[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 61 (Monday, April 16, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E468]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING JENNIFER GONZALEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 16, 2018

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. 
Jennifer Gonzalez and remember her life, which was tragically cut short 
on March 9, 2018.
  Ms. Gonzalez grew up in Mountain View, California where she was 
raised with her three brothers. She attended St. Martin of Tours School 
and graduated from Saint Francis High School. She continued her 
education at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and earned her 
Doctor of Psychology from Palo Alto University. When she returned to 
the South Bay she helped establish the Veterans Resource Center at San 
Jose State University, which provided direct Veterans Affairs services 
for our transitioning men and women.
  Social work was Ms. Gonzalez's calling. She was committed to treating 
veterans with post-traumatic stress through her work at The Pathway 
Home and PsychArmor. Her father, Mike Gonzalez, said she had empathy 
and compassion for the veterans she worked with and ``wanted to be in 
the weeds with them.'' Local veterans described her as dedicated to her 
cause and warm and friendly to all she met. She was a giving person who 
was always trying to help other people.
  On March 18, 2017, Ms. Gonzalez married T.J. Shushereba in 
Sacramento. Mr. Shushereba said that five hours into their first date 
he was smitten. Ms. Gonzalez was six months pregnant and she and her 
husband were excited to meet their first child, whose gender was to be 
a surprise.
  Her father lovingly described her as ``the Halley's Comet of great 
daughters.'' She was a devoted granddaughter. She visited her 
grandmother every other week and would sing to her and care for her.
  Mr. Speaker, Jennifer Gonzalez was a compassionate and altruistic 
person who was dedicated to social justice and helping veterans build 
positive lives. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor her 
here today.

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