[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 137 (Wednesday, November 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF IZADELI ``IZA'' MONTALVO VAZQUEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ALAN GRAYSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 12, 2014

  Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, in honor of Hispanic Heritage 
Month, to recognize Izadeli ``Iza'' Montalvo Vazquez. Iza was born in 
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and was raised in the town of Sabana Grande. 
From a very early age, she demonstrated a gift for poetry and by the 
age of seven, she wrote her first poem. Her love for writing was 
inherited from her uncle, Emilio Forestier Gregory, a lawyer and 
published poet in Puerto Rico.
  Her parents, both public school teachers, encouraged her to get 
involved in the community. She started writing theatrical plays for her 
school to bring awareness to different topics and to raise funds for 
student clubs. In middle school, she founded the student's newspaper, 
``Eco Estudiantil.'' Iza was an honor student throughout her school 
years. At the age of 14, she started playing professional volleyball. 
In her senior year of high school, she was offered a scholarship to 
play for the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico's volleyball team. 
The Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation also signed her to join Las 
Leonas de Ponce.
  In college, Iza continued to follow her passion for writing by 
joining the Jose Gautier Benitez literature club, where she received 
numerous awards for her poetry. She also earned third place in a poetry 
competition where film director, Jacobo Morales, served as the judge.
  In 1998, Iza moved to New York City. She continued her undergraduate 
studies at St. John's University in Queens, where she graduated with a 
Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism in 2001. During that time, she 
interned at Univision 41 in New Jersey and at El Diario La Prensa, 
where she was hired to work as reporter. She has reported about the 
protests at the United Nations against the Navy's presence on the 
island of Vieques, protests in Times Square against the War in Iraq, 
the World Economic Forum, the aftermath of September 11th, Abner Louima 
and Amadou Diallo's police brutality cases, and dozens of homicides.
  In 2004, Iza moved to Orlando to work as a reporter for El Nuevo Dia 
Orlando, part of Puerto Rico's largest daily newspaper. Her work has 
been published in newspapers including Caribbean Business, El Nuevo Dia 
in Puerto Rico, La Prensa in Panama, La Opinion, La Raza and El 
Mensajero.
  Iza has also worked as a reporter for The Ledger, a company owned at 
the time by The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. There she 
covered immigration and other topics of interest to the Hispanic 
community. In Florida, Iza reported on the 2004 Atlantic Hurricane 
Season, the NBA's All-Star Game in Orlando, and the 2012 presidential 
and local elections, among other stories. Iza has conducted many 
interviews, including one with Jose Melendez Perez, the U.S. Customs 
and Border Patrol Protection Inspector at the Orlando International 
Airport who became a key national figure when he refused entry to a 
terrorist involved in planning the 9/11 attacks. As a TV producer, she 
arranged an exclusive interview with Joseph Acaba, the first person of 
Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate.
  Iza's professional experience also includes working as a producer for 
Univision WVEN TV 26 in Altamonte Springs and as my press secretary 
during 2013. She has been a member of the National Association of 
Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) since 2001, and she was recently named 
honorary godmother of the International Association of Writers and 
Poets (AIPEH). At age 39, Iza became the editor in chief of La Prensa, 
Central Florida's oldest Spanish language newspaper. La Prensa is owned 
by ImpreMedia, the leading Hispanic news and information company in the 
U.S.
  I am happy to recognize Iza Montalvo Vazquez, during Hispanic 
Heritage Month, for her contributions to the Central Florida community.

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