June 3, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 92 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF EDUARDO PADRON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DONNA E. SHALALA

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 3, 2019

  Ms. SHALALA. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize my dear friend, 
Eduardo Padron, on the occasion of his retirement as President of 
Miami-Dade College and his brilliant service to the South Florida 
community.
  Dr. Padron has spent his career giving back to the community that 
welcomed him when he arrived from Cuba as a child. In the 50 years he 
has spent at Miami-Dade College, as a student, professor, and 
President, he has fundamentally transformed the school into an 
internationally recognized institution of higher education. Under his 
leadership, Miami-Dade College has become a true center of community 
for South Florida. The college has educated thousands of students in 
South Florida and sent them on to successful careers and lives.
  Dr. Padron has received numerous accolades for his work as an 
educator. He was included in TIME magazine's list of top ten college 
presidents in 2009, named Floridian of the Year by Florida Trend in 
2010, and honored as one of the eight most influential college 
presidents in the U.S. by The Washington Post in 2011. In 2016, 
President Barack Obama awarded him with a Presidential Medal of Freedom 
in recognition of his leadership on access and inclusion in higher 
education.
  We have all witnessed Dr. Padron's extraordinary dedication to the 
people of South Florida. I'm grateful to know him as a leader in 
education and as a friend, and I wish him all the best in his 
retirement.

                          ____________________