[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 25, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E233-E234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING MR. RAUL VARGAS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HILDA L. SOLIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 25, 2004

  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I stand today to recognize the numerous 
contributions of Mr. Raul Vargas of the University of Southern 
California (USC). For more than three decades, Mr. Vargas has pioneered 
higher education accessibility for minority students in southern 
California and throughout America.
  A graduate of prestigious universities, including the University of 
Southern California, former Army veteran and life-long educator, Mr. 
Vargas is one of the nine founding members of the Mexican American 
Alumni Association (MAAA) at USC. Under his leadership, the MAAA and 
its supporters have provided unprecedented financial assistance to 
Latino students entering USC since 1974. Totaling over $10 million, the 
MAAA has awarded nearly 6,000 scholarships to outstanding Latino 
undergraduate and graduate students. For this reason, the MAAA is 
currently the largest and most prestigious Hispanic alumni association 
in the nation.
  Since its inception in 1974, the MAAA has raised a major portion of 
its scholarship money from its Annual Scholarship Dinner in February 
and its Scholarship Golf Classic Tournament in June. The Scholarship 
Dinner, the elder of the two events, draws hundreds of USC alumni, 
donors, and supporters and raises hundreds of thousands of dollars each 
year. Within the last 10 years, the success of the two annual events 
has helped the USC MAAA's Endowment Fund to now proudly exceed $2 
million.
  Mr. Vargas has been recognized by prominent institutions and 
organizations. He was named Hispanic of the Year by the National

[[Page E234]]

Hispanic Scholarship Fund; won the Spirit of Education Award by the 
American Diabetes Association; and earned the Lifetime Achievement 
Award by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
  Mr. Raul Vargas currently ranks among the top leaders in higher 
education. Above all, he exemplifies the excellence in American 
leadership today.

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