A student of an all-girls high school in the Township of Washington, New Jersey, Vanessa Pecora earned a Soaring Eagle Award for Communications and was named multiple times to the honor roll. As a high school freshman, she organized the Hearts of Hope for Paramus, an initiative to create, paint, and distribute 165 Hearts of Hope to individuals impacted by a tragic 2018 bus accident. Under Vanessa Pecora’s leadership, volunteers wrote messages of hope and courage on each ceramic heart before giving them to fifth-grade students at East Brook Middle School.

Among her other activities, Ms. Pecora prepares and serves ice cream at Stack Creamery and at catered events. She also works part-time as a shampooer and customer service representative at the Party At Dolores hair salon.

Since 2021, Vanessa Pecora has been pursuing an undergraduate degree in strategic communications at High Point University in North Carolina, where she has received accolades including the HPU Summit Award and the HPU Scholars Award. She aspires to become an event planner or to work in marketing and public relations.

Vanessa Pecora