[Congressional Record: October 17, 2002 (Extensions)]
[Page E1906]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr17oc02-103]
COMMENDING FRANCISCO JIMENEZ
______
HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the achievements of a
remarkable man, Francisco Jimenez. Born to Mexican migrant farm
workers, he has become a professor of Modern Languages at Santa Clara
University, an acclaimed author, and the winner of numerous awards
including this year's National Professor of the Year Award. He is a
credit to Silicon Valley, to California, and to our nation.
At the age of 4, Professor Jimenez crawled under a fence crossing the
border between Mexico and America with his family. They made their way
to the San Joaquin Valley where they picked strawberries in Santa Maria
during the summer, grapes in Fresno during September, and cotton in
Corcoran and Bakersfield during the winter. Working from sunrise to
sunset, the entire family made only $15 a day by following the harvest
throughout the year. The family, which eventually grew to nine
children, lived in one room shacks and tents without electricity or
running water. When they visited the local dump, they collected
discarded clothes, wood for floors, and Francisco Jimenez would pick up
books.
As a result of his family's illiteracy, persistent poverty, and
transient lifestyle, Professor Jimenez' education was sporadic at best.
He struggled to keep up with his classmates, was labeled ``mentally
retarded'' by one of his teachers, and flunked first grade. His
classmates were unforgiving and often cruel. Nevertheless, he loved
school. His alternatives were spending the day in his family's shack or
working in the fields, an experience his brother, Roberto, lived every
day.
Mr. Jimenez's sixth-grade teacher, Mr. Lema recognized Francisco's
desire to learn and helped him with his English during lunch.
Unfortunately, not long after connecting with Mr. Lema, Francisco's
family needed to move again to follow the harvest. Mr. Jimenez
continued his education by teaching himself using as a guide the
discarded books he found at the dump.
Eventually, he and his brother were able to get jobs working for a
janitorial company. The stable job allowed him to stay in school. His
junior year in high school, an INS agent entered his classroom and
arrested him as an undocumented immigrant. He and his family were
deported to Mexico, but returned only weeks later with visas. After his
return, Francisco went on to become the student body president of his
high school and graduated with a 3.7 GPA. A guidance counselor
recognized his talent and helped him obtain the scholarships and
student loans he would need to attend Santa Clara University. He became
a U.S. citizen during his junior year in college.
Francisco Jimenez went on to receive his Masters from Santa Clara
University and his Ph.D. from Columbia University. He is the author of
the award winning book, ``The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a
Migrant Child,'' which tells the story of his childhood experiences.
Before accepting a professorship at Santa Clara University, he taught
at Columbia University and the University of Cincinnati. While his
dedication to teaching is worthy of praise in and of itself, he has
been recognized locally and nationally for his skills. Santa Clara
County gave him the Dia del Maestro Teacher of the Year Award and Santa
Clara University awarded him the Dave Logathetti Award for Excellence
in Teaching among others. I am privileged to represent a man who can
now add to this exceptional list of honors, the National Professor of
the Year Award.
Professor Jimenez was given the award because of his outstanding
teaching. He tailors his lessons to his students' backgrounds and works
with them one on one. He tries to instill in each of them a global
consciousness and an understanding of the human condition. Moreover, he
believes it is important to bridge the gap between the university and
society. To achieve this, he visits communities of migrant farm workers
to talk to them about education. As a leader of the Hispanic community
and an advocate of human rights, he is concerned with the current anti-
immigration backlash, particularly efforts to deny education to the
children of undocumented immigrants.
Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, please join me in honoring Professor
Francisco Jimenez for being awarded the National Professor of the Year
Award. He has dedicated his life to others and his achievements reflect
his dedication. He is a citizen of the world who I am humbled to call a
constituent.
____________________
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