[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 168 (Friday, October 13, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING SAMUEL VILCHEZ SANTIAGO FOR HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DARREN SOTO

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 13, 2023

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, Samuel Vilchez Santiago, 
originally from Venezuela, came to the United States at an early age, 
escaping political persecution from Venezuela's authoritarian regime. 
He is a non-profit leader and advocate who has dedicated his 
professional career to fighting to protect the rights of Floridians.
  Samuel has served as the Florida state director for the American 
Business Immigration Coalition, the human and civil rights non-profit 
manager at ActBlue, and the Florida campaign manager at the Leadership 
Conference on Civil and Human Rights, among others. He is also a board 
member at Alianza Center, the HOPE Community Center, and the Venezuelan 
American Caucus. He also served as a member of the Orange County 
Charter Review Commission in 2020, becoming the youngest member of a 
county board in Orange County history. Through these roles, Samuel has 
helped to effectively design and implement policies that have improved 
the quality of life of those around him, including protecting in-state 
tuition access for Dreamers in Florida, the designation and re-
designation of TPS for 800,000 Venezuelans, the creation of the 
humanitarian parole program, and the critical environmental protections 
to clean water and the Split Oak forest.
  Samuel has also worked to advance Democratic values and candidates at 
the local, state, and federal levels. He currently serves as the chair 
of the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee and is a member of 
the Democratic National Committee, making him the first Gen-Z person to 
hold both of these leadership roles. In 2018, he led a successful 
youth-run campaign to elect Johanna Lopez to the Orange County School 
Board, making her the first Latina member of the Board.
  Samuel graduated as valedictorian from Colonial High School in 2015 
and obtained a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a Master 
of Public Policy from the University of Oxford. He is a recipient of 
former President Barack Obama's Volunteer Service Award, the 
Congressional Youth Award, and the Eisenhower Fellowship.

                          ____________________