There are those that let the odds define them and those who strive to defy the odds. Valerie Gatto, Miss Pennsylvania USA 2014, is defining more than the odds with her positive outlook and the many contributions she is already making in our world.

Her story is one that could have ended in tragedy but her mother's courage set her on a course of triumph!

Valerie's mother was raped at knife-point but managed to escape her attacker, and though she conceived Valerie as a result of this crime, she chose to give Valerie the gift of life. Turning this negative into a positive has impacted Valerie's life for good in so many ways.