[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 80 (Thursday, May 31, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E937]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             LEADING THE WAY FORWARD FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 31, 2012

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I wish to commemorate the 20th anniversary 
of the Leadership Alliance, a national consortium of renowned 
institutions of higher education that seeks to mold underrepresented 
students into academic, business, and public service leaders. The 
Alliance aims to prime young scholars from underserved populations for 
graduate training and professional apprenticeships through a 
comprehensive program of research, networking, and mentorship at 
critical transition points along their academic path.
  In the twenty years since its inception, the Leadership Alliance has 
mentored over 2000 undergraduates who participated in a summer 
identification program. Over 53 percent of students enroll into a 
graduate level program--a number that is greater than the national 
average.
  New York City's Columbia University has helped lead the charge in 
reaching out to these future leaders to help prepare them for 
professional life. In mentoring a significant number of participants in 
their Leadership Alliance summer program, Columbia prepared young 
students to enter a range of fields. I would now like to highlight some 
examples of the success of this program: Marcel Agueros, a 1992 summer 
program participant, went on to become an Astronomy professor at 
Columbia; Amber Spry, now a first year Ph.D. student in political 
science, was a graduate of the summer program that received award 
funding from the American Political Science Association; and George 
Aumoithe, a 2010 Leadership summer program alumnus, currently 
researches the prevalence of HIV and the means to fight it.
  These individuals are only a few of the outstanding cases produced by 
this model program. I am pleased to recognize them today as a testament 
to the importance of sustaining efforts to invest in programs that 
identify, train, and mentor talented underrepresented and underserved 
students. I am happy to proclaim the past twenty years work from 
Columbia University and the Leadership Alliance a resounding victory in 
this regard. I can only hope that the next twenty years will be just as 
if not more successful at reaching those students who have been 
historically underserved in the academic arena.

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