[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16027]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING DR. EDUARDO J. PADRON ON RECEIVING THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL 
                               OF FREEDOM

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and congratulate 
Dr. Eduardo Padron, president of my alma mater, Miami Dade College, for 
receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  As a fellow refugee who escaped the Castro regime, I was honored to 
help lead the effort to nominate Dr. Padron for this meritorious 
recognition. He has always made it his life's work to advocate on 
behalf of underserved populations.
  Through his expert guidance and leadership, Dr. Padron has propelled 
Miami Dade College into national prominence by improving student 
access, retention, and graduation, as well as helping them with their 
professional achievements.
  Today, MDC enrolls and graduates more minority students than any 
other institution of higher education in the country.
  Congratulations to Dr. Padron on receiving our Nation's highest 
civilian honor. South Florida and the MDC community could not be more 
proud of you.

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