In recognition of New Mexican Organizations recognized as "Bright Spots" by the White House initiative on educational excellence for hispanics
Floor Speech
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Mr. BEN RAY LUJAN of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to
recognize three New Mexican organizations that have gone above and
beyond in serving Hispanic students in my home state of New Mexico.
Their outstanding work earned them recognition by the White House
Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics as ``Bright Spots.''
Bright Spots are described as organizations or programs that help to
close the achievement gap.
A total of six organizations in New Mexico have been recognized by
the White House and three of those organizations are located in New
Mexico's third congressional district. The Los Alamos National
Laboratory Foundation (LANLF) encourages Hispanic academic excellence
through the support of educational programs. LANLF created programs to
support early childhood learning, STEM elementary education, as well as
college/workforce development. The second organization in our district
is New Mexico Highlands University's Achieving in Research Math and
Science (ARMAS). ARMAS has increased the number of Hispanic students
earning a Bachelor's of Science degree in a STEM field at the
university level. The third organization to receive recognition within
our district is Santa Fe YouthWorks! This is a program
dedicated to targeting at-risk youth in order to ensure that they have
the educational, leadership and life skills to succeed and get ahead.
These programs help raise awareness about Hispanic education and the
need to address the achievement gap while serving as models of best
practices for successfully engaging our diverse population. Together,
these programs have helped countless Hispanics achieve academic and
social success. These organizations have had a tremendous effect within
their particular communities and on New Mexico as a state, by
increasing the number of Hispanic students who attain educational
degrees. I applaud these outstanding organizations for contributing to
Hispanic academic success in New Mexico.
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