Names and faces

— Lady Gaga has sent along a package of gifts to Daniel Borowy, a teenager shot onthe first day of school at a Baltimore high school. After the shooting, a grass-roots campaign attempted to catch Lady Gaga’s attention with hopes that the pop star would visit Borowy in the hospital. Though a visit wasn’t to be, the pop star’s people had promised to get at least something from her to him. And it happened. Borowy’s father, Milton, posted about the package on the “Lady Gaga Please Visit Daniel” Facebook page: “It is pretty cool that someone in her position took the time to make a complete stranger happy. The package included T shirts, cd’s, a personally autographed message to Danny, a picture and 2 tickets to her upcoming concert. (I believe they are front row) To see the smile on his face is overwhelming. Thank you Lady Gaga and thank you to everyone who had a hand in making this happen!!” Also Thursday, the singer announced she is taking her Born This Way Foundation on theroad. The Born Brave Bus Tour will tailgate outside her forthcoming U.S. concerts and provide a space for 13- to 25-year-olds to learn more about local resources on anti-bullying, suicide prevention and mental-health services. Her foundation focuses on youth empowerment and self-confidence.

An American university student is the new MissUniverse. Olivia Culpo, 20, won the title Wednesday night at the Planet Hollywood casino on theLas Vegas Strip, replacing reigning queen Leila Lopes of Angola. Culpo said she hopes her quick rise through the beauty contest ranks and an onstage stumble will show women that anything is possible. She told The Associated Press on Thursday that her year-long transformation from Boston University sophomore to pageant winner proves that women can accomplish anything to which they set their minds. “My first pageant was a year ago and already I’m Miss Universe. It’s kind of incredible,” she said. She pointed to the fact that she stumbled on her red velvet evening dress Wednesday night before beating out beauty queens from 88 countries as proof that confidence and poise matter more than perfect performance. Culpo is the first American to win the competition co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC since Miss Hawaii Brook Lee won in 1997.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 12/21/2012

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