[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 48 (Thursday, March 19, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     A TRIBUTE TO DR. SONYA MKRYAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 19, 2009

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Sonya Mkryan of 
Altadena, California. Every March we celebrate Women's History Month in 
recognition of the contributions and the sacrifices made by our 
nation's women. Accordingly it is my privilege to highlight Dr. Mkryan 
as a woman whose extraordinary efforts are vital to my district.
  Sonya was born in Sanjak, the French mandate of Syria, and emigrated 
at age ten to Soviet Armenia with her parents and three siblings. By 
the time she travelled from Armenia to the United States with her 
husband and three children in 1979, she had obtained a PhD in Technical 
Studies and worked for two decades as a scientist and researcher at the 
Armenian Academy of Sciences. Her first job in America was as a 
mechanical inspector for Robertshaw Industrial Products.
  As an educator and geophysicist, Sonya has taught in the Pasadena 
Unified School District as a professor of physics at Polytechnic 
Institute. For the past twenty-three years she has contributed her 
knowledge and experience to the County of Los Angeles' Department of 
Public Social Services in hopes of serving society for the better.
  A woman of multiple talents, Sonya is also an artist and a writer. 
Over the last twenty years she has held several solo shows and has 
actively participated in many group exhibitions. Aside from scientific 
articles published in the Russian, she has published six books of 
poetry and short stories: five in Armenian and the sixth in English. 
She is a member of the Armenian Writers Union of California and is an 
honorable member of the International Society of Poets.
  Sonya's life story is a testament to the brilliant potential of this 
nation's women and her steadfast dedication and selfless service are an 
invaluable addition to the legacy of Women's History Month. With 
gratitude and admiration, I ask all Members of Congress to join me in 
honoring an extraordinary woman of California's 29th Congressional 
District, Dr. Sonya Mkryan.

                          ____________________