[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 113 (Wednesday, July 13, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1102-E1103]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF AMANDA ALVEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ALAN GRAYSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 13, 2016

  Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Amanda 
Alvear, a resident of my district who lived in Davenport, Florida. 
Amanda's life was cut short during the tragic shooting at Pulse 
nightclub in Orlando, in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016.
  Amanda was only 25 years old and had a bright future ahead of her. 
She was a graduate of Ridge Community High School and worked as a 
pharmacy technician. She was studying to become a nurse. She had 
reshaped herself over the last two years, shedding 180 pounds with the 
help of gastric bypass surgery and daily workouts. Amanda proudly 
documented her transformation with her phone.
  Amanda's brother, Brian, remembers her positive energy and enthusiasm 
and that, ``People got caught up in her wake. Whatever she was doing, 
that's what they were going to do.'' Amanda was the aunt who spoiled 
Brian's daughters, Bella and Zatanna with clothes. ``She was a 
fashionista,'' he would say, ``and she liked them to look good. She 
wanted my girls--her girls--to look good.''
  Amanda frequented gay and lesbian clubs because she believed they 
were places where she could have fun and feel safe being herself. She 
visited Pulse to enjoy Latin night with a group of friends. One of her 
closest friends, Mercedez Marisol Flores, also died in the nightclub 
that night.
  Amanda Alvear will never be forgotten in our pursuit of a more just 
and loving world.

[[Page E1103]]

Her memory, the love she had for family and her acts kindness will live 
forever in the hearts and minds of those who knew her.
  May Amanda's family, relatives and friends eventually find solace and 
comfort, and may she rest in eternal peace.

                          ____________________