[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 29, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CELEBRATING BELLARMINE COLLEGE PREPARATORY'S 175TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SAM T. LICCARDO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 29, 2026

  Mr. LICCARDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleagues, 
Representative Ro Khanna and Representative Zoe Lofgren, to celebrate 
Bellarmine College Preparatory on the extraordinary occasion of its 
175th anniversary. As the oldest Jesuit secondary school in California, 
Bellarmine embodies a tradition that uniquely combines academic 
excellence, moral formation, and enduring contributions to the broader 
community and the world. Founded in 1851 as Santa Clara Preparatory, 
part of what was then Santa Clara College, Bellarmine grew alongside 
the City of San Jose. For nearly two centuries, the school has rooted 
its mission in the Jesuit tradition of educating the whole person--
mind, body, and spirit--with a deep commitment to service. Through 
extensive service-learning programs, the school encourages students to 
engage meaningfully with the world around them. Bellarmine students 
contribute thousands of hours each year to community service--
supporting local shelters, tutoring underserved youth, assisting food 
banks, and partnering with nonprofit organizations throughout the 
region. These efforts cultivate in students a lifelong dedication to 
justice, compassion, and civic responsibility.
  The school's emphasis on forming ``men for and with others''--core to 
the Jesuit mission--guides its daily work. Bellarmine cultivates 
generations of leaders who go on to serve in public office, education, 
business, and the nonprofit sector. I am one of three Bellarmine alumni 
to have served as mayor to San Jose's one million residents. Numerous 
others have demonstrated their leadership as founders and C-suite 
executives of major Silicon Valley companies, as executive directors of 
impactful non-profit organizations, as educators at top universities, 
as California legislators, as Rhodes Scholars, as gold-medal-winning 
Olympians, and as NFL and MLB all-stars. More than their achievement, 
however, Bellarmine alumni have stood out for their service to the 
world. This legacy reflects Bellarmine's ability to inspire young 
people to pursue lives of purpose and service.
  Bellarmine also demonstrates an impressive commitment to access and 
opportunity. Through financial aid programs and institutional support, 
no student who meets Bellarmine's rigorous academic standards for 
admission is turned away for his family's inability to pay tuition. The 
school's extensive scholarship program opens its doors to talented 
students from socioeconomic backgrounds, building a student body that 
increasingly reflects the extraordinary diversity of San Jose. This 
commitment strengthens both the school community and the broader 
region, as graduates embrace values of inclusion and equity in their 
professional and civic lives.
  At Bellarmine, Jesuits actively teach, mentor, and guide students, 
creating an environment where young people feel known, receive support, 
and embrace challenges that faster growth. Through classroom 
instruction, campus ministry, retreats, and weekly Mass, the school 
fosters reflection, ethical leadership, and spiritual development that 
continue to shape students long after graduation. Bellarmine's 
academic, athletic, and extracurricular programs further enrich the 
cultural and civic fabric of the community. Bellarmine students 
routinely excel in statewide and national competitions across a wide 
variety of pursuits: athletics, speech and debate, robotics, chess, 
National Merit Scholarships, and every other means by which students 
can learn to overcome life's barriers to excel, and to inspire others 
to do so.
  Mr. Speaker, for 175 years, Bellarmine College Preparatory has upheld 
the highest ideals of Jesuit education--academic rigor, moral 
integrity, and a steadfast commitment to service. I ask my colleagues 
to join me in congratulating the entire Bellarmine community--students, 
faculty, staff, alumni, and families--on this remarkable milestone. May 
Bellarmine continue to inspire and form future generations of leaders 
dedicated to building a more just and compassionate world.

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