[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 42 (Thursday, April 6, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E507-E508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING 25 SAN MATEO COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS FOR OVERCOMING 
                  OBSTACLES AND SERVING AS ROLE MODELS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 2000

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, this morning at a breakfast in Redwood 
Shores, California, the Family Service Agency of San Mateo County 
honored 25 high school students at a ``Winners Breakfast,'' an annual 
recognition of high school seniors who have overcome great odds and are 
role models for their peers. Some six hundred people joined in 
celebrating the achievements of these outstanding students.
  The Family Service Agency of San Mateo County is a private, non-
profit social service organization which has established and supported 
programs throughout the County for children, seniors and families, and 
the Agency started the Winners Breakfast five years ago together with 
local businesses, the San Mateo County Office of Education and 
community leaders.
  Mr. Speaker, this year the Family Service Agency is recognizing 
students who have faced a wide range of challenges, from homelessness, 
poverty and family and gang violence to chronic illness, personal 
tragedy, substance abuse and single parenthood. The students were 
chosen by personnel at the schools which they attend, and each honored 
student received a scholarship of $500 paid for by sponsors of the 
program.
  Heather Angney of the San Mateo County Times has written a series of 
excellent articles which appear in today's issue of the newspaper 
paying tribute to those students being honored today, and the Times is 
one of the supporters of the effort to provide funds for these 
students.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues in the Congress to join me in 
paying tribute to these outstanding students who were honored today for 
their perseverence in overcoming the tremendous difficulties they 
faced. These students are as follows:
  Alexandra Chiles of Atherton was diagnosed with cancer at age 12 and 
endured endless rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Many 
years, she was too sick to enjoy Christmas. When she was able to go to 
school, she often went with thin hair and her face swollen by drugs. 
Through all this, Alex achieved more than most students, qualifying for 
the National Honor Society, gentling a nervous horse and volunteering 
in soup kitchens. In Alex's case, the recognition is bittersweet. She 
died March 22. Her parents, Anita and Robert Chiles of Atherton, will 
attend the breakfast and join in recognizing other students who are 
succeeding in spite of great challenges. As Alexandra's mother said, 
``She was a wonderful model of how we should all confront our problems 
in life.''
   Maria Ruth Alvarado of Woodside High School prevailed over abuse, 
homelessness and poverty to become an activist at school and in her 
East Palo Alto neighborhood, tutoring at community centers and starting 
a support group for gay and HIV-positive people.
  Albert Balbutin of Oceana High School faced his father's death, his 
mother's depression and financial hardship and decided to turn his life 
in a positive direction. He raised his grades from Ds and Fs to As and 
Bs, became co-president of his class and started Unity 2000, a campus 
organization dedicated to stopping teen violence.
  Sarah Carr of Pescadero High School was considered a discipline 
problem with a bad attitude who wouldn't graduate. But she turned 
herself around with the encouragement of school staff and has improved 
her grades, stopped using bad language and started smiling. She plans 
to attend college next year.
  Karen Cerri of Westmoor High School was abused by her biological and 
foster families until she was adopted into a loving home at age 10. She 
now coaches a swim team and serves as a peer counselor, and she hopes 
to become a paramedic or firefighter and adopt a foster child.
  Rosalyn Curincita of Redwood High School and Sequoia High School was 
distracted from her school work while caring for relatives and marrying 
at an early age. She entered Redwood and made up two-and-a-half years 
of work in just one year. Although she works to support her family, she 
maintains excellent grades, enabling her to return to Sequoia to finish 
her senior year.
  Jared Frias of Carlmont High School was in an automobile accident in 
which he lost a leg and two people died, including a friend who was 
like a brother to him. While in the hospital, Jared organized a Holiday 
Toy Drive for children in the hospital. And last fall, with the aid of 
a prosthetic limb, he returned to his favorite sport -- football.
  Renee Frost of Aragon High School has worked hard despite lifelong 
family disruptions and financial disadvantages. She attends the 
Regional Occupational Program, where she is described as ``best in her 
class'' in a Travel and Hospitality Careers course. As the school's 
receptionist, she greets the public, organizes the career center 
bulletin board and helps students enroll in classes.
  Robert Gomez of Mills High School has been in a wheelchair since 
childhood because of cerebral palsy. With divorced parents, he has 
relied on himself to achieve his academic goals. Despite physical 
limitations, Robert participates in school activities, attends ball 
games and supports other students. He hopes to attend college and 
become a lawyer.
  Diana Gonzalez of Community School North lived the life of a gang 
member from age 11 to 16. She attributes her transformation to the help 
of God, her best friend and her boyfriend. She graduated from the 
Gateway Center program with straight A's and enrolled in Community 
School North. She is on schedule to graduate with a GED by June and 
will attend Bryman College in San Francisco.
  Robert ``Tito'' Gonzalez of Terra Nova High School is deaf in one 
ear, which affects his school performance. He was placed in special 
education in fourth-grade but worked so hard he switched to mainstream 
classes by sixth-grade. Robert has a 3.2 gpa, was voted ``best artist'' 
by his senior class and is considering a career in microbiology and 
genetics.
  Emily Jaime gives credit for her achievement to a fourth grade tutor 
who encouraged her to read, and that moves her to volunteer at an 
elementary school twice a week, and now 12 years after failing first 
grade, she's heading to Temple University in Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania. Emily's father left the family when she was four, and she 
hasn't seen him much since, but her mother and grandmother encouraged 
her to make the most of opportunities, gap and told her to get a 
college diploma, something neither of them was able to do.
  Lauren Kass of Pilarcitos High School had struggled in school 
starting in junior high. But after transferring to the Cabrillo 
district's independent study program, she thrived academically and 
personally. She received her diploma in February and now works at a 
preschool and rides and trains horses. She hopes to eventually open her 
own preschool.
  Linda Khiev of Sequoia High School has held her family together since 
her mother's illness last year, working part-time and handling 
household duties. Despite the stress, she remains at the top one 
percent of her class academically. Linda hopes to become a physician.
  Victor Lopez of Aragon High School has been largely independent since 
his mother returned to Mexico to care for his grandmother when Victor 
was 14. Victor has been a Peer Helper for three years and is a member 
of student government. He doesn't let negative peer influences deter 
him, and his dream is to become a pediatrician.
  Wendy Maravilla of Thornton High School had a baby in her junior year 
and had to work part-time and enroll in an independent study program. 
She is training to become a certified nurse's assistant and working 
part-time at Marshall's. Wendy firmly believes she can accomplish her 
dreams, including her goal to become a registered nurse.
  Osvaldo Munoz of El Camino High School faced his father's long 
illness and death this past October. Throughout this difficult time, he 
has remained a strong, mature and constant support to his mother and 
family and volunteered at Family Service Agency's Club Leo J. Ryan 
after-school program. Osvaldo plans to attend Skyline College and study 
computer science.
  Daniel ``Dan'' Nawahine of Hillsdale High School has a ``can do'' 
attitude despite the challenges of having speech and language delays 
and various learning and motor challenges. He is a student in the 
Disorders of Language Program and plans on working at San Francisco 
International Airport in the Ramp Service after he completes the ROP 
Airport Training Program.
  Sulia Pale of Capuchino High School was in an extremely traumatic car 
accident in 10th-grade, leaving her with deficits in learning, memory, 
attention and problem solving, along with emotional and personality 
changes. In June, Sulia will be the first in her family to graduate 
from high school. She plans to attend community college and have a 
career in the air and travel industry.
  Amanda Peacock of South San Francisco High School has dealt with 
tragedy twice in her life. When she was seven, her baby sister died of 
leukemia. In March of this year, she lost her 8-year-old sister to 
leukemia. Despite this, Amanda completed ROP's Hotel and Hospitality 
Services Class and plans to attend a junior college after graduation.
  Jason Shaughnessy of Hillsdale High School was abandoned by his 
father when he

[[Page E508]]

was two years old. His mother disappeared when he was in fifth-grade. 
The support of his grandfather, aunt, uncle and cousins has enabled 
Jason to have a sense of belonging, to build confidence and to have 
maturity beyond his years. He plans on attending a four-year college 
and majoring in psychology.
  Amelia Tauataina of Peninsula High School was chronically truant and 
her parents day laborers who spoke little English, had difficulty 
providing the academic support she needed. Through an interpreter, her 
parents connected with her teachers and counselors, and Amelia is now a 
star student. She completed a 125-hour internship at Alaska Airlines 
and was hired there. She plans to enroll in San Francisco City College.
  Meghan Walsh of El Camino High School has had to bear more 
responsibility than usual for a person her age. When she was four, her 
mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and must use a wheelchair. 
Her father became her mother's full-time caretaker, putting financial 
strain on the family. Meghan maintained a positive attitude and is a 
peer tutor, maintains a 3.7 gpa and is on the yearbook staff.
  Ricky Whitfield of Sacred Heart Preparatory Academy was one of only 
eight students of color enrolled in Sacred Heart Preparatory Academy. 
Learning difficulties made school challenging. Then, on Dec. 26, 1999, 
his mother died after a battle with cancer. Ricky maintained his 
academic goals and stayed active in school drama and choral activities. 
He is considering becoming a minister or educator and wants to make a 
difference in his East Palo Alto community.
  Tiffany Williams of South San Francisco High School moved to 
California during the summer of her sophomore year with hopes of 
attending a college in the University of California system. Without her 
parents and friends, she was homesick, scared and lonely, but she 
joined school clubs, tutored after school and became copy editor of the 
yearbook. She hopes to major in biology in college and later attend 
medical school.

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