[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24094]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   IN HONOR OF LAURA MUNOZ-VELAZQUEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 17, 2004

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Laura Munoz-
Velazquez, who was named (LULAC) League of United and Latin American 
Citizens Woman of the Year. Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez is one of several 
outstanding women who were nominated for this prestigious award.
  Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez was born in Colusa, California to a family of 
farm workers. Her parents, Juanita Castanon Munoz and Lucas Placenica 
Munoz, always stressed the importance of education and encouraged her 
to go to college. Laura heeded her parents, and in 1973, graduated from 
California State University Chico with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 
Psychology. Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez also obtained an Elementary Teaching 
Credential and began teaching kindergarten for the Marysville School 
District. Soon after her time there, she moved to San Benito County 
with her husband, Felipe Velasquez, and has been teaching for the 
Hollister School District since 1975. They have four sons: Richard, 
Adrian, Alejo, and Junior.
  While she was growing up, Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez attended a school 
system that did not support maintaining Spanish language while learning 
to write and speak in English. Because she recognized the value of 
having a good grasp of two languages, she purposely chose to become a 
bilingual teacher, allowing her to reclaim her primary language and 
culture. Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez truly believes in providing and promoting 
bilingualism and biliteracy, which she feels is instrumental in the 
success of children learning a second language.
  Of course, with her giving nature, Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez knows how 
significant it is to give back to the community and has been involved 
with multiple organizations such as the United Way, American Cancer 
Society (ACS), Children with Attention Deficit Disorders (CHADD), 
Mexican American Community on Education (MACE), and League of United 
and Latin American Citizens Council (LULAC) #2890. She has also taught 
religion classes at Sacred Heart Church, preparing many young ones for 
Holy Communion.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. 
Laura Munoz-Velazquez for the outstanding work she's done in my 
district. I would like to honor and congratulate her on her 
accomplishments and express my sincere gratitude for her commitment to 
the community.

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