[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 58 (Wednesday, April 3, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE MIAMI WINNERS OF C-SPAN'S 2019 STUDENTCAM COMPETITION

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                         HON. DONNA E. SHALALA

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 3, 2019

  Ms. SHALALA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of two groups 
of Miami high school students who were among the winners of C-SPAN's 
2019 StudentCam documentary filmmaking competition. The StudentCam 
competition tasked middle and high schoolers with creating a 
documentary that addressed the question ``What Does it Mean to Be 
American?'' Dahlia Harris, Neena Deosaran, and Ceci Richardson, 
students at South Miami Middle School, won third prize for their 
documentary What is Your Limit, which addressed the issue of gun 
violence. The Immigrant Dream, by Bianca Vucetich, Javier Pujols, and 
Aimet Ruiz of iPrep Academy in Miami earned an honorable mention.
  What is Your Limit centers on its title's question: what is our limit 
before we act to counter the epidemic of gun violence in our country? 
They focus on the young students whose lives are torn apart by school 
shootings, who fear for their safety sitting in classrooms. These young 
directors have more insight into what needs to be done to stop gun 
violence than many adults. This documentary holds us all to account for 
what we need to do if we do not want America to be defined by our gun 
violence.
  The Immigrant Dream is both a stunning indictment of the anti-
immigrant rhetoric and policies in the United States in recent years as 
well as a celebration of all that immigrants have brought to our 
country. Watching their work celebrate the diversity of the United 
States, I am filled with pride in remembrance of my own grandparents' 
journey to this country from Lebanon. These young directors remind us 
there is more that unites us than divides us.
  Dahlia Harris, Neena Deosaran, Ceci Richardson, Bianca Vucetich, 
Javier Pujols, and Aimet Ruiz exemplify the incredible talent, 
intellect of South Florida. I am pleased to celebrate their 
achievements as documentarians and look forward to seeing all achieve 
in the future.

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