[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 121 (Tuesday, July 18, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO YOUNG STAFF MEMBERS FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE 
   PEOPLE OF THE 18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF TEXAS AND THE UNITED 
                                 STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 18, 2017

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as Members of Congress we know well, 
perhaps better than most, how blessed our nation is to have in reserve 
such exceptional young men and women who will go on to become leaders 
in their local communities, states, and the nation in the areas of 
business, education, government, philanthropy, the arts and culture, 
and the military.
  We know this because we see them and benefit from their contributions 
every day. Many of them work for us in our offices as junior staff 
members, congressional fellows, or interns and they do amazing work for 
and on behalf of the constituents we are privileged to represent.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe there is no higher calling than the call to 
serve a cause larger than ourselves. That is why I ran for public 
office. I was inspired to serve by President Kennedy who said, ``Ask 
not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your 
country,'' and by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said:
  ``Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. . . . You only 
need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.''
  By this measure, there are several other great young men and women 
who served as volunteers this year in my offices. They may toil in 
obscurity but their contributions to the constituents we serve are 
deeply appreciated. That is why today I rise to pay tribute to 14 
extraordinary young persons for their service to my constituents in the 
18th Congressional District of Texas and to the American people. They 
are: Tiffany Williams from Spelman College and Stanford University; 
German Barbosa from the University of Houston; Whitley Pannell from 
Hampton University; Walter Abrego Sara Ali from Texas Tech University; 
Hadeel Abdallah from the University of Kentucky; Kaleb Taylor from 
Texas Southern University; Astrid Guerra from Georgetown University; 
Jeremiah Sung-Eun Kim from Cornell University; Naiya Speight-Leggett of 
Yale University; Marshall Forney of Morehouse College; Courtney 
Fontaine of Texas Tech University; Brock Bennett of Morehouse College; 
Ahmad Awwal of Texas Tech University; and Isabela Belchior from 
University of Houston Law Center.
  Mr. Speaker, the energy, intelligence, and idealism these wonderful 
young people brought to my office and those interning in the offices of 
my colleagues help keep our democracy vibrant. The insights, skills, 
and knowledge of the governmental process they gain from their 
experiences will last a lifetime and prove invaluable to them as they 
go about making their mark in this world.
  Because of persons like them the future of our country is bright and 
its best days lie ahead. I wish them all well.
  Mr. Speaker, I am grateful that such thoughtful committed young men 
and women can be found working in my office, those of my colleagues, 
and in every community in America. Their good works will keep America 
great, good, and forever young.

                          ____________________