[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2897]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING ANNA NOVIKOVA FOR HER SERVICE AS A CONGRESSIONAL PAGE

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                          HON. MELISSA L. BEAN

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2008

  Ms. BEAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Anna Novikova, a 
young woman from Illinois' Eighth District who I was proud to sponsor 
as a Congressional Page for the 2007 fall session.
  Anna, who currently lives with her family in Palatine, Illinois, 
stands as an example of what can be accomplished through a combination 
of hard work, enthusiasm, and determination.
  Born in Russia as the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Anna immigrated 
to America at age 5. Since that time she has taken full advantage of 
the myriad opportunities available to those of us who are lucky enough 
to come of age in America. She has excelled academically, mastering the 
English language at an early age, participating in her primary school's 
Gifted Child program, and winning the prestigious American Legion Award 
for writing.
  At Palatine High School, she participates in the Foreign Language 
Honor Society and placed as top sophomore in the Illinois Math League 
contest. In addition to these intellectual accomplishments, Anna is a 
talented pianist, a member of her school's choir and newspaper, and a 
dedicated athlete, running on the varsity cross country and track 
teams. Appropriately, she was nominated to Palatine High School's A-
Team for achieving excellence in Athletics, Activities, Arts and 
Attitude.
  When Anna applied to come to the House of Representatives as a page, 
she told me that she wanted to do so not only because of the unique 
opportunity to take part in our democratic process, but also in order 
to give back to her country. She certainly held up her part of the 
bargain, serving honorably as a Congressional Page while excelling 
within the academic curriculum at the Page School.
  At the Page Departure Ceremony at the end of her term, Anna received 
awards that demonstrate two of her most apparent attributes: 
intelligence and dedication. She was honored for her performance in the 
classroom--particularly her expertise in economics--with the Ronald 
Weitzel Award, which is awarded to one page each term who demonstrates 
excellence in social studies. She was also recognized as having perfect 
attendance this semester at the Page School.
  At the close of her term as a page, Anna said that the firsthand view 
of Congress has not disillusioned her about our political process. 
Rather, she feels incredibly lucky to have spent her days on the floor 
of the House of Representatives, heard our impassioned debates over 
SCHIP in person, and been present when the Dalai Lama addressed 
Congress. She came to Washington interested in trade, immigration, and 
gay rights, and is leaving passionate about the same issues but with 
more nuanced views on them.
  Anna said while she has loved her time as a Congressional Page, she 
is also excited to return to Illinois to resume her extracurriculars 
that benefit others, including leading her school's chapter of Students 
for Obama in an effort to engage her fellow students in the political 
process. In the future, she plans to work in the public sector either 
as a diplomat or in some aspect of domestic politics.
  Upon completing her term as a Congressional Page, Anna added another 
impressive accomplishment to her record. Just as importantly, she did 
so while maintaining something that many Americans often take for 
granted--optimism, hope, and belief in the potential of our democratic 
system.

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