Do you know an outstanding El Pasoan?

Dear john,

As your federal representative, one of the privileges I have is the ability to recognize outstanding public achievements by people in our community. I'm proud to have recognized veterans, athletes, public servants, students and many, many more exceptional El Pasoans.

So I wanted to ask, do you know anybody that should be awarded a congressional commendation? If so, submit their nomination here.

I truly look forward to recognization excellence in our community. Below are some of the recent commendations I have awarded:

Stephanie Han is one of women boxing's rising stars. On July 27, 2024, she made history by winning the WBA Intercontinental Americas championship right here at the El Paso County Coliseum. In addition to her boxing career, Stephanie is a dedicated El Paso Police Department Officer and an instructor at the Training Academy.

Toni Gonzalez is a member of Girl Scout Troop 55914 and as her Gold Award Project, she is requesting books from the Library of Congress to supply less fortunate schools with good reading material for the school year.

Ryan Medrano represented El Paso at the 2024 Paralympic Games in France, where he won silver in both the Men's T38 100m race and the Men's T38 400m race. You might also recognize him from Season 43 of Survivor!

Anthony Aguilar was chosen to participate in the prestigious 2024 Air Force One Detailing Team at Seattle’s Museum of Flight. Led by renowned detailer Renny Doyle, this annual event gathers top automotive and aircraftspecialists to meticulously restore and preserve historical aircraft, including the iconic Boeing VC-137B SAM 970, which served as the first presidential jet.

Lucas Vega is a 2nd-grade student at Eastwood Knolls International School. After having some difficulty making friends at school, he had the ingenious idea to implement “buddy benches” at school. A buddy bench is a bench that facilitates friend-making. Vega is quoted as saying “Nobody should be left alone,” and “We all need to be included, we all need to care for others.”

Ellen Smyth stopped by to accept a commendation on behalf of her late father-in-law, Frederick C. Smyth. Mr. Smyth's family reached out to my office requesting assistance to obtain a replacement set of Mr. Smyth's military awards and decorations. We helped them obtain the POW medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal with three bronze service stars, the WWII Victory Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the WWII Honorable Service Lapel Button.

Daniel Acosta, the Director of Immunize El Paso, attempts to bring awareness that August marks National Immunization Awareness Month, a time to emphasize the significance of vaccinations in preventing diseases and ensuring public health. It’s a reminder that immunity, like many things in life, isn’t permanent.

Arlinda Valencia is retiring after 16 years at the helm of the Ysleta Teacher Association, the 2,300-member union. Thank you for your service to our community!

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