Miss Port Allegany Katherine Ernst and Miss Smethport Laurie Wilber will attend the 77th annual Pennsylvania State Laurel Fest this week as competitors for Laurel Queen.
Ernst, daughter of Virginia and Frederick Ernst of Liberty Township, will represent Port Allegany Junior-Senior High School and her community.
Ernst accomplishments and memberships include Port Allegany National Honor Society, high honor roll, Class of 2018 treasurer, student council treasurer, Peer Helpers, French Club, Varsity Club, Port Allegany Girls Soccer Team, District IV soccer playoffs, Hustle Award and Heart Award for soccer, Chamber Singers, concert choir, show choir, concert band, jazz band, marching band, invitational concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District Band, PMEA Region Band, PMEA District/Region Chorus, school musicals and plays, lessons at Sandy Johnson School of Dance in Port Allegany and the track and field team
She is a member and nursery worker at the First Baptist Church of Port Allegany and has helped with Vacation Bible School. She earned credits for college by taking dual enrollment classes through the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.
The past two years, Ernst has been employed as a correspondent by Tioga Publishing Co., writing articles for the Reporter Argus, The Bradford Era and the Olean (N.Y.) Times Herald. During the past two summers, she has also been employed by an elderly gentleman to help him refurbish full-sized airplanes and also worked for the Eastern Traditional Archery Rendezvous.
This fall, she will attend Cairn University in Langhorne and major in secondary education with a concentration in social studies. She is also seeking a counseling degree. Her career goal is to teach high school history and be a school counselor.
Wilber, daughter of Colleen and William Wilber of Smethport, will represent Smethport Area Junior-Senior High School.
Wilber has served on honor roll and student council and helped as a stage crew member and a volunteer with the Potter County Family Fun Fair. As the head of the stage crew, she is in charge of lights and sound for all events in the school auditorium.
Her accomplishments and memberships include Peer Helpers, marching and concert bands, Class of 2018 treasurer and vice president, World Affairs Councils of America National Conference in Pittsburgh, Envirothon, Mock Trial team, the STEM program and the track team.
In the summer of 2016 before her junior year, Wilber participated in Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week.
She has been employed by the Smethport Drive-in and Costa’s Supermarket and is currently employed by Fox’s Pizza Den.
This fall, she will attend Pittsburgh Technical College in Oakdale to earn an associate of science degree in computer aided drafting.
