[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 20, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF DANIELLE BERMUDEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 20, 2017

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of 
Ms. Danielle Bermudez. Ms. Bermudez has been chosen as a Fulbright 
scholar, the first to ever be chosen from the University of California, 
Merced. Her accomplishment brings great pride to the Merced community 
and to all who have witnessed her hard work.
  The idea behind the Fulbright Program began in 1945, when Senator J. 
William Fulbright introduced a bill to the United States Congress 
calling for the use of surplus war property in order to fund the 
'promotion of international good will through the exchange of students 
in the fields of education, culture, and science.' President Harry S. 
Truman signed that bill into law in 1946 and Congress created the 
Fulbright Program. This international educational exchange program has 
fostered bilateral relationships, allowing both citizens and 
governments of other countries to work together with the United States 
and set joint priorities to shape the program's shared needs. Since the 
beginning of the program, there have been more than 360,000 Fulbright 
participants from the United States and other countries and Fulbright 
alumni from 14 countries have been awarded 57 Nobel prizes, 82 Pulitzer 
prizes, and 37 alumni have become heads of state or government.
  The Fulbright program currently awards approximately 1,900 United 
States student grants annually in all fields of study. In March of 
2017, Ms. Bermudez was selected as a Fulbright scholarship recipient. 
Ms. Bermudez is a fourth year doctoral student in the Interdisciplinary 
Humanities at the University of California, Merced. She was nominated 
for Outstanding Student Leadership in 2015, 2016, and 2017. She has 
also demonstrated an exceptional academic and professional record, 
outstanding personal qualifications, and language preparation among 
many other qualifications to receive this award. Additionally, she 
served as an intern for California Assemblymember Adam Gray in 2014. 
Ms. Bermudez shows her dedication and hard work as the first student 
from the University of California, Merced to ever receive a Fulbright 
scholarship.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
achievements of Ms. Danielle Bermudez for receiving this prestigious 
award. I know she will continue to encourage the Fulbright program's 
goals of promoting mutual understanding among nations through her 
engagement in her host community and look forward to hear what else she 
will accomplish next.

                          ____________________