From LP to Miss America? Lincoln Park Grad Page Weinstein’s High-Flying Future

It’s a journey that began when Weinstein was 12 years old, and which intensified when she attended Lincoln Park Performing Arts High School. A decade ago, while she was a junior dance major at Lincoln Park, Weinstein was named Miss Pennsylvania Teen.

Today, the 2015 LP grad serves as Miss Pennsylvania, gearing up for the Miss America pageant in Orlando next January. And she says her time at Lincoln Park was fundamental to her current success.

“I wish I would have gone to Lincoln Park earlier,” says Weinstein, who recently returned to her alma mater to speak on the first day of school. “But I just credit my teachers and the incredible staff there for just being so welcoming and helping me really advance my dance career—because now I’ll be dancing on the Miss America stage in just a few months.”

In this exclusive interview with the LPPACS website, Weinstein talks about her journey from being bullied to becoming Miss Pennsylvania, her memories of Lincoln Park, and her dreams of becoming the first female pilot in a family of aviators.

What’s the biggest misunderstanding that people have about what it’s like to compete in pageants?

Well, there’s definitely a stigma around pageant girls and competing in pageants—that, “Oh, they’re just pretty girls up on stage.”

What really separates the Miss America opportunity, is that it is a full, well-rounded competition. We have talent. So, of course, I’m a dancer, and I credit all of my training back to the incredible teachers at Lincoln Park. But we have interviews. We have a fitness portion, and a big portion of it is our community service work. And mine is for inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disability.

So when you meet someone that’s competing in this organization, you will just be so shocked with how well-rounded they are: they’re talented, they’re beautiful, they’re smart. And this is, like I said, a scholarship organization. So all of the money that I was awarded goes towards my higher education and paying off my loans and continuing to further my education.

So that’s what really makes this competition specifically different than other organizations.

If you look at your resume, it seems pretty obvious you probably would have been successful wherever you went. So why did you come to Lincoln Park? Why did you get on that bus and ride for two hours every day, one way?

I honestly was just kind of fed up with my public school. I had just had enough. I was bullied really badly in high school, prior to Lincoln Park, and I really just wanted to continue to further what I loved, which was dancing. And I just felt like going to school and then having to be at dance class all night, it just was exhausting. And I’m like, why?

And then I found Lincoln Park, and I’m, like, ‘Oh, I can go to school, get an education, and also further my love of dancing while I was there.’

And I just remember being very nervous. I think I cried on the whole two-hour ride on the first day of school because I’m like, “This is really far, and I have no idea if this is going to work out.” But, honestly, it was the best decision I ever made.

You’ve used your public platform to be an advocate, and you’re affiliated with a lot of causes. One of them is awareness of bullying and the effects that that can have on people. Was bullying at your old school one of the factors that made you consider Lincoln Park?

Yes. I was bullied horribly for, honestly, just being different. I have Jewish and Native American ancestry, and I was bullied horribly for that. And on the weekends, I was going to dance competition. I was competing in pageants. And students at that time, I guess, frowned upon it. You know, they were all hanging out. They were all going to the movies, doing stuff, and I was always working towards my career.

And that’s why I really fell in love with Lincoln Park. Because it was all students that were passionate about their interests, whether it was musical theater, whether it was music or dance. Like, everyone at Lincoln Park was there because they had a passion and a purpose, So you really can relate to the students that you’re around because, like I said, they’re all just so passionate. They want to continue and advance their talent. And I just didn’t find that in a public school.

And another thing is that, when the bullying was happened, we took it to the higher administration, and nothing was done about it. So, eventually, my mom just had enough, and she said she was pulling me out. And, like I said, I wish she would have done it earlier, and I wish I would have gone to Lincoln Park many, many years ago. But I’m so glad that I went, and the training that I’ve had is unlike anything else that you’ll find.

Did you have a favorite class that you took while you were here at LP?

We had so many incredible classes and teachers. I think just being able to dance every single day was such a blessing. And really learning, not only about dance physically, but, like, the history of dance and anatomy of dance. Stuff that you don’t learn at a dance studio, you know, when you go on the weeknights. And so I think that was really crucial in my training was learning about dance all around.

Is there something that you learned while you were here at Lincoln Park that you still carry with you—that still helps you in some way?

We were treated as professionals, as dance professionals—not so much students in high school. We were actually treated as dancers. We were expected to show up every single day with our pointe shoes, with our hair in a bun, looking professional, and by itself, that’s a huge skill set. Because, especially, now as Miss Pennsylvania, I’m traveling across the state by myself, and I have to always look the part.

I really credit my training at Lincoln Park because I was expected to look professional and represent the school and the art of dance, as well.

What was your favorite show that you appeared in here?

Oh, The Nutcracker for sure. I absolutely love The Nutcracker. It is a classic, and I think Lincoln Park just does an incredible spin on it. It’s so unique and different. I even like to go back every Christmas, and watch all of the dancers. I’m just completely in awe every single year of how incredible The Nutcracker is at Lincoln Park.

I’m assuming you probably did multiple productions of The Nutcracker. Did you have a favorite part?

Yes. I—gosh, I did it every single year I was there. I was a baker. I was in the Snow Court. A Flower Girl, I think that’s what it’s called.

But I was in The Nutcracker every single year that I was at Lincoln Park, and I just remember staying after school and rehearsing. And then you see the show come together, and doing it every performance was so exciting. And it always just really gets you into the Christmas spirit.

When you left LP, you had a pretty tough college decision between the University of Hawaii and the University of Alabama. You ended up going to Alabama, and you were there as a Crimsonette during a pretty momentous time in in Alabama football history—four straight National Championship games. There’s certainly a lot of pressure in pageants. And there’s certainly a lot of pressure being on national television for a championship game. How do those two pressures compare?

It is crazy. I mean, just when you think you’ve performed and done it all, then you go to— especially a Saturday in the south where there’s over 100,000 people in the stadium, and it’s hot. But the energy is just absolutely amazing.

I really think the training of, you know, being in the shows at Lincoln Park, dancing competitively on the weekends—when you go to that collegiate level, it helped because you are on a whole another level. And you know, relying on the coaches and remembering everything that they have taught me in my, gosh, 20-plus years of dance at this point, was just incredible and an experience that I think will really help me performing on the Miss America stage.

Since graduating from college, you’ve had a number of other noteworthy experiences. You worked in TV. You’ve worked as a flight attendant. And I understand you’re working to get to your pilot’s license.

I did two years serving as a producer and entertainment host for a local CBS station in West Palm Beach and absolutely loved it. It was incredible, and that’s what I went to school for. My degree is in broadcast journalism and dance. But I really needed a change—I really wanted to have more of a work-life balance. So I switched over and went into the aviation industry where all of my family works. So it’s kind of what I knew best.

Right now, I’m on a leave of absence because of being Miss Pennsylvania. But once my year of service is over, I will go back to being a flight attendant full time for Delta Airlines, while also working on pursuing my pilot’s license.

Are there pilots in your immediate family, or extended family?

Yes. My brother is a pilot. He currently works, though, as a dispatcher for American Airlines. My uncle was a pilot for JetBlue, and then my mom is in management for American Airlines. So it’s really a whole family affair.

But I will be the first female pilot in my family, which is exciting.

So was it like joining the family business when you decided to work in this field?

(Laughs) It was. Yes. I knew I had always loved to travel. And, of course, growing up, I’ve always flown for free. Honestly, I think I’ve maybe bought five plane tickets in my whole entire life, which I know I’m very lucky and grateful for, because I know they are not cheap.

I’ve always wanted to travel the world. I want to see all the countries. I’ve been to, 13 so far, and almost every state. So I’m getting there.

But I think when you travel so much, you almost appreciate being home as well. So this next year, I’m really enjoying being home. I do have a lot of traveling in my future as Miss Pennsylvania. I want to visit all 67 counties, and I’ve been to 13 so far. So not too bad for just two months on the job.

I just knew that I loved aviation and especially now, thanks to the scholarships that I was awarded, I can now pursue my pilot’s license. But I think I’ll be in Pennsylvania for a long time.

Speaking of Pennsylvania, the last time that a Miss Pennsylvania became Miss America is, I think, 1954.

It’s been a long time. We are long overdue. (Laughs)

Does that put any extra pressure on you to break that streak?

No. I think it excites me more than anything. And to be honest, just representing Pennsylvania on the national stage—that is my Miss America. That is the greatest honor that I can have.

So even just getting to be there and represent Pennsylvania is my dream come true, but it does excite me. I would love to bring home the title to Pennsylvania and really be able to represent and show what how great Pennsylvanians are to America. I think it’s definitely time for sure.

How do you prepare for a competition like this?

That’s a great question. To be honest, it’s so hard to prepare. Now that it is my full time job, I am living, working, breathing full time, Miss PA. But as far as the basis of competition, of course, it’s dance. So continuing to perfect my technique and taking dance classes. And then fitness, of course—living a healthy lifestyle of eating right, going to the gym. And then the interview—just trying to stay up on current events.

But, really, the best way you can prepare is to be yourself Because there’s seven judges, and every single year, they want somebody or something different. It’s a different set of judges every single year, so you never know. I was actually first runner-up two times before being crowned Miss Pennsylvania. So I’d been there, so close, before.

That’s always what I want to do, is try to be my most authentic self. Because at the end of the day, that’s who I am, and that’s what I’m going to be like as Miss Pennsylvania.

One more question: What would you tell someone who might be a younger version of you—someone who might be thinking about coming to Lincoln Park, but who’s not sure about it, not sure about the bus ride, not sure about fitting in. What would you say to somebody like that?

Do it. It’s not going to be easy. The long bus ride—you might be exhausted, but do your homework on the way home. That was always my advice. But absolutely, do it.

You are not going to get training like this anywhere else. There are students in school, you know, doing their normal schoolwork, and we’re doing this. It just looks different. But you’re able to advance your talent and your future career. You know?

Of course, many people have gone on to Broadway and cruise ships and other opportunities. There are so many different routes. But Lincoln Park prepares you. It’s a launching pad into the career that you’re passionate about. So getting to wake up every day and continue to perfect my art was just absolutely an incredible opportunity. And to learn from the best—I mean, the teachers and the staff at Lincoln Park are second to none.

And I really credit my time at Lincoln Park for the opportunities that I’ve had ever since then. I mean, I genuinely loved my time at Lincoln Park.

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Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School is a tuition-free public charter school located in Midland, PA, and open to all Pennsylvania families. Students grades 7-12 are bused from more than 90 different school districts to study the arts concentration of their choice: theatre, writing and publishing, media arts, health science and the arts, music, dance, and pre-law and the arts.

For more information, visit lppacs.org or contact: admissions@lppacs.org