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“HONORING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF LOU XIONG” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2067-E2068 on Dec. 7, 2010.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF LOU XIONG
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HON. JIM COSTA
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievement of Lou Xiong on the occasion of receiving the 2010 Milken Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation. The Milken Family Foundation's Milken Educator Award seeks to celebrate, elevate, and activate exemplary K-12 educators and has been hailed as the ``Oscars of Teaching.'' Ms. Xiong was one of 55 educators across our Nation, and one of only three in the State of California, to be honored this year.
Lou was born in Laos as the fifth of 12 children to Chong Sue Xiong and Khou Moua. In 1980, Lou and her family immigrated to the United States from Laos in search of a better life. After attending high school in the Fresno area, Lou enrolled at California State University, Fresno, and graduated in 1999 with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Liberal Studies. Upon graduation, Lou joined the staff at Balderas Elementary School in Fresno, California, to follow her dream of becoming a teacher.
Over the last 11 years at Balderas Elementary School, Ms. Xiong has taught a variety of subjects to students in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades and contributed immensely to both her students and the school. In addition to her teaching duties, Lou has volunteered her time in school site responsibilities serving as Grade Level Chair, participating in the Leadership Team, serving on the School Site Building Committee and acting as Coordinator of the Hmong New Year Celebration. Outside of the classroom, Lou has served as a Math Coach for the Fresno Unified School District, helping fellow teachers and assisting in creating a pacing guideline program which is now used throughout the district.
Lou has also been actively involved in Fresno Unified School District's Superintendent's English Learner Task Force to ensure that language barriers do not keep students from succeeding in school. Lou's life story serves as a positive example for her students, demonstrating that despite the obstacles she has had to overcome as an immigrant, anything is possible with hard work and determination. The community of Fresno is very fortunate to have such a dedicated individual who continues to inspire students to believe they can achieve anything.
Lou is married to her husband Shue Vue, a civil engineer for the State of California Department of Transportation. Lou and Shue Vue have three children together and hope that the success they have achieved in their chosen professions provides inspiration for their children to achieve their own personal success in life and give back to their communities.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the achievement of Lou Xiong in the field of education as she is recognized as one of a select few top educators in our country by the Milken Family Foundation.
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