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Congressional Record
PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 107th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION

House of Representatives

July 10, 2001
 
RECOGNIZING MISS ARKANSAS 2001 
JESSIE WARD
 
  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, It is with honor and great pride that I wish to recognize and congratulate the new Miss Arkansas 2001 Jessie Ward, who was crowned Saturday, June 16th, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Jessie is a native of my hometown of Prescott, and I have watched her grow up since she was a little girl. Jessie has always been a caring, talented, and hard-working young lady. 

     At her first press conference following her crowning as the new Miss Arkansas, Jessie said that during the competition she wanted to be different--to stand out, if you will--while remaining true to herself. I think it's safe to say she succeeded. In the talent competition, she performed an energetic tap-dance routine to ``The King of Pop,'' a medley of hits by the world famous pop singer, Michael Jackson. Her performance earned her preliminary talent winner honors as well as the coveted $1,000 Coleman Dairy Talent Scholarship. 

     During an on-stage interview, Jessie explained to the crowd that she enjoys not only bass fishing with her father, but also a rather unique hobby, taxidermy. In her words, she said, ``to me, taxidermy is an art form, and everyone needs a little art in their life.'' 

     In addition to her hobby, Jessie is also co-authoring a book with her mother, Karen Ward, on perseverance, which is something I think we could all use a lesson on from time to time. 
Jessie's platform as a contestant, and now as Miss Arkansas, is School Violence Prevention Awareness, and she has spent the past three years traveling through Arkansas and Texas to promote this message. In her program, she stresses the importance of recognizing warning signs and being aware of safe reactions to potentially violent situations. Just recently, she has developed a scholarship program to reward a graduating senior each year who exhibits dedication to his or her school and community. 

     Jessie is affiliated with the National Center for the Prevention of School Violence, and her goal, she says, is to rally the state and national governments for funding of preventative programs and to reach at least two schools in every school district in Arkansas with her school violence prevention message. 

     I know this is an issue that she cares very deeply about, and I want to applaud her for her interest and leadership in helping to make our schools and communities safer. 
Jessie is currently completing undergraduate degrees in biology and radio, television, and film at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She plans to attend medical school and begin working in rural medicine--something that is very important to south Arkansas. She eventually hopes to establish herself as a medical correspondent in the national broadcast arena. Again, I say to Jessie, ``Congratulations. We're proud of you, and we wish you all the best.'' 


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