[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25754]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       A TRIBUTE TO HILMA SHANNON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2004

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Hilma Shannon, who through 
hard work and determination has realized her dream to teach in the 
United States, serving a vital role in the education of our diverse 
community.
  Hilma was born in the Republic of Panama in the City of Colon to Enos 
Williams and Lillian Francis. Her education in Panama consisted of 
training in elementary education in both high school and college. She 
taught school in Panama for 7 years. In 1971, Hilma married and, now, 
has one daughter, Gavianna. In 1974, she immigrated to the United 
States and settled in Brooklyn. Her first job was at the Ace of Suede 
Leather Cleaners where she worked for 10 years.
  Hilma's command of the English language needed a lot of work and with 
the assistance of her daughter, she read and studied constantly to 
improve her grammar, diction, and general ability to communicate in 
English. In 1984, she applied for a job with the New York Board of 
Education to fulfill her dream of teaching again. She was assigned to 
work as an educational assistant in 1985 at Walt Whitman I.S. 246. Her 
work included visits to the homes of students who were chronic 
absentees to encourage their consistent attendance. She took advantage 
of the Board of Education's Career Ladder program to become a teacher, 
graduating in 1989 from the College of New Rochelle with a Bachelor of 
Arts degree majoring in Education and Psychology. In addition, she 
completed a Masters in Guidance and Counseling and an Advanced 
Certificate in Guidance and Counseling. Upon completing both degrees 
she received the prestigious Lester Crow Award and was offered an 
adjunct position in the Guidance Graduate program.
  In 1992, Hilma was assigned to Abraham Lincoln High School as a 
Bilingual Spanish Guidance Counselor and is there today. She has worked 
with students from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. She 
coordinates ``La Herencia Hispana (Lincoln's 1st Spanish Club), the 
Young Scholars program, The Choice Program, the Liberty Partnerships 
program with Kingsborough Community College just to name a few. At 
Lincoln High School, she has also taught Art Appreciation in the after-
school program in addition to serving as a full-time Guidance 
counselor. She participates in Lincoln's Key Club-European Exchange 
program traveling with the club members to Italy, Austria, Czech 
Republic, and recently to Denmark.
  Lastly, Hilma is a Jehovah Witness and dedicates time to helping 
others understand the Bible. She is the proud grandmother of grandson 
Kumar, and the mother-in-law of Jerome.
  Mr. Speaker, Hilma Shannon serves as an inspiration to us all through 
her accomplishments and commitment to educating our children. As such, 
she is more than worthy of receiving our recognition today, and I urge 
my colleagues to join me in honoring this truly remarkable person.

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