[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H4131-H4132]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING JAKE'S JOURNEY HOME
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from California
(Mr. Kiley) for 30 minutes.
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jake's Journey
Home, a local nonprofit in my district.
In September 2019, Jake Shuman, a Seabee veteran and small business
owner, passed away unexpectedly. He left behind not just his loving
friends and family but also a legacy of empathy, generosity, and
humility.
In an effort to continue Jake's powerful legacy, his mother, Jean
Shuman, founded Jake's Journey Home. This nonprofit has taken up the
mission of assisting unhoused veterans and community members
experiencing a life path change.
Jake's Journey Home provides the necessary wraparound support
services and resources to those in need to fight against the growing
problem of poverty and to help someone's tomorrow be better than today.
With the strong support of the community, the organization obtained a
mobile day center last year to help connect people with VA benefits,
mental health aid, drug and alcohol abuse support, job skills, medical
assistance, and life coaching. Their mission is ongoing, with goals to
expand their services into a permanent building.
Jake's Journey Home is a pillar in our community, and it is a true
honor to represent in Congress exceptional organizations such as this
one.
On behalf of the United States House of Representatives, I am honored
to recognize Jake's Journey Home for outstanding service and
contributions to the Folsom community and greater Sacramento region.
Recognizing Judd Symons
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 2023 EMS
Provider of the Year for Inyo County, Judd Symons, for his remarkable
accomplishments and contributions in the southern portions of the Third
Congressional District.
Mr. Symons' career in the Bishop area began when he was only in high
school, during which he became certified as an emergency medical
technician. For 3 years of his high school career, and a few summers
following, he also served on the local search and rescue team.
He went on to earn his certification as a paramedic from the
Stanford-Foothill Paramedic Program. Shortly thereafter, in 1989, at
just 21 years old, he and his father began their local family business,
an ambulance service named Symons Emergency Services.
With over three decades of offering superior emergency medical
services, this establishment has become a leading provider in our
region. Relied upon by many, his ambulance service provides care to
those across many different types of geographic landscapes, from urban
cities to the rural High Sierras to the remote wilderness.
Even in the face of obstacles, Mr. Symons' continued dedication to
his community and commitment to the well-being of Inyo County residents
and the surrounding area is inspiring.
As a longtime owner and operator of this service, Mr. Symons is
regarded by others as an individual with professionalism, care, hands-
on involvement, and a unique ability to remain calm under pressure.
On behalf of the United States House of Representatives, I am honored
to join the Inyo County community in thanking Judd Symons for his many
years of distinguished service and leadership in both emergency medical
services and search and rescue operations.
Recognizing Helen Chu
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of National Zookeeper
Appreciation Week, I wish to take a moment to recognize an outstanding
zookeeper in my district, Helen Chu.
Ms. Chu serves locally at the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary. The zoo is
home to many rescued wild and domestic animals, including bears, wolf
hybrids, monkeys, birds, cougars, insects, and more.
Ms. Chu has worked for the Folsom Zoo since 2019, but her service to
wildlife has been lifelong. She graduated from the University of
California Davis with a degree in wildlife, fish, and conservation
biology and also earned a degree in exotic animal training and
management from Moorpark College.
Prior to bringing this knowledge to the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary,
Ms. Chu worked with animals as a zookeeper for the Fresno Chaffee Zoo
and the Sacramento Zoo.
In Folsom, Ms. Chu has contributed significantly to the zoo's
positive reinforcement animal training and behavioral enrichment
programs, improving the quality of life of the animals.
Her diligent efforts and unique ability to problem solve have helped
animals with health challenges participate in veterinary care without
undue stress or danger to the animals and staff.
Throughout her tenure, she has exhibited the core values of a
zookeeper through teamwork, excellence, and patience.
Her leadership and dedication to the care and well-being of the
animals and the experience of Folsom residents is truly admirable.
On behalf of the United States House of Representatives, I am honored
to recognize Helen Chu and thank her for her service to the Folsom
community.
Recognizing California's Third Congressional District Interns
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I will take a moment in the spirit of
National Intern Day to recognize several truly exemplary individuals
currently interning in my Washington, D.C., and district offices.
Over the course of their internships, these students and recent
graduates have embodied the essence of public service.
They have made the government accessible to their neighbors by
leading guided tours of the Capitol, ensured that people's voices are
heard by taking down their concerns and sharing
[[Page H4132]]
them with me, and even helping people renew their passports and access
the services and benefits they are entitled to from the Federal
Government.
In my D.C. office, I am proud to have Alex McDonald, Khori Cranford,
and Giavanna Chopra.
Alex grew up in Willows, California, just outside our congressional
district. He has long had a passion for politics and public service. He
even remembers watching the Obama-Romney debates from over a decade
ago. Impressively, he is going into his sophomore year at Yale
University, studying political science.
Khori graduated this past May from CSU Fresno with a degree in
political science. She has also embraced her Armenian heritage and was
selected to participate in the highly competitive Armenian Assembly of
America as part of the Terjenian-Thomas internship this summer. After
her summer here, she will work toward earning a master's degree in
communications at San Diego State University.
Giavanna has been incredibly active in public service since a young
age. She previously served as an intern in my State assembly office and
as a deputy campaign manager on my race last year. During the same time
period, she also won a national debate title and created a program to
mentor young debaters. She will be entering college this fall at
Northwestern University and, not surprisingly, was recruited to join
Northwestern's debate team.
In my district office in Rocklin, I am proud to have Jaime Robles,
Emma Worden, and Raghava Kodavatikanti, who are serving there as
interns.
Jaime recently graduated from Sierra College in Rocklin and will be
attending UC Berkeley in the spring to major in economics. He served as
vice president and student senator of the Sierra College Student
Senate, vice president of student engagement for the social science
club, and is a Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society member. Jaime is also
bilingual, and I have recently been impressed with his ability to
utilize that skill to serve our Spanish-speaking residents.
Emma is originally from the district, graduating recently from
Whitney High School, and is pursuing a degree in economics and
politics. Our Rocklin team and I have especially appreciated her
leadership, teamwork, and collaborative approach in our office.
Raghava recently graduated from the rigorous IB program at Mira Loma
High School and will be attending UCLA this fall, majoring in political
science. Similar to Giavanna, he also had an early interest in public
service. Raghava previously interned in my State assembly office, as
well as for the California State treasurer and Sacramento district
attorney's offices. He also serves as a youth advisory executive board
member and moderator for the California Coalition for Youth.
Mr. Speaker, every single one of these six individuals has been a
tremendous help to me and our team in serving the people of the Third
Congressional District of California, and I am incredibly grateful that
they have chosen to invest their time and talents with us.
On behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives, I thank them for
their commitment to public service.
Recognizing Tyler Tate
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I will also say a few words about someone who
is a model for all of these interns working at our offices here in D.C.
and back home in Rocklin, someone who is a former intern himself and a
constituent, having grown up in our district and graduated from high
school at Woodcreek in Roseville. He has been the communications
director for my office, a role that he will continue up until tomorrow,
when he is starting his first year at Harvard Law School. That is Tyler
Tate.
I first met Tyler in my 2016 campaign for the State assembly. I think
I actually met him in 2015 because we got started pretty early. That
was a true underdog campaign. There were 11 candidates, and Tyler was
really one of the very first people to join and help lead what was
truly a grassroots undertaking.
He went on to go to Georgetown for college and actually interned in
my State assembly office and quickly gained a reputation as everyone's
favorite intern. That is why I say he is a model on National Intern
Day.
After college, Tyler got some experience in D.C. He did a stint at
the White House. When I was running for Congress last year, I was in
need of a campaign manager, and I couldn't think of anyone better for
the job.
I was continually impressed by his mastery of the nuts and bolts of
running a campaign, such as delivering the yard signs or designing
precinct blocks, but also more intangible qualities of leadership, like
his ability to inspire a very dedicated team of volunteers.
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Just as one indication of the caliber of people he got involved, two
of the interns he attracted to join the campaign will actually be
joining him at Harvard next year where they will be starting
themselves, respectively at the college and the law school.
After I was elected and took office, Tyler became our communications
director. I would wager there is not a better or more dedicated
communications director on Capitol Hill.
Shortly after I was sworn in, my district was hit by a series of
truly devastating storms that wreaked havoc on many communities, and
without having had more than perhaps a week or so in the office, Tyler
threw himself into the very complicated but vitally important task of
getting important information to all of our constituents on how they
could deal with the storm and the resources that were available.
That quality of service has continued throughout his time with us. He
does everything from dealing with the media and setting up press
appearances to writing and editing our weekly newsletter and other
releases that go out, and advising me on important matters of policy.
Through it all, he has truly demonstrated a remarkable ability to
understand the nuances of politics and policy in a way that is really
hard to believe knowing he is only a few years out of college. You
would think he was a seasoned veteran of Capitol Hill.
When I wrote a letter of recommendation for him for law school, I was
halfway tempted to sabotage the whole thing so that I could selfishly
keep him with our office. I was not surprised at all when he got
accepted. I know he is going to excel in law school. He will be a great
lawyer, but I think there are also great things ahead of him in public
service, as well.
For those who are watching at home, I would advise them to remember
the name Tyler Tate. I thank Tyler for everything he has done to help
me serve the people of the Third District.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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