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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership |
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School in Dallas is commemorating in 2017-2018 its 14th year of |
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providing an outstanding education to area youth, and this occasion |
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offers a welcome opportunity to recognize the school as well as its |
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namesake, the Honorable Irma Rangel; and |
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WHEREAS, Opened in the Oak Lawn neighborhood in the fall of |
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2004, the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School is a |
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magnet program of the Dallas Independent School District; the first |
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all-girls public school in Dallas, it was established so that |
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teachers could tailor their instruction to the particular ways in |
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which girls learn; and |
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WHEREAS, Through leadership seminars, weekly advisory |
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meetings, and partnerships with educational and cultural |
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organizations, the school provides students with a rigorous |
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college-preparatory course of study; the project-oriented |
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curriculum emphasizes math, science, and technology but also offers |
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ample learning opportunities in foreign languages and humanities; |
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in addition to equipping students with an excellent academic |
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foundation, the school encourages its youth to develop a strong |
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sense of ethics and civic responsibility and to become leaders in |
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their community; and |
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WHEREAS, It is fitting that such an admirable and progressive |
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institution be named for Irma Rangel, a trailblazer who worked |
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tirelessly as a member of the Texas Legislature to improve the |
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state's public school and higher education systems; an educator |
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herself early in her career, Ms. Rangel taught for 14 years in |
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Texas, California, and Venezuela before earning a degree from St. |
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Mary's University School of Law in 1969; after clerking for a |
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federal district judge and serving as an assistant district |
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attorney, she returned to her hometown of Kingsville in 1973 to |
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practice law; and |
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WHEREAS, When Ms. Rangel won a seat in the Texas House of |
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Representatives in 1976, she became the first Hispanic woman |
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elected to the state legislature; elected to 14 consecutive terms, |
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she was the fifth most-senior member of this body at the time of her |
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death in 2003; during her tenure, she sponsored legislation |
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establishing a pharmacy school for Texas A&M |
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University--Kingsville, now known as the Irma Lerma Rangel College |
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of Pharmacy; and |
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WHEREAS, The first Mexican American woman to be appointed |
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chair of a house committee, Representative Rangel was named chair |
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of the House Committee on Higher Education in 1995, and she served |
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in that role for four consecutive legislative sessions; she was |
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also the first woman elected chair of the Mexican American |
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Legislative Caucus and the first Mexican American to receive the |
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G. J. Sutton Award from the Legislative Black Caucus; and |
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WHEREAS, A passionate advocate for the poor, the |
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marginalized, and the underserved, Irma Rangel was a true Texas |
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pioneer who worked tirelessly to make a college education |
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accessible to all citizens, and her life serves as a shining example |
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for the outstanding young women who are attending the school that |
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bears her name; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the accomplished and inspiring |
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life of the Honorable Irma Rangel and commend the students of the |
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Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School on the 14th |
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anniversary of the opening of that academy; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the school as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |