Semi-finalist 2015, 3rd runner-up 2013, 3rd runner-up 2012, 1st runner-up Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2011, 3rd runner-up 2010
A native of Wayne, Jessielyn Palumbo was crowned Miss New Jersey USA 2016 on 18 October 2015 and represented New Jersey at the Miss USA 2016 pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jessielyn graduated Cum Laude from The College of New Jersey, where she received a BA in Digital Arts and a minor in Fine Arts. She is now an accomplished celebrity and event photographer, and has been the official photographer for the Miss NJ USA pageant since 2019, as well as other states.
Miss New Jersey USA 2016 Jessielyn Palumbo is a resident of Wayne, where she grew up. She graduated with honors from Wayne Hills High School in 2010 and graduated Cum Laude from The College of New Jersey in 2014. Academically, she was a member of The National Honor Society and The President of The National Arts Honor Society in High School. Throughout her education she received numerous Art Awards.
Jessielyn graduated Cum Laude from The College of New Jersey, where she received a BA in Digital Arts and a minor in Fine Arts. She was inducted in The Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society for her academic accomplishments and Kappa Pi Art Honor Society. Her proudest moment of achievement came in 2014 when she was chosen to be the only recipient of the “Dean’s Purchase Award.” Her Art legacy will live on in both the Gallery at TCNJ and in the Deans private collection.
Today, Jessielyn is a nationally published Beauty and Fashion Photography. Her work has been published in Glady’s and Maxim Magazine. In college she interned at Fadil Berisha and Maxim Magazine, and has freelanced for Maxim Magazine. She is also an established model, appearing in magazines and runway shows, including NYC Fashion week.
Her community services involvement continues to expand. Her first appearance as Miss New Jersey USA was an art event collaboration with the Metropolitan USO and the Disney Volunteers, along with children of military. She helped create a play area within the USO offices at Port Authority. She has been a volunteer of the USO for many years. Other causes Jessielyn have been involved in are, Heart Disease and Breast Cancer Awareness and Education.”
The on-stage moments, the tension of the final two and the glory of the crowning, here are Jessielyn’s state pageant photos.
Lights, camera, action! Professional photoshoots are one of the perks that comes from winning a title.
There’s nothing better than watching a contestant progress from year to year! Here’s a look back at Jessielyn’s years as a runner-up at both Miss New Jersey Teen USA and Miss New Jersey USA.
All beautiful things must come to an end, no matter how bittersweet. See Jessielyn’s farewell walk and other candids from the weekend she crowned her successor Chhavi Verg as Miss New Jersey USA 2017.
Winning a state title is a sisterhood for life, and Jessiely has stayed particularly close as a photographer for many state pageants on the Eastern seaboard. Here are her “after the crown” photos.
