2023 -- H 6527
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LC003226
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S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
HONORING AND CONGRATULATING MARTA APARICIO ON HER
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Introduced By: Representatives Batista, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Alzate, Felix,
Chippendale, Shanley, Giraldo, Voas, and Stewart
Date Introduced: June 14, 2023
Referred To: House read and passed
WHEREAS, America is the land of opportunity, where lives and futures can change 1
direction at any time, and impossible dreams can and do come true. The life and accomplishments 2
of Ms. Marta Aparicio stand as testament to the validity of these beliefs; and 3
WHEREAS, At the age of 11, Marta Aparicio arrived in Rhode Island from Guatemala 4
where she had lived in poverty. She did not speak English and did not have a secure family life. 5
For some people, these obstacles may well have limited their life’s ambitions, but this was not to 6
be the case; and 7
WHEREAS, By the time Ms. Aparicio entered high school, she had mastered English and 8
was an excellent student, but her family life had fallen apart, forcing her to live on her own at the 9
age of seventeen, and in addition to going to school, she worked two jobs in order to survive; and 10
WHEREAS, One of Marta’s Hope High School advisors along her journey told her that 11
“you can’t give up. Education is what opens doors.” Taking that advice to heart, Marta overcame 12
exhaustion, depression, and the lack of means or parents, and graduated as Valedictorian of the 13
Hope High School class of 2010, attained her Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in 14
Washington, D.C., and in 2018, was one of 30 from a pool of 600 candidates, to be selected for 15
the State Department's Charles B. Rangel Fellowship in international affairs at Columbia 16
University; and 17
WHEREAS, Ms. Aparicio has faced labels like Latino, first generation, person of color, 18
and low income, but overcame, and her success hasn’t simply been a result of good fortune, but is 19
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due instead to her intelligence and hard work, and most importantly, her amazing determination 1
to not give up, to not give in, to not fail; and 2
WHEREAS, Today, Ms. Aparicio is a member of the U.S. Foreign Service, finishing a 3
two-year posting as a diplomat to Laos and will soon continue on her journey at the U.S. 4
Embassy in Honduras; and 5
WHEREAS, Marta Aparicio has laid the foundation for a future that is unbounded with 6
promise and potential. Her determination in the face of adversity is inspirational, and she is 7
eminently deserving of our praise and recognition; now, therefore be it 8
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 9
congratulates and honors Marta Aparicio on her accomplishments and wishes her good health, 10
much happiness, and continued success in all her future endeavors; and be it further 11
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 12
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Ms. Marta Aparicio. 13
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LC003226
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