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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 in Dallas is commemorating in 2016-2017 its 13th year of |
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| 7 | 8 | | providing an outstanding education to area youth, and this occasion |
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| 8 | 9 | | offers a welcome opportunity to recognize the school as well as its |
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| 9 | 10 | | namesake, the Honorable Irma Rangel; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, Opened in the Oak Lawn neighborhood in the fall of |
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| 11 | 12 | | 2004, the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School is a |
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| 12 | 13 | | magnet program of the Dallas Independent School District; the first |
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| 13 | 14 | | all-girls public school in Dallas, it was established so that |
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| 14 | 15 | | teachers could tailor their instruction to the particular ways in |
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| 15 | 16 | | which girls 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 school provides students with a rigorous |
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| 19 | 20 | | college-preparatory course of study; the project-oriented |
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| 20 | 21 | | curriculum emphasizes math, science, and technology but also offers |
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| 21 | 22 | | ample learning opportunities in foreign languages and humanities; |
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| 22 | 23 | | in addition to equipping students with an excellent academic |
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| 23 | 24 | | foundation, the school encourages its youth to develop a strong |
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| 24 | 25 | | sense of ethics and civic responsibility and to become leaders in |
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| 25 | 26 | | their community; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, It is fitting that such an admirable and progressive |
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| 27 | 28 | | institution be named for Irma Rangel, a trailblazer who worked |
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| 28 | 29 | | tirelessly as a member of the Texas Legislature to improve the |
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| 29 | 30 | | state's public school and higher education systems; an educator |
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| 30 | 31 | | herself early in her career, Ms. Rangel taught for 14 years in |
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| 31 | 32 | | Texas, California, and Venezuela before earning a degree from St. |
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| 32 | 33 | | Mary's University School of Law in 1969; after clerking for a |
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| 33 | 34 | | federal district judge and serving as an assistant district |
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| 34 | 35 | | attorney, she returned to her hometown of Kingsville in 1973 to |
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| 35 | 36 | | practice law; and |
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| 36 | 37 | | WHEREAS, When Ms. Rangel won a seat in the Texas 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 state legislature; elected to 14 consecutive terms, |
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| 39 | 40 | | she was the fifth most-senior member of this body at the time of her |
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| 40 | 41 | | death in 2003; during her tenure, she sponsored legislation |
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| 41 | 42 | | 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 |
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| 52 | 53 | | marginalized, and the underserved, Irma Rangel was a true Texas |
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| 53 | 54 | | pioneer who worked tirelessly to make a college education |
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| 54 | 55 | | accessible to all citizens, and her life serves as a shining example |
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| 55 | 56 | | for the outstanding young women who are attending the school that |
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| 56 | 57 | | bears her name; now, therefore, be it |
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| 57 | 58 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 58 | 59 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the accomplished and inspiring |
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| 59 | 60 | | life of the Honorable Irma Rangel and commend the students of the |
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| 60 | 61 | | Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School on the 13th |
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| 61 | 62 | | anniversary of the opening of that academy; 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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