Bill Text: TX HR1303 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring the inaugural graduating class of the Aggie ACHIEVE program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-05-08 - Reported enrolled [HR1303 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HR1303-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 1303 | ||
|
|
||
| WHEREAS, Four students, Matthew Carrizal, Miguel Gonzalez, | ||
| Courtney Osborn, and Lexi Villarreal, are graduating with | ||
| certificates in interdisciplinary studies from Texas A&M | ||
| University on May 11, 2023, as members of the inaugural class of the | ||
| Aggie ACHIEVE program; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Aggie ACHIEVE, which stands for Academic Courses in | ||
| Higher Inclusive Education and Vocational Experiences, is a | ||
| comprehensive transition program for young adults with | ||
| intellectual and developmental disabilities who have exited high | ||
| school; the program provides participants with an inclusive and | ||
| immersive college education with the goal of successfully preparing | ||
| them for employment in the community; and | ||
| WHEREAS, With the program's launch in the fall of 2019, Texas | ||
| A&M became the first university in the state to introduce a | ||
| certificate-based higher education initiative of this kind for | ||
| young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities; | ||
| Aggie ACHIEVE is designed to enroll students for up to four years, | ||
| and each student is matched with coursework, internship | ||
| opportunities, and extracurricular activities that align with | ||
| their academic interests and employment goals; students in the | ||
| program take classes, live independently, complete internships on | ||
| campus, and work part-time jobs both on campus and in the College | ||
| Station community, in addition to participating in social, | ||
| athletic, and recreational activities alongside their fellow | ||
| Aggies; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Created by Dr. Carly Gilson at the TAMU School of | ||
| Education and Human Development, the Aggie ACHIEVE program was | ||
| established based on research showing that students with | ||
| intellectual and developmental disabilities who attend | ||
| postsecondary inclusive programs have a higher rate of employment | ||
| and earn higher wages than those who do not have such opportunities; | ||
| the students enrolled in Aggie ACHIEVE also benefit from the | ||
| support and mentorship of their peers in ACHIEVEMates, an | ||
| organization formed by Texas A&M undergraduate students to help | ||
| ACHIEVE participants reach their goals; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The four members of the inaugural cohort of Aggie | ||
| ACHIEVE have demonstrated hard work, dedication, and perseverance | ||
| on their way to completing the program, and they are indeed | ||
| deserving of special recognition for this accomplishment as they | ||
| embark on the next exciting chapter of their lives; now, therefore, | ||
| be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby honor the inaugural graduating class of the | ||
| Aggie ACHIEVE program and extend to each student sincere best | ||
| wishes for the future; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared | ||
| for the students as an expression of high regard by the Texas House | ||
| of Representatives. | ||
| Kacal | ||
| Raney | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 1303 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 6, 2023, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
