[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 101 (Friday, July 24, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S9000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING TRACIE MITCHELL

 Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. President, in 1995, when I was 
privileged to serve as President of the Oregon State Senate, I was 
invited by State Representative Margaret Carter to tour Portland 
Community College, which was located in her district, in the heart of 
Oregon's largest city. As I represented a rural Eastern Oregon 
district, I looked upon this tour as a valuable learning opportunity. 
And what I learned was that PCC was offering a lifeline for many 
economically disadvantaged students who were seeking to build a better 
future for themselves and their family.
  I was so impressed with the work of PCC, that when I was elected to 
the United States Senate, I approached PCC with the idea of each year 
giving one of their students the opportunity to serve as an intern in 
my Washington, D.C. office.
  The student selected to serve as the first PCC intern was Tracie 
Mitchell, whose final day in my office is today. I just want to take a 
minute to salute Tracie, not only for her outstanding work in my 
office, but also for the outstanding accomplishments at home and in her 
career. Through the programs at PCC, Tracie, a mother of two wonderful 
children--Ruben and Shea, earned a degree in Microelectronics, and has 
gained employment at Tektronix, one of Oregon's outstanding high tech 
companies.
  I know that Tracie is anxious to return to her children, her job, and 
her classes at PCC, and I thank her for her service to my office and to 
all Oregonians. If she has learned as much from her internship as my 
office as learned from her, then I know this summer has been a very 
rewarding experience.

                          ____________________