[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 154 (Wednesday, October 21, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1504]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF NEW MEXICAN ORGANIZATIONS RECOGNIZED AS ``BRIGHT 
  SPOTS'' BY THE WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE ON EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE FOR 
                               HISPANICS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BEN RAY LUJAN

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 21, 2015

  Mr. BEN RAY LUJAN of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
recognize three New Mexican organizations that have gone above and 
beyond in serving Hispanic students in my home state of New Mexico. 
Their outstanding work earned them recognition by the White House 
Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics as ``Bright Spots.'' 
Bright Spots are described as organizations or programs that help to 
close the achievement gap.
  A total of six organizations in New Mexico have been recognized by 
the White House and three of those organizations are located in New 
Mexico's third congressional district. The Los Alamos National 
Laboratory Foundation (LANLF) encourages Hispanic academic excellence 
through the support of educational programs. LANLF created programs to 
support early childhood learning, STEM elementary education, as well as 
college/workforce development. The second organization in our district 
is New Mexico Highlands University's Achieving in Research Math and 
Science (ARMAS). ARMAS has increased the number of Hispanic students 
earning a Bachelor's of Science degree in a STEM field at the 
university level. The third organization to receive recognition within 
our district is Santa Fe YouthWorks! This is a program 
dedicated to targeting at-risk youth in order to ensure that they have 
the educational, leadership and life skills to succeed and get ahead.
  These programs help raise awareness about Hispanic education and the 
need to address the achievement gap while serving as models of best 
practices for successfully engaging our diverse population. Together, 
these programs have helped countless Hispanics achieve academic and 
social success. These organizations have had a tremendous effect within 
their particular communities and on New Mexico as a state, by 
increasing the number of Hispanic students who attain educational 
degrees. I applaud these outstanding organizations for contributing to 
Hispanic academic success in New Mexico.

                          ____________________