[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 12, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING KELSEY MAURA WAITE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RAUL M. GRIJALVA

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 12, 2010

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary 
young lady from my hometown of Tucson, AZ. Her name is Miss Kelsey 
Maura Waite. Kelsey is deeply committed to environmental issues and I 
would like to recognize her for her efforts. At the age of 16, Kelsey 
has already been honored with over a dozen science-related awards. She 
has been invited not once but twice to compete at I-SWEEEP, the 
International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering & Environment) 
Project Olympiad. In addition, she has received honors at both the 
Southern Arizona Regional Science and Engineering Fair and the 
statewide Arizona Science and Engineering Fair.
  At her young age, Kelsey is already a role model for her peers. She 
has won over 30 science awards in high school alone and has traveled to 
dozens of countries to represent us with her science projects. She has 
always been a successful student and in kindergarten, won a trophy at a 
chess tournament that was taller than she was.
  In 5th grade she was inspired by a teacher named Ms. Jadgeo. Many of 
us had teachers that pushed us in positive ways to our full potential, 
and for Kelsey it was Ms. Jadgeo. She changed Kelsey's life by 
assigning her very first science project.
  Kelsey is more than just a good student--she is also a wonderful 
daughter, sister, and citizen. She attends both Sonoran Science Academy 
and Tucson Magnet High School. It was difficult for her parents to 
accommodate her attending two different schools that are quite distant 
from each other. Kelsey took it upon herself to find a job at a local 
grocery store to be able to pay for her gas, and now wakes up at 5:00 
a.m. on Saturday and Sunday each weekend to put in the hours she needs. 
She is an admirable young lady that deserves our respect and our 
support. We need to encourage students like Kelsey and support their 
education because they are the future of our country. They will be 
tomorrow's experts on environmental and other issues that we cannot 
afford to ignore.
  I ask to recognize Miss Kelsey Waite for her dedication to her 
education, her family and her community.

                          ____________________