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Skriven 2007-03-14 23:31:50 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070314) for Wed, 2007 Mar 14
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President Bush Meets with Training, Internships, Exchanges and Scholarship
(TIES) Recipients
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary March 14, 2007


˙˙White House News
˙˙En Espa_


8:43 A.M. (Local)

THE PRESIDENT: I'd like to thank you all for joining us. One of the best
things America can do is help people realize their dreams. The best way to
realize dreams is through education.

I'm so happy that you all have joined me to share with me your experiences
from one of our most effective programs, which is a program all aimed at
improving the human condition. I'm proud of the citizens of the United
States who show great concern for citizens in our neighborhood. And I thank
you for coming to share your experiences.

Victor, would you like to start? I mentioned you in un discurso en los
Estados Unidos about the benefits of this program. I understand you went to
Bettendorf Community College -- Scott Community College? Okay. Well, tell
us, Victor, your story.

MR. L PEZ RUIZ: I want to express my deepest appreciation for this
opportunity. Thank you, Mr. President, for sharing the story in your speech
last week. Your words fill me so happy. And I have the encouragement to
keep working in my community. I want to express my gratitude, as well, to
Becas Cas (phonetic) and USAID for selecting me for this scholarship in
2004. I received also an associate degree in international business and
trade at Scott Community College, Bettendorf, Iowa.

And finally, I would like to thank everyone that supported me and helped me
for this opportunity, my dreams come true -- especially my family. I had to
face many challenges to get an education, but I learned that with the right
attitude and a lot of effort and commitment, everything is possible.

At the age of 12 I had to leave my community to be able to study high
school. I faced several obstacles, including the fact that I did not speak
Spanish, because my language is Tzotzil. Now I speak three languages. I had
to work to support my education. This is how I was able to study. I still
continue fighting for my dream today, which makes me value them even more.

I really enjoyed my time in the U.S.A. I lived with a nice family for the
first year. We had a hard time trying to communicate to each other, but
quickly I felt like one of their family. I still talk with them, and
although I miss my Mexican food -- (laughter) -- I thought I would only be
eating hamburger and pizza. (Laughter.) My American family introduced me to
delicious food and I gained weight. From the U.S.A. culture, I learned to
value organization, civic responsibility -- and respect and tolerance, to
be able to work with others.

I did an internship in a coffee production company in Bentondorf, to use
the skills that I was learning in commerce and administration. These same
skills have helped me to start a small family-run Internet cafe and bakery
in Comitan, Chiapas. I also volunteer with two associations, one is a local
coffee company made up of indigenous people -- coffee growers. They assist
with financial management and human resources, assist them in possessing
the -- certificate and serve as a translator. I am also continuing my
education in bachelor degree in accounting at Universidad Aut noma de
Chiapas.

I want to invite Mexican young people to come together and commit to their
community and our country. Education is the only means to improve our
quality of life and achieve peace, social peace in the entire world.

Once again, thank you for this scholarship program. I hope the U.S.A.
government will continue to support this program so that other young people
can have the same opportunity that I have had. Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Victor. What was the name of the family
in Bentondorf?

MR. L PEZ RUIZ: Peter and Mary Shaffer (phontetic.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I thank them. I hope they feel good about the fact
that they helped you. There's a lot of American families that have great
compassion for people around the world. And thank you for sharing the
story.

Marcela. You went to Texas.

MS. RUIZ: I went to Texas. Good morning, Mr. President, ladies and
gentlemen. Being a small business owner is more than just a job or as a way
to take a living. It's a calling in life. The power of having an idea,
taking a risk, and starting a small business that fulfills a need in the
marketplace, and that creating jobs is truly magical. In Mexico, there
exists a very strong entrepreneurial spirit, just like in the United
States, where men and women from all over the country are ready to engage
their God-given abilities, work hard, and improve the life of their
families.

I have dedicated my life to helping businessmen and women in the state of
Aguascalientes live their dreams and start their own small businesses. My
center, CEINNOVA, was started in 2001 and has since helped over 300 small
businesses start and prosper, which has resulted in the creation of
hundreds of jobs and improved the lives of countless families.

A key factor in the CEINNOVA SBDC success was having the opportunity to
participate in a training program offered by the Unversidad Autonomous of
Guadalajara and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and supported by
USAID. The diplomatic training program shared a small business counseling
and training best practices from the 1,100 centers from U.S. small business
development network. This training not only helped us for better assist the
entrepreneurs of Aguascalientes, but it also linked up with counterparts in
the U.S. and helped us support a growing Mexican association of SBDC now
led by the Universidad de (inaudible).

On behalf of the many businessmen and women that we have helped, I would
like to thank you, Mr. President, and the American people for supporting
us. I am very proud of the work of CEINNOVA SBBC and the Mexican Small
Business Development Center Network are doing here in Mexico to grow the
small business sector, create jobs, and improving the life of its
community.

Thank you very much.

THE PRESIDENT: Very good. Thank you all very much. Thanks. We'll eat a
little breakfast now where we can continue our discussion.

END 8:52 A.M. (Local)
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