[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 8] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 11204] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov][[Page 11204]] HONORING LEELA DE SOUZA AS A WHITE HOUSE FELLOW ______ HON. BOBBY L. RUSH of illinois in the house of representatives Wednesday, May 26, 1999 Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure today that I rise to commend Leela de Souza of Chicago, Illinois in recognition of her achievements this year as a distinguished White House Fellow. A native of Chicago, Ms. de Souza graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Chicago, earning an AB in biopsychology. She received her MBA degree from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. After college, she moved to Spain and became a volunteer teacher at the American School of Madrid. Prior to college, at the age of 18, she became a professional ballet dancer. By age 23, she was the prima ballerina for the Hubbard Street Dance Company, one of America's preeminent contemporary dance troupes. Ms. de Souza is a management consultant with McKinsey & Co. In San Francisco, where she works with clients in the packaged goods, energy and health care industries. In addition to her professional career, she has done extensive pro bono work with two national symphonies. Ms. de Souza has also been involved as a mentor and tutor in the I Have a Dream Program in East Palo Alto, California, and serves on the Business Arts Council of San Francisco. Established in 1965, the White House Fellowship program honors outstanding citizens across the United States who demonstrate excellence in community service, leadership, academic and professional endeavors. The nearly 500 alumni of the program have gone on to become leaders in all fields of endeavors, fulfilling the fellowship's mission to encourage active citizenship and service to the nation. It is the nation's most prestigious fellowship for public service and leadership development. As a White House Fellow, Ms. de Souza serves in a position with the Office of the First Lady. She works at the White House Millennium Council to help create national projects and initiatives to celebrate the promise of the new millennium. In this capacity, Ms. de Souza assists with various initiatives such as Millennium Evenings at the White House and Save America's Treasures. She is also the acting liaison with several of the First Lady's millennium projects, including speech writing, federal agency millennium initiatives, and with non- governmental organizations seeking to partner with the White House on national millennium projects. Mr. Speaker and fellow colleagues, it is an honor to pay tribute to Leela de Souza for her outstanding service as a White House Fellow. ____________________