HR1270 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1270 LRB096 22406 GRL 41589 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Katie Washington of Gary, Indiana on the occasion of being the first African-American valedictorian at the University of Notre Dame and for achieving a 4.0 grade point average; and

WHEREAS, Katie Washington majored in biological science with a minor in Catholic social teaching at Notre Dame; she was the valedictorian of her class at West Side High School in Gary, Indiana in 2006; and

WHEREAS, Katie Washington has conducted research on lung cancer at the Cold Springs Harbor labs and performed genetic studies in the university's Eck Institute for Global Health on the mosquito that carries dengue and yellow fever; she is the co-author of a research paper regarding the ways that mosquitoes that carry dengue and yellow fever transmit infection and disease in Haiti with David Severson, a professor of biological sciences; and

WHEREAS, As a result of her stellar performance, Katie Washington has been accepted at 5 different universities, including Harvard University, and has been awarded a full scholarship and a stipend for housing and living expenses; she plans to pursue a joint M.D./Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University while training as a physician scientist with the intention of treating patients with various diseases; and

WHEREAS, Katie Washington's family, which includes her parents, William Washington and Jean Tomlin, her brothers, Mark and Vincent, and her sister, Terry, are all undoubtedly proud of Katie and her many accomplishments; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Katie Washington for her many accomplishments and wish her continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Katie Washington as a symbol of our esteem and respect.