[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 3, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S572]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING ANITA ASHOK DATA

  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Mr. President, today I wish to celebrate the life of 
an extraordinary woman named Anita Ashok Data. She was a mother, a 
daughter, a sister, and a dear friend to those who knew her.
  Anita was born in Pittsfield, MA, and was raised in Flanders, NJ. She 
was a graduate of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health 
and School of International and Public Affairs, where she attained a 
master's in public health and a master's in public administration. At 
the time of her death, Anita was a resident of Takoma Park, MD.
  Anita dedicated her life to helping others. She was an international 
public health expert and development worker who traveled the world, 
working tirelessly in pursuit of one powerful goal: to improve the 
lives of those less fortunate.
  Anita began her career in the Peace Corps, where she volunteered for 
a 2-year tour in Senegal, a country in a part of the world that she had 
come to love so much.
  After graduating from Columbia University, Anita moved to the 
Washington, DC, area where she continued her career as an international 
development worker.
  In addition to her day job, Anita helped found the not-for-profit 
Tulalens, an organization dedicated to connecting low-income women in 
underserved communities to quality health services.
  But out of all of her many accomplishments, Anita was most proud of 
her son, Rohan. Rohan was the light of her life. Anita loved working to 
make the world a better place for him.
  Anita's inspiring life was cut short on November 20, 2015, in a 
senseless act of violent terrorism in Bamako, Mali.
  But Anita and her life--and the lives of the thousands of people she 
touched--are far bigger than the tragic event that occurred on that 
day.
  Anita's love, spirit, and dedication to making the world a better 
place will have a lasting effect. The world is a better place because 
of Anita and the work that she did.
  I extend my deepest, heartfelt sympathies to Anita's family and 
friends--especially to her son, Rohan.

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