{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://escobar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3347", "Congresswoman Escobar Honors El Pasoans During Commendation Ceremony", "2026-09-09", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "TX", "Veronica Escobar", "E000299", "escobar.house.gov", "escobar", "https://escobar.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Tonight, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) will be hosting her fourth Congressional Commendation Ceremony, recognizing a group of outstanding El Pasoans whose work has strengthened the community across fields including education, public service, the arts, science, and advocacy.\n\n\u201cIt is a privilege as our community\u2019s federal representative to recognize the strength, resilience, and talent of our honorees,\u201d said Congresswoman Escobar. \"El Paso is grateful for their contributions and we are proud to celebrate the profound impact each of these individuals has made on our beloved community.\"\n\nInformation on each of the honorees (listed in alphabetical order) can be found below:\n\nBeatriz Landin created the Wander Pillow, a neck pillow with a blanket stored inside that was featured on Amazon Prime Video\u2019s \u201cThe Blox\u201d.\n\nBlueberry Carrillo gained national recognition by winning the prestigious Dav Pilkey Silver Medal Portfolio Award in June. She was one in twelve in the nation selected and the only student from Texas to receive the award in the Art category.\n\nEl Dorado High School\u2019s \u201cThe Legend\u201d yearbook staff was named a Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown Award recipient in 2024 for its 2023 yearbook \u201cComo Cuando\u201d.\n\nJose Hurtado, Ph.D is a UTEP professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences and a member of NASA\u2019s Artemis II and II Science Teams. He earned a prestigious grant through the Lunar Mapping Program, supported by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey to create high-quality, modern geologic maps of the moon.\n\nKarime Lopez is student leader and innovator in STEM education. In May, she won the FIRST Leadership Award at the 2026 FIRST Robotics World Championship.\n\nManuela Alejandra Gomez, Ph.D. was appointed as one of only 12 internationally recognized scholars to serve as an advisor and research associate for the Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project at Harvard University.\n\nMarco Sanchez is a student at Harmony School of Innovation is a STEM driven civic leader from El Paso, Texas and is the Founder and President of Harmony Robotics Organization. He founded the El Paso Youth Alliance, a student run organization with the mission to help young people participate in civic engagement and local government. He is an alumni of Congresswoman Escobar\u2019s Congressional Youth Advisory Council.\n\nMargie Salazar became CEO of FirstLight, the first woman CEO of a local major credit union. In March, she was named the 2026 Remarkable Woman for El Paso, a program is designed to spotlight women who lead, inspire and forge a path for others in their communities.\n\nNoel Candelaria is a special education teacher in Ysleta Independent School District. He currently serves as Vice President of the National Education Association, the nation's largest labor union representing more than three million educators.\n\nRetired Command Sergeant Major Janina Simmons made history in 2019 as the first Black woman to graduate from the U.S. Army Ranger School. Her accomplishments also include becoming an ultramarathon runner and a published author.\n\nShaheli De Silva is a student at Young Women\u2019s STEAM Research and Preparatory Academy. Earlier this year, she won the Regional English Spelling Bee in English and tied for first in EPISD\u2019s Spanish Spelling Bee.", 1, "2026-09-11T09:25:29Z", "2026-09-11T09:27:08Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://escobar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3347"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3881188351660967, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}