[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 74 (Thursday, May 20, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S5773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO CLARA SHIN

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
a true champion of public service: Clara Shin of Orange, CA. Ms. Shin 
is a former AmeriCorps program officer and is currently a distinguished 
White House Fellow.
  One of the greatest gifts that Clara Shin has been endowed with is an 
appreciation and a passion for public service. Her background is filled 
with notable accomplishments that have provided her with a sense of 
community and an unfailing commitment to helping others.
  Ms. Shin received her bachelor's degrees in physiobiopolitics and 
government from Smith College and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law 
School. As a law student, she worked at the U.S. Agency for 
International Development, serving as a legal intern to the Regional 
Legal Advisor for Southern Africa. She later joined AmeriCorps as its 
youngest program officer and was responsible for developing the first 
national grant applications for local programs seeking funding. She 
then managed a $25 million grant portfolio for the program and 
coordinated a service network spanning the Southwest. Ms. Shin also co-
designed the $100 million community service component of a Housing and 
Urban Development initiative to revitalize severely distressed public 
housing developments. She founded KOSOMOSE Women's Journal, a magazine 
for Asian American women, and helped start the Tahoe-Baikal Institute, 
a bi-national environmental institute in California and Siberia that 
trains environmentalists in land and water issues.
  As one of 17 White House Fellows, Ms. Shin has achieved the nation's 
most prestigious fellowship for leadership development and public 
service. Her assignment to the White House Office of the Chief of Staff 
allows her to work hand-in-hand with leaders in government on 
immigration, race, and science and technology issues, where she 
coordinates working group meetings, tracks and manages issues, and 
meets with advocacy groups. For more than thirty years, White House 
Fellows have carried out the program's mission to encourage active 
citizenship and service to the nation. Ms. Shin is an individual who 
exemplifies this notion. Her efforts to serve those around her are an 
inspiration to us all.
  Mr. President, it is with great honor that I pay tribute to Clara 
Shin for her accomplishment and dedication to public service. Her 
enthusiasm for social and environmental causes is both uplifting and 
encouraging. I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing Clara Shin many 
more years of success.

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