[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11562]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING MARIA DEHARO ON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT AS DIRECTOR OF 
     MIGRANT EDUCATION FOR THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RAUL RUIZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 14, 2015

  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mrs. Deharo on 
her well-deserved retirement as Director of Migrant Education, after 35 
years of educational service in various capacities in Coachella Valley, 
especially on behalf of migrant farmworkers families and children in 
Riverside County.
  For more than thirty years, Mrs. Deharo dedicated both her career and 
her life to improving the lives of hundreds of migrant children and 
their families. In the face of adversity, and despite a chronic lack of 
resources, Mrs. Deharo has successfully helped students graduate from 
high school and attend college, enhancing not only their lives, but 
their community as a whole.
  Mrs. Deharo's involvement with students goes beyond the classroom. 
She routinely participated in countless student and family events, from 
after-school tutoring and summer college institutes, to home visits. 
Mrs. Deharo vision to bring services to students in their communities 
became a reality when she fought and received funding for a bookmobile, 
which helps migrant children and families by strengthening their 
literacy skills through computer training, story time, arts and crafts 
and free books.
  In her long and successful career, Mrs. Deharo, worked as a teacher 
for ten years at the Coachella Valley Unified School District, she was 
a School Facilitator for three years, Bilingual Coordinator for three 
years, and a Principal for 9 years. Mrs. Deharo also served as the 
Riverside County Office of Education Director of Migrant Education for 
11 years. As proof of her achievement and leadership, county offices 
and district from across the great state of California have requested 
her assistance with their migrant education programs.
  Mrs. Deharo understands firsthand the difficulties that these 
children face. Having someone like Mrs. Deharo by our side is a 
blessing and an inspiration to achieve the American Dream.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all the thousands of children and families 
that had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Deharo, and the residents of 
California's 36th Congressional District, I would like to offer my 
sincerest thanks and congratulate Mrs. Deharo for her passion and pride 
for educational excellence. I wish her well in her well-deserved 
retirement.

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