[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING RECIPIENTS OF THE 2011 BEAT THE ODDS AWARDS

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                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 14, 2011

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
recipients of the 2011 Beat the Odds Awards. These awards are sponsored 
by the Prince William County Bar Foundation and are presented to 
extraordinary youth who have exhibited exceptional determination to 
overcome adversity and lead full, productive lives.
  The narrative of these awards is truly compelling; to qualify for a 
Beat the Odds award, a youth must have come into contact with the 
juvenile justice system. Despite this potential obstacle, Beat the Odds 
Award recipients have overcome abuse, neglect or juvenile delinquency 
with an earnest effort to realize a successful future.
  It is my great honor to commend the following individuals who have 
risen above substantial negative influences and are now being 
recognized as community success stories:
  Recipients of the 2010 Beat the Odds Phoenix Award: Victoria Rose, 
Jacob Whitfield, Martha Vasquez-Quintanilla, Benjamin Dinarte, Eduardo 
Silva Ostos, Shahnewaz Bhuiyan, Mark Johnson, Jr., and Curtis Moore, 
Jr.
  Recipients of the 2010 Beat the Odds Scholarship Award: Mariam 
Sankoh, Vanessa Monserrat Rodriguez, Tanya Donangmaye, Anthony Harris, 
Taylor Katherine Peevy, Indiana Sommer Anderson, Kelly Renee Teboe, 
Jennifer Salas, Maria Sisson, and Caleb Daniel Foster.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating these 
young people for the positive example they set for their peers. Our 
community sends a powerful message to our youth when we encourage them 
to triumph over setbacks and to gain strength from hardship. Beat the 
Odds scholarships totaling more than $100,000 from the Prince William 
Bar Foundation are a resounding endorsement of that message, and I 
thank the Foundation for its dedication and generosity to youth in our 
community.

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