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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership |
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| 6 | 7 | | School is commemorating in the 2015-2016 school year its 12th year |
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| 7 | 8 | | of providing an outstanding education to area youth, and this |
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| 8 | 9 | | occasion provides a welcome opportunity to recognize the school as |
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| 9 | 10 | | well as its namesake, the Honorable Irma Rangel; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, Opened in the Oak Lawn neighborhood of Dallas in the |
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| 11 | 12 | | fall of 2004, the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School |
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| 12 | 13 | | is a magnet program of the Dallas Independent School District; it is |
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| 13 | 14 | | the first all-girls public school in Dallas and part of a move that |
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| 14 | 15 | | allows educators to focus on the different ways boys and girls |
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| 15 | 16 | | learn; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, Through leadership seminars, weekly advisory |
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| 17 | 18 | | meetings, and partnerships with educational and cultural |
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| 18 | 19 | | organizations, the Dallas school provides students with a rigorous |
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| 19 | 20 | | course of study that prepares them for college and addresses their |
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| 20 | 21 | | developmental needs; teachers work with students following a |
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| 21 | 22 | | project-oriented curriculum that emphasizes math, science, and |
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| 22 | 23 | | technology, but also offers ample learning opportunities in foreign |
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| 23 | 24 | | languages and humanities; in addition to providing an excellent |
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| 24 | 25 | | academic curriculum, the school encourages students to develop a |
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| 25 | 26 | | strong sense of ethics and civic responsibility and to become |
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| 26 | 27 | | leaders in their community; and |
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| 27 | 28 | | WHEREAS, It is fitting that such an admirable and progressive |
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| 28 | 29 | | institution be named for Irma Rangel, who was a trailblazer and one |
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| 29 | 30 | | of the leading proponents of the state's efforts to improve public |
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| 30 | 31 | | school and higher education systems; Ms. Rangel taught for 14 years |
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| 31 | 32 | | in Texas, California, and Venezuela before changing careers and |
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| 32 | 33 | | earning a degree at St. Mary's School of Law in San Antonio; after |
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| 33 | 34 | | working as an assistant district attorney for two years in Corpus |
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| 34 | 35 | | Christi, she returned to her hometown of Kingsville in 1973 to open |
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| 35 | 36 | | her own law practice; and |
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| 36 | 37 | | WHEREAS, When Ms. Rangel won a seat in the house of |
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| 37 | 38 | | representatives in 1976, she became the first Hispanic woman |
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| 38 | 39 | | elected to the Texas Legislature; she spent more than 26 years in |
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| 39 | 40 | | the Texas House and was the fifth most-senior member of this body at |
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| 40 | 41 | | the time of her death in 2003; while serving in the house, she |
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| 41 | 42 | | sponsored legislation establishing a pharmacy school for Texas A&M |
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| 42 | 43 | | University--Kingsville, now known as the Irma Lerma Rangel College |
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| 43 | 44 | | of Pharmacy; and |
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| 44 | 45 | | WHEREAS, The first Mexican American woman to be appointed |
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| 45 | 46 | | chair of a house committee, Representative Rangel was named chair |
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| 46 | 47 | | of the House Committee on Higher Education in 1995, and she served |
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| 47 | 48 | | in that role for four consecutive legislative sessions; she was |
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| 48 | 49 | | also the first woman elected chair of the Mexican American |
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| 49 | 50 | | Legislative Caucus and the first Mexican American to receive the |
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| 50 | 51 | | G. J. Sutton Award from the Legislative Black Caucus; and |
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| 51 | 52 | | WHEREAS, A passionate advocate for the poor, the needy, and |
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| 52 | 53 | | the underserved, Irma Rangel was a true Texas pioneer who worked |
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| 53 | 54 | | tirelessly to make a college education accessible to all citizens, |
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| 54 | 55 | | and it is indeed appropriate that an important part of her legacy |
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| 55 | 56 | | lies with the outstanding young women who are attending the school |
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| 56 | 57 | | that bears her name; now, therefore, be it |
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| 57 | 58 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 58 | 59 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the rich and accomplished life of |
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| 59 | 60 | | the Honorable Irma Rangel and honor the students of the Irma Lerma |
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| 60 | 61 | | Rangel Young Women's Leadership School on the 12th anniversary of |
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| 61 | 62 | | the opening of the school; and, be it further |
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| 62 | 63 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 63 | 64 | | prepared for the school as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 64 | 65 | | House of Representatives. |
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