[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 82 (Wednesday, June 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING MS. BEATRIZ A. GARZA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 3, 2009

  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and recognize 
the accomplishments of Ms. Beatriz A. Garza, the recent college 
graduate from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, 
and a tribal member of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas (KTTT).
  Graduating from Haskell Indian Nations University with an Associate 
of Arts degree in Liberal Arts in 2006 and a Bachelor of Science degree 
in Business Administration in 2009, Ms. Beatriz A. Garza has become the 
first college graduate from the Kickapoo Tribe in the state of Texas.
  Ms. Garza grew up in Eagle Pass, Texas, on the Kickapoo Indian 
Reservation, graduating from Eagle Pass High School's C.C. Winn Campus. 
Influenced by her father, Juan Garza, Jr., she pursued higher education 
at Haskell Indian Nations University.
  In 1884, the doors of this fine educational institution opened up to 
the yearning minds of twenty-two American Indian children. It was known 
then as the United States Indian Industrial Training School. Today, 
Haskell Indian Nations University, the largest Indian university in the 
country, serves roughly one thousand college students per semester, and 
continues to serve American Indians with a multitude of innovative 
curricula that prepares students to enter baccalaureate programs in 
areas such as elementary education, American Indian studies, and 
business administration, which Ms. Garza, as previously noted, pursued 
herself, emphasizing her study in tribal management. She currently 
plans to pursue a professional degree in law.
  Students attending this University represent federally recognized 
tribes from across the United States, producing a dynamic and diverse 
student body bringing life experiences to the forefront of the 
classroom while integrating American Indian and Alaskan Native culture 
into all its curricula. Through my time spent on a Texas school board, 
I have seen people who, like Ms. Garza, are intelligent, responsible, 
and driven. Ms. Garza excelled in the classroom and pushed forward 
toward a brighter future. People like Ms. Garza, are the change makers 
in our world, the backbone of the American dream, and the reason 
America succeeds. Boundaries like this are broken by great men and 
women who lead this country forward, inspiring future generations to 
follow in their footsteps.
  I am proud of Ms. Garza's success and it is with great honor that I 
extend my most sincere congratulations to Ms. Beatriz A. Garza as she 
makes this monumental milestone in her life.

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