Congratulating Eyole Mbongo

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Eyole M. Mbongo of San Antonio, Texas, who received the Outstanding Congressional Staffer Award on December 1, 2023 from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) in recognition of his exceptional dedication to advancing equity in education.

In 2014, Mr. Mbongo joined my Congressional staff as an intern while completing his master's degree in public administration at the University of Texas, San Antonio. After his graduation, I hired him as a constituent services representative in my district office, where he worked to help residents of the 20th District of Texas access programs and services within the federal government. After almost two years in my district office, he joined my staff in Washington D.C., where he now serves as a senior legislative assistant.

Over the course of his work with my office, Mr. Mbongo has led the fight to bring hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding back to San Antonio schools and universities--helping them chart a path forward through the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic and close racial and socioeconomic gaps in college attendance and completion.

During the current session of Congress, Mr. Mbongo has been a critical advisor in the introduction of several bills and resolutions, including:

The Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment Act (HERE Act), which would authorize a grant program to support partnerships between Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and school districts with high enrollment of Latino students to improve college readiness and degree attainment.

The Advanced Coursework Equity Act, which would authorize a grant program to address equity gaps in enrollment and performance in advanced programs and courses.

A resolution to designate the week beginning on September 11, 2023 as National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week.

There is no one more qualified or deserving of this award than Mr. Mbongo, and I am grateful to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities for recognizing the profound impact of his work.

I congratulate Mr. Mbongo--he makes San Antonio proud.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source