Sep 10, 2002 By Steve Ostrosky 5 min read

Waynesburg native Autumn Marisa is still riding the whirlwind that took her from a job in New Jersey to an opportunity of a lifetime. Marisa, 22, had just begun working at NFL Films in Mount Laurel, N.J., when three days later she was crowned Miss Pennsylvania 2002 in Nazareth.

From that moment forward, most everything has been a blur.

Between making appearances as Miss Pennsylvania and preparing for the Miss America pageant later this month, she has had little time for anything else, but being where she is today is a moment she has dreamed of since she was little.

“I have anticipated this moment for so long, I am really excited it is here,” she said, speaking via cell phone while riding in a limousine en route to meet the other contestants.

Marisa, the youngest of five children and Rudy and Jackie Marisa’s only daughter, is a Waynesburg Central High School graduate and May 2002 graduate of Penn State University, having earned a bachelor of arts degree in broadcast journalism and American studies.

During her time at Penn State, she was captain of the dance team for two years and was involved with campus athletics and community service activities. She was a member of the Penn State Parmi Nous Honor Society, received a College of Communications Scholarship and a Pennsylvania Democratic Women Scholarship.

She has also done internships with CBS Sports and the U.S. House of Representatives, is a published poet, has worked as a U.S. Capitol tour guide and has done promotional modeling.

This year was her fourth in the Miss Pennsylvania pageant, having finished as the third runner-up the past two years.

Her involvement with the Make-A-Wish Foundation over the past five years is the basis for her community service platform for the state and Miss America pageants.

“I have been volunteering for Make-A-Wish for five years, and I was active in the organization in Centre County while I was at Penn State, and now my mother is volunteering in Greene County,” she said.

She proposes combining her two passions – working with children and her interest in sports – for a partnership with Make-A-Wish and the National Football League to enrich the lives of children with life-threatening illnesses. She said children often look up to professional athletes as role models, and many children in Make-A-Wish often request to see football games or meet one of their favorite players.

Marisa said her interest in Make-A-Wish began when one of her cousins was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, and she felt such a strong connection to him that she worked to help him and children just like him. When she was in high school, she said, a neighbor of hers had Hodgkin’s disease, and watching as his wish was granted, Marisa wanted to see that more wishes came true.

In less than two weeks, one of her own wishes might come true.

“My mom said I have wanted to be Miss America since I was little, but she never discouraged me, even though she knew it would be a difficult task,” she said. “I have worked hard to prepare for this, and whatever is meant to be will happen, but I will do my very best.”

And her ever-growing and always supportive fan base will be there every step of the way.

In the almost two months since becoming Miss Pennsylvania, best wishes and congratulations to Marisa have appeared in store windows and on store display signs throughout Waynesburg.

Marisa, 1997 Coal Queen and Miss Rain Day 1997, has had a large following, and more than 400 of her biggest fans are expected to make the trek to Atlantic City, N.J., in the hopes that she will begin the night as Miss Pennsylvania and end it as Miss America 2003.

“The town has just been incredible. Their support has been amazing,” she said. “I am not home very often, but my mom sends wishes from everyone who calls, writes or talks to her. Even though it is such a small town, Waynesburg is a big part of my life.”

While she is from Waynesburg, Atlantic City will be her home for the next two weeks, as rehearsals for the live show, press conferences, interviews and time to meet the other contestants will consume her days. She also will be in preliminary competitions – interview, evening gown and swimsuit and talent – leading up to the big night, Saturday, Sept. 21.

Marisa, a dancer for 19 years, will perform a lyrical dance and hopes that she will get to perform it twice: once in preliminary competition and again the night of the pageant.

Before leaving for New Jersey, she has traversed the state at different events and even got a chance to participate at this year’s Miss Rain Day pageant in Waynesburg and in the Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Show parade in Carmichaels. She said she has already been struck by the amazing stories the people of the Keystone State have shared with her.

“People from all over feel like they can open up and feel comfortable to share their lives with me,” Marisa said. “I will take all that I have seen and heard from this year with me.”

If she thought her year was busy now, she could only imagine what her life would be like if she dons a new crown in less than two weeks.

Though she is excited, she said she is taking at least one lesson to the pageant that she learned from her father Rudy, longtime head basketball coach at Waynesburg College.

“He always says you have to visualize what you want to make it happen, and I have been visualizing being crowned Miss America,” she said. “This is a great experience, and I hope to make some great memories.”

The pageant will air at 8 p.m. Sept. 21 on ABC.