[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12382]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 CONGRATULATING OLIVIA CULPO, MISS USA

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I congratulate Olivia Culpo of my own 
hometown, Cranston, RI, for being crowned Miss USA on June 3, 2012, in 
Las Vegas, NV. She is the first titleholder from our State.
  A native Rhode Islander, Olivia attended St. Mary Academy-Bay View 
and graduated with high honors. She is currently a sophomore at Boston 
University and has been on the dean's list every semester. Olivia is 
also an accomplished cellist who has performed with the Rhode Island 
Philharmonic Pops Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Rhode 
Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic 
Chamber Ensemble, the Bay View Orchestra, and the Rhode Island All-
State Orchestra.
  I had the pleasure of meeting Olivia recently when she came to 
Capitol Hill to passionately advocate for ovarian cancer prevention. 
Olivia is an impressive and intelligent young woman, and I appreciated 
the opportunity to discuss this and other issues with her.
  Rhode Island is very proud that such a talented young woman is 
representing our State. We look forward to continuing to see Olivia 
serve as a positive role model both during and beyond her reign as Miss 
USA, and wish her the best of luck when she represents the United 
States at the Miss Universe pageant in December. Once again, I offer my 
sincerest congratulations to Olivia Culpo for being the first Rhode 
Islander to be crowned Miss USA.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Rhode Island 
native Olivia Culpo for her recent win of the Miss USA title. Miss 
Culpo is the first Rhode Islander to win the Miss USA competition, and 
my fellow Rhode Islanders and I couldn't be happier for her. We offer 
her our heartfelt congratulations.
  A Cranston native, 20-year-old Olivia is the middle child of Peter 
and Susan Culpo. As a parent myself, I would especially like to extend 
my congratulations to Peter and Susan, who I know must be extremely 
proud of their daughter's accomplishment.
  Olivia sets a great example for all Rhode Island children, graduating 
from Rhode Island's own St. Mary's Academy Bay View as a member of the 
National Honor Society. She currently attends Boston University in 
neighboring Massachusetts, where she has made the dean's list every 
semester.
  In addition to excelling in her academic studies, Miss Culpo is a 
talented and dedicated musician. With two musicians for parents, Olivia 
was encouraged to pursue her love for music at a young age. She took 
cello lessons from second grade on, and has since performed with the 
Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, RI Philharmonic Chamber 
Ensemble, Bay View Orchestra, and Rhode Island All-State Orchestra. She 
has also had the distinct honor of performing with the Boston Symphony 
Hall in Boston and Carnegie Hall in New York City, and completed a tour 
of England in 2010. Most recently, Olivia performed with the Boston 
Accompanietta.
  Olivia will spend her yearlong reign as Miss USA giving back to the 
community by raising awareness about breast and ovarian cancer, and by 
working closely with organizations fighting to find cures for these 
devastating diseases.
  I would like to thank Miss Culpo for being a great representative for 
the State of Rhode Island in the Miss USA pageant, and again offer my 
congratulations to her and her family on her incredible win.

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