2009 Westmoreland Fair Queen
 

2009 WESTMORELAND FAIR QUEEN

Emily will be appearing at the following events:
Delmont Apple Festival                 October 3
Malloween - Westmoreland Mall     October 30, 6-8pm
Westmoreland Mall Light Up Night   November 13, 7pm
Greensburg Christmas Parade        November 21
If you would like to have Emily take part in your event or speak to your organization, please contact the Westmoreland Fair office at 724-423-5005.

Emily Gabriel, of Slickville, is a member of the Allwine Community 4-H Club and a senior at Greensburg Salem High School. The 17-year old is the daughter of Jennifer and Dale Gabriel, and middle sister to Jill and Hannah. Emily has an enormous assortment of interests, participates in countless activities, and has received many awards and accolades.

She is a three-sport varsity athlete at Greensburg Salem High School, participating in Field Hockey, Lacrosse, and Swimming, as well as maintaining a 3.95 GPA in honors classes. She was recently inducted into the National Honor Society, is president of the SADD club (Students Against Destructive Decisions), a member of student council, student mentor for incoming freshmen, and past president of the SHOP (Students Helping Other People) Club.

She was named to "Who's Who Among American High School Students" and the National Honor Roll, is a two-time "Challenge Program" Award winner for the most community service hours, a recipient of a Trib Total Media Outstanding Young Citizen Award, and two-time winner of the John Hopkins Youth Talent Award.

Emily has been involved in the Westmoreland County 4-H program for 9 years, and has been a Westmoreland County Fair participant even longer. She started her fair career entering the pumpkin and zucchini decorating contests as a pre-schooler.

Emily has had many awards throughout her years at the fair. As a pre-teen, she won "Best of Show" for a denim jacket she made. She has also won first place many times in the past decade at the Westmoreland County Fashion Review, and went on to participate in many regional competitions. She has competed in many county and regional dog shows, with her dogs Honus, Scrappy, and Harley, placing first and second in showmanship many times. Don't ask her about obedience, though!

Emily also has had many sewing, cooking, and baking entries throughout the years, and has won hundreds of ribbons. Finally, she has shown rabbits most of the years, and has several trophies and ribbons to show for her efforts.
Emily has really enjoyed spending the past several summers as a camp counselor for younger 4-H members at numerous 4-H day and overnight camps. For the past three years, she was selected by the leaders and her peers as "Outstanding Camp Counselor".

Emily was selected to participate as a member of the Pennsylvania State 4-H Council in 2008, and despite being the youngest member of council, was voted "Vice President of Conference". She really enjoyed attending PA 4-H State Capital Days as part of council. Due to that experience and her diligent work on the state council, Emily has been asked to join the state council again for 2010, as they overhaul the system.

Emily has been honored at many Westmoreland County 4-H Achievement Nights, and most recently was honored with a Silver Lifetime Achievement Award.

Outside of 4-H, Emily has had many other accomplishments and awards. She was a recipient of the Semper Fidelis "Always Faithful" Award, for recognition of athletic accomplishment in the National Youth Physical Fitness Program of the Marino Corps League. She was nominated by a teacher to travel to Italy, Greece and France as a part of the "People to People" program. In 2006, her YWCA Field Hockey team went undefeated and was named the YWCA Westmoreland County Sportswomen of the Year Girls Sports "Team of the Year" Award. She has also received the "President's Education Award" for outstanding academic Excellence, a "Senator Bob Regola Outstanding Scholar" award for remarkable academic achievement, a "Senator Thomas Tangretti Distinguished Honors Award, and was a graduate of the Pennsylvania State Police Camp Cadet.

Emily really enjoys public speaking, and feels it is one of her strongest assets, as well as leadership, maturity, and responsibility. She usually takes on leadership roles when participating in groups and activities. She considers herself very adept and skilled in "time management", able to successfully juggle school, work, sports, community service, and other activities, while maintaining a very high grade point average. She is an anchor on the Greensburg Salem News Team and lectors at Saint Sylvester Catholic Church in Slickville. She spent many years in the Westmoreland County Girl Scout program.

Emily also enjoys volunteering in many different places. She has volunteered with the Humane Society in Greensburg, the Westmoreland County Food Bank in Delmont, and has spent countless hours at Clelian Heights School for Special Needs Children. She enjoys helping at Special Olympics, serving as a "buddy" at the Track and Field games and Swimming Special Olympics for many years. She spends four weeks every summer volunteering at the Clelian Heights summer program, and has helped to organize the PA State Police Camp Clelian, where the students are treated to a day long camp full of activities and demonstrations from the Pennsylvania State Police.

As the Westmoreland County Fair Queen, Emily has big plans to spread the word about the 4-H program, and all the opportunities it provides, along with continuing to let people know why they should come to the "Great Westmoreland Fair." Emily loved spending time with her fellow Queen Contestants and feels honored to be selected from among this extremely talented group to represent Westmoreland County. She hopes to work together with her court, Courtney Moats, Anna Frye, and especially her friend Carly Marsh, throughout the next year. She hopes to make visits to several fairs throughout Pennsylvania during her reign, particularly Indiana County, the Cambria County Fair, the Pennsylvania Farm Show, the PA Maple Festival, the Big Butler Fair, Deny Twp Ag Fair, Jefferson County Fair, Clarion County fair, and the Fayette County Fair. She also hopes to attend as many fairs and events in the Harrisburg area as she is able, since she has some family members in that area.

In her spare time, which seems like only a few hours a week, Emily enjoys spending time with her friends, reading, and collecting Vera Bradley. She also baby-sits for some families with special needs children, and works at Kings' Family Restaurant in Delmont as a waitress, and as their mascot, "Frownie Brownie", at public relations events.

Emily has already begun her college career earning credits this summer by being selected for, and successfully completing, the Science and Art of Discovery program at Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA. She plans to attend Saint Francis University next fall, in the Physician's Assistant program, where she also hopes to play Division 1 Lacrosse.

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