From a young age, Anthony Betti has been involved in his community.
It began when his father, Gregg Betti first ran for Jessup Borough Council and he helped his father during his campaign in 2017. It led to the now 18-year old senior at Mid Valley Secondary Center to become active at Queen of Angels Parish, St. Ubaldo Society and Keystone Chapter UNICO National, and being elected himself last year as Judge of Elections for Throop Ward 4, in addition to his school activities that include cross country, track and field, National Honor Society and History Club.
His service and school activities didn’t go unnoticed, as he received the Semiquincentennial Scholarship, one of 25 students from around the state selected from 1,800 applicants and the only one from Lackawanna County, to receive it.
The scholarship, put out by America250PA, commemorates America’s 250th anniversary and honors the legacy of Pennsylvania’s strong commitment to education, according to organization officials. It provides $10,000 to high school seniors who will attend a college or university in the state.
Anthony applied for the scholarship earlier this year and learned he received it in March. Although he didn’t expect he would receive it, Anthony said receiving the scholarship was an honor.
“I just felt honored to receive the scholarship and be recognized for my accomplishment at such a high level,” he said at an interview last week at his Throop home. “I was surprised because so many people applied. It was around 1,800 people applied for that scholarship. And me, out of 25 other people, received it.”
Anthony’s mother, Michallene Betti was equally surprised.
“When we realized the magnitude of that, we were just like ‘wow,’” she said. “You don’t know in advance, but when you find out when you get that letter and you get to see that kind of (scholarship), it’s very impressive to see.”
Gov. Josh Shapiro congratulate Mid Valley Secondary Center senior Anthony Betti during a reception in April for recipients of the Semiquincentennial Scholarship at the governor’s mansion. (Submitted)
Anthony Betti shows a scrapbook of autographed letters from various celebrities and politicians at his Throop home Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
Anthony Betti, right, poses for a photo with Gov. Josh Shapiro and First Lady Lori Shapiro during a reception at the governor’s mansion for recipients of the Semiquincentennial Scholarship in April. (Submitted)
Mid Valley senior Anthony Betti, center, poses for a photograph with his parents Michallene and Gregg Betti in the backyard of his home in Throop Thursday, May 14, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Gov. Josh Shapiro congratulate Mid Valley Secondary Center senior Anthony Betti during a reception in April for recipients of the Semiquincentennial Scholarship at the governor’s mansion. (Submitted)
He is most proud of his participation on the track and cross country teams because he is in better physical shape as a result of his participation. On Tuesday, he will oversee his first election as Judge of Elections, which he won in November through a write-in campaign.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Anthony said. “I think it’s going to be an interesting thing to learn about.”
Michallene and Gregg Betti said their son had an interest in politics and world events from an early age, even writing letters to politicians and celebrities from around the world. The letters to politicians included questions on policies, while in his letters to celebrities, he talked about how much he admired a particular movie they appeared in.
Anthony expected to only get scholarship money but wasn’t expecting to attend a ceremony at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg, where he met Gov. Josh Shapiro and First Lady Lori Shapiro, a meeting he described as “pretty cool.” He and the other scholarship winners were honored at the reception last month.
“It felt pretty cool,” Anthony said. “It felt like one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.”
Next year, he plans to study finance at Penn State in the 2 + 2 Degree Plan, under which he will study in his first two years at Penn State Scranton and finish his final years at the University Park campus. Anthony said he was inspired to study finance after his parents showed him their finances when he was 15 years old, as well as from movies like “Wall Street,” “Trading Places” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
His parents are excited for him to receive the scholarship, which they said is a culmination of all the work he’s done throughout his high school career.
“I felt like it was like a nice honor to receive after really putting a lot of time and effort into your high school career and a lot of service activity,” Michallene Betti said. “We’re just so proud.”
Gregg Betti said his son’s community involvement had just as much to do with him getting the scholarship as his academic career.
Anthony is one of three students from Northeast Pennsylvania to receive the scholarship. The others are from Luzerne and Wyoming counties.