[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18144]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               CONGRATULATING OLIVIA CULPO, MISS UNIVERSE

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I am pleased to offer my sincere 
congratulations to Olivia Culpo, a native of Cranston, RI, on being 
crowned Miss Universe. After being crowned Miss Rhode Island USA in her 
first ever pageant competition last year, Olivia's rise to Miss 
Universe has been nothing short of meteoric. In quick succession she 
became the first Rhode Islander to ever win the Miss USA competition, 
and is now the first Miss USA to win the Miss Universe pageant in over 
a decade. She has made the people of our State very proud.
  The Miss Universe title is an acknowledgement of Olivia's exceptional 
intelligence, talent, and compassion. She was recognized by the 
National Honor Society for her academic excellence at Rhode Island's 
St. Mary's Academy Bay View. She currently attends Boston University in 
neighboring Massachusetts, where she has made the dean's list every 
semester.
  In addition to excelling in her studies, Olivia is a talented and 
dedicated musician. From a young age, her love for music was cultivated 
by her proud parents, Peter and Susan Culpo, themselves musicians. She 
took cello lessons from second grade on, and has since performed with 
the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Rhode Island 
Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble, Bay View Orchestra, and Rhode Island All 
State Orchestra. This self-described cellist nerd has also had the 
honor of performing at Boston Symphony Hall and at Carnegie Hall in New 
York City, and she completed a tour of England in 2010.
  Olivia has already demonstrated a strong drive to make a difference 
in her community and her country. Earlier this year, I had the 
opportunity to meet with Olivia here in my Washington office, where she 
advocated passionately for Federal support of ovarian cancer research. 
I share her deep concern about the terrible effects of cancer. She is a 
valuable ally in the search for a cure.
  Olivia has given the Ocean State something to be proud of. I am 
grateful to Olivia Culpo for the example she sets for our children and 
for being a stellar and faithful representative of the State of Rhode 
Island on the world stage. I wish her all the best.

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