Missouri’s candidate for Miss American has been chosen. She’s Tara Osseck, a 22-year old native of St. Charles, who was competing as Miss Lake of the Ozarks. She was crowned at the Miss Missouri Pageant in Mexico this past 
weekend. She had won preliminary competitions in the evening wear and in the swimsuit categories.
Osseck is a graduate of Truman State University. By winning the Miss Missouri Pageant, she wins a $10,000 scholarship for additional college work.
She’s a talented tap dancer and says her platform for the year will be “Education and Awareness of Eating Disorders.”
She says she’s also excited about taking part in the “Right Decisions Right Now” program so she can carry messages to school children about not smoking, goal setting, and making right choices.
This year’s event was her third effort to become Miss Missouri. The new Miss America will be crowned Jan. 30 in Las Vegas.