[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 137 (Thursday, October 17, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    MISS AMERICA 2003 ERICKA HAROLD

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                        HON. TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2002

  Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce and 
congratulate Miss America 2003, Erika Harold. Raised in Urbana, 
Illinois, Erika has succeeded in every stage of her life and as a 
personal friend of her family, I know she has the support and 
determination to succeed in everything she puts her mind to. As the 
National Spokesperson for the Teen Victims Project of the National 
Center for Victims of Crime, the National Spokesperson for Fight Crime: 
Invest in Kids, a member of the National Board of Directors for the 
Center of Youth as Resources, and a member of the Advisory Board for 
Peace Games, Erika's leadership and determination have proven 
invaluable in her ambition to end crime and violence against children. 
The amount of pride our community and I feel right now is immense in 
knowing that Erika has been crowned Miss America 2003 and I cannot 
think of a more deserving person to carry this honor and be a role 
model for every citizen; female and male, young and old. Erika has most 
recently attended the University of Illinois where she was named Phi 
Beta Kappa and a Truman Scholarship finalist. Her ambition of pursuing 
a career in the fields of Public Interest Law and Public Policy was 
given a huge boost when she was recently accepted into the Harvard 
School of Law. However, as a result of her new endeavor as Miss 
America, Erika will place her education on hold for a year and pursue 
her duties as Miss America and her goal to ``Empower Youth Against 
Violence''. Erika recently wrote in a letter to USA Today, ``As Miss 
America 2003, I am issuing a national call to action, challenging every 
segment of American society to take a proactive, comprehensive approach 
to eradicating this culture of degradation and indifference''. I not 
only ask for you, my colleagues, to take this time to congratulate 
Erika, but I call you to stand hand in hand with her, supporting her, 
working with her, and finding inspiration in her, as we continue to 
move this country forward until our nation is truly and completely one 
of hope, peace, and unity. Let us take heed in the lessons we can learn 
from her and so many other of our citizens; that we should live our 
daily lives with a strong will, a loving heart, and a fearlessness to 
change that which we know is wrong.

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