[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 195 (Wednesday, November 19, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H4779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING DANIEL ``POGO'' POGORZELSKI

  (Mrs. Ramirez of Illinois was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor the life of Daniel 
``Pogo'' Pogorzelski, a proud Polish-American uplifting his heritage, 
community, and the city that I love.
  The son of Polish immigrants, Pogo's pride in his heritage and love 
for his community drive him to fight for a thriving, multiracial, and 
multicultural Chicago.
  Because of his advocacy and his partnership, in Illinois, we 
recognize Milwaukee Avenue as the Polish Heritage Corridor to celebrate 
Polish culture, support a vibrant economic center, and keep communities 
together.
  Across various roles, Pogo has demonstrated his commitment to seeing 
his community rise, including as executive director of Avondale's 
Chamber of Commerce, where he developed initiatives to attract visitors 
to the community and help generate revenue for local small businesses, 
or connecting Polish neighbors who speak English as a second language 
to resources that help them thrive.
  Pogo is the embodiment of public service and commitment to diversity 
and unity.
  On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it is my honor 
to commend Daniel Pogorzelski, better known as Pogo, for his dedicated 
public service and advocacy, which reminds us that heritage is both a 
legacy and a force for change.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Pogo.


                        Honoring Carolina Carchi

  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Carolina Carchi, an 
inspirational Latina who has gone above and beyond to help her 
``classmates''; ``companeros de escuela'' succeed.
  Raised in West Humboldt Park by immigrant parents from Mexico and 
Ecuador, Carolina once again demonstrated her exceptional courage and 
perseverance as she was battling leukemia as a child.
  As a teen, Carolina once again demonstrated her leadership when her 
high school faced severe staffing shortages. Due to those shortages, 
Carolina stepped up to provide peer-to-peer education in algebra and 
chemistry. She designed lesson plans during free periods, printed 
materials at a local FedEx, and even used her own money to buy school 
supplies for her classmates.
  In her senior year, Carolina served as a Chicago Board of Education's 
honorary student board member, advocating for more than 300,000 
students across the district.

  Carolina is now studying at Northwestern University, where she is 
pursuing a degree in teaching, something that she has some experience 
in already.
  On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it is my honor 
to commend Carolina Carchi for her perseverance and dedication to 
quality, culturally competent education that helps our Latino community 
break the glass ceilings.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Carolina.


                           Honoring Paul Levy

  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of Paul 
Levy, a Chicagoan who cultivated unique spaces for artists and 
entrepreneurs to strengthen partnerships, build community, and thrive.
  Paul possessed the ability to see beauty and potential in overlooked, 
abandoned spaces and buildings. Paul used his skills, resources, and 
vision to rehabilitate and revive two notable industrial buildings in 
Chicago, the Bridgeport Art Center on the South Side and Rockwell on 
the River, in Illinois' Third Congressional District.
  Each stands as a notable achievement, transforming industrial space 
into inviting, thriving, multidisciplinary hubs for artists and 
entrepreneurs working across boundaries and disciplines.
  Rockwell on the River in Illinois' Third Congressional District 
transformed what was once a century-old, vacant tannery into a space to 
gather, eat, and celebrate. Each building is an ecosystem of art and a 
bridge between Chicago's industrial history and its creative future.
  On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it is my 
privilege to submit this commendation into the record to honor the 
creative legacy of Paul Levy.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Paul, and may he rest in peace and power.

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