John Boozman: “I rise today to recognize and congratulate an exceptional Arkansan, Peyton Bolling, as we celebrate her making history…”

“I rise today to recognize and congratulate an exceptional Arkansan, Peyton Bolling, as we celebrate her making history as the first Miss Arkansas' Teen to be crowned as Miss America's Teen. Our State is home to many talented, intelligent, and service-oriented young people, achieving tremendous accomplishments, and Peyton is truly a wonderful example of that. She is a Rogers native and a senior at Bentonville High School and grew up in a military family. Her parents, Colonel Ryan and Patrice Bolling, have supported and nurtured her interest in community betterment and service from a young age. That passion led her to serve as a U.S. Senate page, which only deepened her appreciation for our system of government that invites all Americans to play their part in shaping the future. I was pleased to meet her while she was in the Page Program and then reconnect after she claimed the Miss Arkansas' Teen title, last summer. It is encouraging to see her pursuing her new, larger platform to inspire positive change and promote civic engagement to America's next generation of leaders, and I am thankful she can now take this effort nationwide and give back in such a meaningful way. What makes this all the more impressive is that Peyton's success in the pageant world came not after years of practice and experience but on her first try.…”