[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 756]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING AMANDA TAVARES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 23, 2008

  Mr. ORTIZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Amanda Tavares 
of Robstown, TX, for her hard work in successfully completing the 
Congressional page program. Amanda has been a shining example of the 
potential and leadership skills those selected for this selective honor 
entail.
   Amanda, who hails from my hometown, has taken full advantage of this 
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn firsthand how Congress works 
while gaining valuable experience about the legislative process. She 
excelled in the challenging environment of the Capitol, got to know new 
and interesting people, and attend the prestigious House Page School 
with some of the country's brightest young minds.
  Prior to her time in Washington, DC, Amanda was involved in numerous 
activities at her school and church. She has served as a mentor, tutor, 
and missionary to an orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico. In addition, she has 
done home improvement work with the Nehemiah project of World Changers 
in Norfolk, VA.
  Amanda's sparkling personality and engaging demeanor have been 
appreciated by my office and her fellow pages. The people whom a page 
meets here will be the movers and shakers in the country for the rest 
of their life. Washington, DC, is an exciting place and every page who 
leaves the program tells us the experience profoundly changed their 
life. Amanda has shared that sentiment and I have no doubt that her 
time as page will influence her goals.
  As Amanda heads back to Texas, I am sure that she will take many of 
the lessons learned here and apply to her all life and activities. I am 
proud of hard work and accomplishments, despite being so far from her 
home and her family. I wish her the best of luck when she returns to 
school, and know she will use her experiences here to go on and do 
great things.

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