JEFFERSON CITY -- State Sen. John Loudon, R-West St. Louis County, joined other lawmakers on Wednesday to welcome his constituent Tara Bollinger of Chesterfield, Miss Missouri USA, to the State Capitol, and held a reception in his office in her honor.

"Tara is an extraordinary young woman, who represents the State of Missouri with pride," said Sen. Loudon. "She has strong morals and values, and uses her platform as Miss Missouri to encourage young people to make positive choices about alcohol, smoking, sexual activity and drugs."

At 23, Tara is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Lindenwood University in St. Louis, where she earned a degree in Mass Communications/TV Broadcasting and Spanish. She was on the Dean's List for four years and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Fraternity and has received scholarships from the Missouri Press Club and Journalism Foundation.

In addition to working with young people, she actively promotes the Project Reality education curriculum, "AC Green's Game Plan" by training teachers.

"Tara met with doctors from the Center for Disease Control and other health department officials to better understand the facts of the rising number of sexually transmitted disease cases," Sen. Loudon said.

With the knowledge she gained from that visit, she co-authored the book "The Best of Teen Success."

Tara will be among the competitors in the Miss USA Pageant scheduled for March 9 through 25 in San Antonio, TX.