[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 175 (Monday, November 14, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6662-S6663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DIANE PORTNOY

 Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, today I recognize Ms. Diane 
Portnoy, a renowned educator, advocate, author, and CEO and founder of 
the Immigrant Learning Center in Malden, MA. As the Immigrant Learning 
Center celebrates its 30th anniversary, I am honored to acknowledge Ms. 
Portnoy's extraordinary work.
  As the founder and CEO of the Immigrant Learning Center, a nonprofit 
organization located in Malden, MA, Ms. Portnoy has spent the last 
three decades supporting the educational goals of thousands of 
immigrants from more than 122 countries. Under Ms. Portnoy's 
leadership, the organization has worked to draw attention to the many 
plights that immigrants and refugees face and has helped to amplify 
their voices.
  Ms. Portnoy's own personal experience as an immigrant inspired her to 
start the Immigrant Learning Center. She came to the United States as 
the daughter of Polish Holocaust survivors and witnessed firsthand the 
many challenges immigrant families face when adjusting to life in the 
United States.
  She began her career in education, receiving her bachelor's degree in 
elementary education from Boston University, followed by a master's 
degree in curriculum and instruction from Cornell University. Since the 
founding of the Immigrant Learning Center, local and national groups 
have recognized Ms. Portnoy as both a leader and advocate for the many 
immigrants in Massachusetts. Her dedication, passion, and endless 
resolve has helped shape the Immigrant Learning Center into an 
organization that provides immigrants and refugees with scholastic 
resources, ensures that adults have access to free English language 
classes, disseminates educational information about immigration, and 
conducts essential research on the contributions of immigrants to the 
U.S. economy.
  I am honored to take this opportunity to recognize Ms. Portnoy for 
her tremendous achievements. She has touched many lives, and her work 
at the Immigrant Learning Center will continue to have a lasting impact 
on individuals across Massachusetts and beyond. So, on this 30th 
anniversary of the Immigrant Learning Center, we thank her for her 
service to her community, the Commonwealth, and the country.

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