainability Starts with You, challenges people to take simple, everyday steps toward a healthier future. Drawing inspiration from the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, she breaks down sustainability into approachable actions and even brings the message into classrooms through a K-12 program.
This September, Victoria will represent the Commonwealth at Miss America, performing a tap routine choreographed by Candice Miscavage of David Blight dance studio. Winning the national crown — something a Miss Pennsylvania hasn’t done in 71 years — would be “the ultimate gift.” But she’s just as proud to live out her dream job here at home. “If this is as far as it goes, I’ll be the best Miss Pennsylvania there’s ever been,” she says.
Whether on the Miss America stage or serving communities across Pennsylvania, Victoria remains dedicated to inspiring others and giving back. She stopped by DiscoverNEPA’s HQ — tiara and sash in tow — to share more about her passion for conservation. And of course, we had to ask: Why NEPA?
How long have you lived in NEPA?
My entire life. I just turned 26, so it’s been 26 wonderful years of living and growing right here in NEPA.
What do you love about your town?
There are just so many different people here that, no matter who you meet, everybody has such an amazing story. Obviously, this is coal miner region, so people have history dating back to that. You see people migrating here from all over the country.
But we do have such a rich history and gives you the perfect combination of rural areas. You’ve got farmland, you’ve got places like Jim Thorpe with these beautiful overlooks and things that you can experience like that. And then, of course, urban areas—you’ve got Wilkes-Barre and you’ve got Scranton, two of the biggest cities up in the Northeastern region, 15 minutes away from each other. And then you’ve got Pittston, which is up and coming. The pizza doesn’t hurt either. I think we have the best pizza in the entire state, if not the country. But I think it’s just the variety of people that you can meet here.
What’s your favorite NEPA restaurant?
It’s very difficult to pick because there are so many incredible ones. I’m a big pizza girl, but I think I have to go with Sabatini’s—one of my absolute favorites. Whenever I am having a down day: Sabatini’s pizza. Whenever I’m having an up day: Sabatini’s pizza. There’s nothing better than Sabatini’s and then going across the street bowling at Modern Lanes on a perfect evening.
What’s your favorite thing to do in NEPA?
I’m a big outdoorsy girl, so I love hiking, camping, all of that. Seven Tubs is one of my favorite places to go, and so is Ricketts Glen. With the weather being what it’s been the last couple of weeks, I’ve been dying to go somewhere where there’s cool water. But anything outdoors is really what I love to be doing in NEPA.
What’s next for you?
Obviously competing for Miss America. And then, if I were to not win Miss America, coming back and just serving the state of Pennsylvania. This was my dream ever since I was 13 and didn’t even realize what it meant for this to be my dream. So, to have the opportunity not only to represent Pennsylvania, but specifically NEPA, is something I’m so grateful for. I think that the world needs to know that some of the best people in the world live right here, and to be a beacon for that, and even just something that makes people look toward Northeastern Pennsylvania, has been the honor of my lifetime.
Where do you see NEPA heading in the future?
I think people are going to see that NEPA is the premier place to be. I think that we have so many up-and-coming towns and cities that are just thriving. I think that Northeastern PA is a beacon for people all across the Commonwealth. I think it will be pretty soon, like the next Pittsburgh—and I should probably say Philly because I’m way more of a Philly sports girl. But I think that just where we’re going in terms of walkability and livability and the industries that we have here, we are going to be the next Pittsburgh. I mean, obviously it’s an entire region, but people are going to see that NEPA is doing some really wonderful things. And I’m hoping that our economy keeps booming the way that it does and that people want to migrate here, whether it’s from other places in the state or other places in the world.
Why NEPA?
Northeastern PA is not only beautiful, but it is diverse, and it is just the coolest place to be. Like I said, you’ve got cities in one region, and you’ve got the most beautiful outlooks in the outdoors in the other. And it is just a group of people who work hard, who have so much heart, so much connection to this area—and any single person, I think, you talk to would say the same thing.
Photo courtesy of Miss PA Scholarship Foundation, Inc.
