[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 183 (Monday, November 6, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1063-E1064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING MS. MARIA GAMBOA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MATT GAETZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, November 6, 2023

  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Maria Gamboa, 
an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Interpreter in the 
Okaloosa County School District. As an employee with more than 25 years 
of service, Ms. Gamboa worked in Exceptional Student Education (ESE) at 
Crestview High School for 13 years before spending the past 14 years as 
an ESOL Interpreter at Pryor Middle School and now Choctawhatchee High 
School.
  At Choctaw, Ms. Gamboa offers academic support both in the classroom 
and in the afterschool tutoring program. She provides the right level 
of encouragement while also holding students accountable for attending 
school and taking advantage of the opportunities which lead to 
graduation. Ms. Gamboa has also assisted in implementing a monthly 
English Language Learners (ELL) Parent Information Night to better 
inform families about high school life. Furthermore, she assisted in 
creating a weekly language acquisition class for any ELL family that 
wants to strengthen their English skills.
  According to her principal, Michelle Heck, Ms. Gamboa has ``earned 
the respect, admiration, and love of our Choctaw staff because of her 
kind-hearted self, always making time to lend an ear to any and all who 
need someone to listen, bountiful amounts of patience and her endless 
generosity to our students, parents, and staff members alike.''
  Ms. Gamboa is a mother to five Okaloosa County School graduates, all 
of whom have received college scholarships. She is a firm believer that 
every family deserves the opportunity to be equipped with the necessary 
resources to help their child succeed in their

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academic life. She expressed her gratitude, saying, ``I am very blessed 
to be able to help Spanish speaking parents and students be successful 
in school.'' I, along with all of Northwest Florida, thank Ms. Gamboa 
for her hard work and dedication to her students and this community.
  On behalf of the United States House of Representatives, I am 
privileged to recognize Ms. Gamboa for her contributions to Northwest 
Florida.

                          ____________________