Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call No. 240, I voted NAY when I intended to vote YEA. I strongly support this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my bipartisan legislation titled Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium- Ion Batteries Act.

I am grateful for the support of Chair Rodgers, Ranking Member Pallone, and all the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee. I am also grateful for the partnership of Congress Members Yvette Clarke and Andrew Garbarino.

At the core of our legislative progress has been the indefatigable advocacy of the FDNY, the Nation's premier fire department.

The sheer speed and scale of the destruction that a lithium-ion battery fire can bring to communities like mine is nothing short of staggering. In the Bronx, we saw one of our few neighborhood supermarkets, 2096 Grand Concourse, reduced to complete rubble at the hands of a five-alarm fire caused by a malfunctioning lithium-ion battery.

Lithium-ion battery fires are happening with greater frequency and ferocity in America. Indeed, New York City, in particular, has emerged as the epicenter of lithium-ion battery fires, which have grown exponentially, from more than 30 in 2019 to more than 40 in 2020, to more than 100 in 2021, to more than 200 in 2022. In the span of just 4 years, America's largest city has seen a 900 percent surge in lithium- ion batteries, creating an unprecedented crisis in fire safety.

Poorly manufactured lithium-ion batteries, largely imported from China, are hidden ticking time bombs waiting to detonate in American homes and communities. The fire hazard here has become too glaring to ignore.

The House of Representatives is poised to pass bipartisan legislation that would finally empower the Consumer Product Safety Commission to set long-overdue mandatory safety standards for the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries in e-mobility devices. In passing legislation so urgently needed, we are upholding our most solemn obligation: public safety.

Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the celebration of the 25th annual Bronx Bankers Breakfast. The Breakfast is an opportunity for members of the Bronx finance community to come together to speak on the state of our community's economy, to honor members for their monumental work in the Bronx, and to share ideas on how we can continue improving the Bronx. A special thanks to the hosts of the event for all their hard work setting up this event. The Business Initiative Corporation of New York (BICNY). The Bronx Economic Development Corporation (BXEDC), and our esteemed Borough President Vanessa Gibson all play integral roles in our community and this event.

BICNY is a community-based lending institution that helps Businesses in the Bronx access the U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loans. BICNY provides lower interest rate loans and long-term capital for a business community that has historically been ignored by investors. As of April of this year BICNY has facilitated over $365,000 in loans to small businesses in the Bronx community, with $330,000 in loans already closed. BICNY's work has also been impactful for small business workers. BICNY's assistance helped to retain 454 jobs and helped to create more than 1,600 jobs in Bronx small businesses as of April 1st.

Since 1981, The Bronx Economic Development Corporation (BXEDC) has been supporting economic prosperity in the Bronx by providing access to funds for Bronx small businesses that have historically had trouble acquiring capital. BXEDC has over 820 million specifically allocated for the South Bronx. BXEDC has transformed the outlook for small businesses in the Bronx through their programs like the Bronx Business Continuity Loan (BBCL) program, with the average loan licensed being $72,000. BXEDC has also invested in creating a green future through working with local colleges and universities, awarding $1 million to Bronx Community College to create greener technology on campus, along with reviving downtown by allotting $1 million to the twelve Bronx Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).

I am truly grateful to the members of these organizations that help the Bronx flourish economically. I look forward to seeing the growth and success of small businesses in the Bronx.

Mr. Speaker, Boricua College is a cutting- edge higher education institution founded in 1974, by members of New York's Puerto Rican community. It is a majority minority institution, primarily serving Latino nontraditional students. Not only is Boricua College important for the population it serves but is also unique in its approach to education. Its focus on humanistic learning is one of a kind and creates a distinct learning environment serving a unique student population.

Boricua College provides an environment for historically excluded nontraditional students to reach their potential, while giving them space to explore their own cultures and the cultures of their peers across their three New York City campuses, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the South Bronx.

The college has an extensive faculty consisting of many Latino academics, providing a wide array of perspectives, and creating possibility models for the students attending Boricua College.

Their unique approach to education uses the Five Ways of Learning method. These include individualized attention, colloquium, experiential studies, theoretical studies, and cultural studies. By focusing on all five of these, Boricua College students receive a well- rounded, practical, and meaningful education experience.

Leadership development is also central to the mission of the college. Boricua College engages and empowers all their students through encouraging the development of students' critical thinking skills and cultural competency to ignite the spark of leadership in their entire student population.

I would like to Congratulate Boricua College on 50 years of providing outstanding education and I look forward to seeing the institution's continuous dedication to their students and the community.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Victor G. Alicea, Ph.D., is the founding President of Boricua College. He began his tenure at the College in 1974. During his time at Boricua College, he has proven his steadfast leadership and commitment to moving the institution forward at a time of unprecedented challenge to the health and financial well- being of colleges and universities across the nation.

``The present is the only pathway that connects our past with our future,'' Dr. Victor G. Alicea, is often heard to remark. Always present in the ``here and now'' Victor Gabriel Alicea has worked tirelessly for the education and flourishing of all people of New York City. He is the founder and president of Boricua College for the past 48 years.

Dr. Victor G. Alicea was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and spent his childhood in New York City's East Harlem ``El Barrio'' and in Harlem. Victor Alicea has worked throughout his life combining intellectual strength and his vast knowledge of education and human polity with the caring he has for people. He has participated and led numerous institutes in public administration, group dynamics, community organization, health and mental health care services and is a practicing social worker, educator, planner, consultant to various community development programs and is a psychotherapist in private practice.

One of President Alicea's foremost commitments has been to New York City, a city he loves. He has served on Mayor Dinkins's Advisory Committee on Appointments. In 1990 Dr. Alicea was appointed Vice Chairman of the New York City Planning Commission by Mayor David Dinkins, and in July, 1995 was named to a second term by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, finally serving for eleven years. He also served on Mayor Giuliani's Special Panel on the Health and Hospitals Corporation, and was appointed by Governor Pataki as a Commissioner of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and served as Secretary of the Board of Directors of Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association, Inc. Currently serves as Member of the Board of Trustees of the NYS Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC).

In 2022, Dr. Alicea completed 48 years as the founding President of Universidad Boricua/Boricua College during which time the College has grown from one floor in a building in Williamsburg Brooklyn, and 26 students, to three campus centers with 800 students and 40 full-time faculty members, in three buildings including a campus in Manhattan, and the recently completed $47 million campus building for the Bronx Campus, making it a tri-Borough College, the progression has been from graduating three students in 1976 to over fourteen thousand by 2023.

Dr. Alicea's recent inclusion in City & State's 2023 Higher Education Power 100 list is a testament to his unwavering commitment to serving our community and advancing education. As the longest-serving president of a private college in New York State, Dr. Alicea's legacy is one of transformative leadership and a tireless pursuit of excellence.

There are many more years to come for this colossal intellectual giant to serve the people of this great City. Typical of this self- reflecting man that his greatest pride and pleasure has been how much he has learned from the faculty and staff who helped to create the College, and the thousands of students and families that have been touched by Boricua College.

Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the work of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology as it is celebrating its centennial. As Israel's first university, the Technion has educated generations of engineers, architects, and scientists who have helped lay the Nation's infrastructure and establish its crucial high-tech industries. At every junction of the country's development, the Technion has been there, protecting the State of Israel.

The Technion is a global leader in science, engineering, research, and technology education. Its unique culture of entrepreneurship empowers students to be visionary changemakers and global innovators. The Technion is a global university with a presence in New York and China, having partnerships with institutions like the University of Michigan, Cornell University, and MIT. By having the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech on New York City's Roosevelt Island, they can bring academia and industry together, featuring the Runway Startup Postdoc Program.

In the past 100 years the Technion has become the leading university in Israel and Europe and one of the top 100 universities in the world. In 2020, the Technion was ranked No. 12 in the world for producing entrepreneurs, having generated 602 founders who have set up 509 companies and have raised $12.4 billion. Technion graduates comprise the majority of Israel-educated scientists and engineers, consulting more than 50 percent of the country's founders and managers of high- tech industries. Seven out of ten Israel-educated engineers are Technion graduates and 85 percent of the Israel technological workforce are companies led by Technion graduates. Technion alumni have founded a total of 1,075 companies, valued at more than $1 billion and have attracted $2.5 billion in venture capital per year.

I also want to highlight the American Technion Society (ATS). Over the past 85 years, the ATS has raised a transformative amount of funding for Technion students, faculty, research, and infrastructure. This not only empowers Israel's economic growth and security, but betters the lives of people around the world.

I give a big congratulations to the Technion and all of its accomplishments in the past 100 years. I am excited to see how it will continue to grow in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, as a celebration of Women's History Month, I want to highlight the work and life of Dr. Julie Gafney. She has pushed both inclusive and equitable learning environments as well as environmental justice forward by leaps and bounds throughout her long career in both public policy and higher education.

Dr. Gafney began her own educational journey at Tufts University and earned a Bachelor's in English Language and Literature. She then enrolled in the prestigious University of Chicago to pursue a Master's in Comparative Literature, and later completed her doctorate in English Language and Literature at The City University of New York. Dr. Gafney would later return to the University of Chicago to serve as a Project Manager for the Dean of Students and served as both an Adjunct Professor and later as a Senior Advisor to the President at the City University. Dr. Gafney has spent much of her life in higher education as both a student and administrator, making her work uniquely situated to bridge gaps in educational access.

Dr. Gafney currently serves as the Assistant Vice President for Strategic Mission Initiatives at Fordham University, where she also teaches in the English department. Dr. Gafney and her team plan to soon launch the Bronx Research Institute for Community Solutions, a public think tank dedicated to leveraging higher education as a means for effecting change in the Bronx through partnerships with local policymakers and community leaders. Dr. Grande has also spearheaded many of Fordham's environmental justice initiatives and serves as the Chair of Fordham's Sustainability Council. Her work in sustainable development led to her role as the Thriving Communities Grantmaker Project Lead and Principal Investigator, where she spearheads Fordham's newly acquired $50 million dollar grant program that will focus on environmental justice across New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In addition to her role as Assistant Vice President for Strategic Mission Initiatives, Dr. Gafney is also the Executive Director of the Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) at Fordham University. She focuses on student success, faculty development, and enhancing the University's levels of engagement within its own community, as well as with the wider Bronx and New York.

Dr. Gafney is proudly recognized as a changemaker and pioneer, and her work will continue to inspire others to greater heights. I know that her work, especially the grant maker program, will be extremely transformative for so many communities across the region.

Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the work of Jennifer Bernstein during this Women's History Month. Jennifer is a distinguished leader renowned for her exceptional management prowess and commitment to philanthropy within the realms of culture, education, and environmental advocacy. As the CEO and William C. Steere Sr. President of the esteemed New York Botanical Garden, she has orchestrated transformative initiatives that underscore her visionary leadership.

Upon assuming her role in 2021, Jennifer spearheaded the launch of a groundbreaking master site planning process, resulting in the formulation of ``Branching Out: A Strategic Plan for 2024-2030.'' This blueprint, which was ratified by the Board of Trustees in November 2023, charts a course for the Garden's evolution by revitalizing over 100 acres of its property, reinforcing its stature as a global scientific hub, and enriching programs dedicated to empowering the Bronx community.

Jennifer's deep-rooted passion for environmental conservation drew her to NYBG, with its rich legacy of plant research and preservation. Prior to her tenure at the Garden, she served as the Chief Development Officer and interim Chief Operations Officer at the Natural Resources Defense Council. At NYBG, she champions the institution's mission to educate others on the pivotal role of plants in sustaining a vibrant ecosystem and nurturing a healthier planet.

Jennifer's dedication extends beyond her professional career, as evidenced by her active involvement in organizations such as the Women's Forum of New York and the board of the City University of New York's Lehman College Foundation. Earlier in her career, she honed her fundraising abilities in leadership roles at institutions such as Pace University, Playwrights Horizon, and Roundabout Theatre. Her impressive resume exemplifies commitment to leveraging expertise in fundraising and board development to effect positive change on the cultural, educational, and environmental landscape of New York City and beyond.

I would like to wish her continued success at the NYBG and am excited to see all the projects and programs she successfully leads at the garden.

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Women's History Month, I want to honor some of the amazing and powerful women who live and work in the Bronx. Women like Denise Rosario Adusei, the Executive Director of the Bronx Children's Museum. Denise has left an indelible mark on the Bronx and in the greater New York area since beginning her journey in social entrepreneurship, authorship, and early childhood education leadership. Armed with a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University, she embarked on a journey inspired by a fervent desire to foster the growth of future generations. She assumed leadership of the Children's Museum in 2023 and has since spearheaded efforts to provide inclusive learning opportunities for Bronx children and families centered around transformative arts and science programs.

Prior to joining the Children's Museum, Director Adusei founded the Peartree Preschool in Harlem, which stands as a testament to her dedication to innovative and collaborative education for children in New York City. Over the past twelve years, her initiative has aided the

educational and emotional development of more than 1,500 students, as well as provided over 58 million dollars in tuition assistance for families pursuing education with private, competitive programs. Director Adusei's influence has also extended beyond the classroom: her work as an author and creative have led to the founding of Latinx Pitch and Black Creators HQ, a platform that provides resources and support for Black and Latinx authors and illustrators looking to bring diversity into children's literature. She is also a published author, with many of her books highlighting parts of her own identity and experience. Director Adusei's initiatives amplify underrepresented voices and have helped positively shape the world of children's literature.

Denise Rosario Adusei's life is a testament to the transformative power of community, education, and cultural heritage. Her multifaceted background and educational pedigree serve as the bedrock for her remarkable career, and her dedication to building up community around the youth has shaped many young lives. I am thrilled she is part of the Bronx community and am excited to continue watching her amazing work.

Mr. Speaker, in an era defined by the relentless flow of information and never-before-seen levels of interconnectedness, some of the people we rely

most upon are our journalists. Their dedication to bringing the truth to light, to fostering public discourse and to accuracy and integrity in their reporting is what makes their role that much more pivotal. News 12 anchor and reporter Asha McKenzie embodies these qualities, and I want to recognize her during this Women's History Month.

An Emmy and Associated award-winning journalist, Asha has spent a decade in service to New York, including eight years spent in our own Bronx community, where she dedicated herself to being a voice for the voiceless. Her dedication has helped ensure that quality, fact-based reporting remains accessible to the wider public, and this effort has absolutely aided New Yorkers in staying informed and up to date on the most pressing issues we face. Her commitment to amplifying marginalized voices is admirable, and a trait we should hope to see within more of our media personalities.

Asha's work has centered primarily around providing coverage on pressing social issues. Her award-winning documentary, ``No Blind Eye'', is a necessary deep dive into the reality of bullying and school violence, a threat so many of our young people sadly face. Her report on the Bronx-based startup ``Health in Her H.U.E.'', an organization dedicated to ending the racial disparity in healthcare, brought critical attention and awareness to this pressing problem and brought a potential solution to many New Yorkers. Asha leads by example, and her empathetic and insightful contributions have served as a cornerstone for journalistic integrity in her field.

Asha's passion for change and belief that everybody's voice must be heard have made her a leader and icon in our community. I look forward to seeing more of her phenomenal work and cheer her on as she continues to mentor and inspire the youth across New York.

Mr. Speaker, to celebrate Women's History Month, I want to highlight the life and work of Surey I. Miranda- Alarcon. Born in Puerto Rico in 1989. Surey Miranda-Alarcon would grow into a passionate community organizer and equal-opportunity policy advocate across her home island and within the Bronx. She was educated in public schools in Hatillo, Camuy and Lares, then later earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Puerto Rico and a master's in economics from The New School in New York City. Surey began a career in public policy while still in university, working in both the United States House of Representatives and the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.

Surey's upbringing would continue to inform and influence her work: while living in New York, she played an integral role in forming a coalition dedicated to supporting beneficial initiatives for Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans living in the United States. She is the founder

and President of Diaspora for Puerto Rico, which aided at-risk Puerto Ricans arriving in New York after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. She later worked in the New York Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, the New York City Commission on Human Rights, and the Mayor's Community Affairs Office under former Mayor Bill De Blasio. During the COVID-19 pandemic. Surey worked to ensure that resources and information made their way through all of New York's communities, dedicating the strenuous years of the pandemic to aiding her fellow New Yorkers through distributing more than three million vaccines and PPE within the Bronx. Our community had one of the highest rates of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19, making her work essential.

Her dedication and ambition continue to inspire students to greater heights: she currently serves as a professor of economics at the State University of New York and works as the Director of Campus and Community Engagement at Fordham University. Her work at Fordham has centered around fostering initiatives and partnerships with neighboring communities, and under her leadership. Fordham University received a $50 million dollar grant that will go towards aiding communities in New York and Puerto Rico affected by climate change. Surey's work will positively impact communities in both New York and Puerto Rico for generations to come, and her dedication to community outreach and influential, impactful policy makes her an inspiration to many.

Mr. Speaker, to celebrate Women's History Month, I want to highlight Dr. Daisy Cocco De Filippis. She is the President and leader of Hostos Community College who has more than earned all our heartfelt admiration and thanks for her tireless work in administration and academia.

Dr. Cocco De Filippis' work in higher education began with her role as Provost and Senior Vice President of Student Affairs at Hostos Community College in 2002, where her unwavering commitment to compassion shaped the lives and academic careers of her students until her departure in 2008, when she took on the role of President at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, Connecticut. She served this institution for twelve years, inspiring students to new academic heights.

She inspired these students with her own work and her own academic journey. Dr. Cocco De Filippis herself graduated summa cum laude from Queens College, with a Bachelor's in English and Spanish Literature, and then went on to pursue a Master of Arts in Spanish Literature, again from Queens College. Dr. Cocco De Filippis didn't stop there: she pursued a Master of Philosophy in Spanish Literature and a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature from the City University of New York Graduate Center. She was also the first person of Dominican ancestry to do so, cementing her legacy as a legendary pioneer in Dominican women's studies, Caribbean, and Dominican Diaspora literatures. For her work in these fields, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Santo Domingo, the oldest university in the Americas. Dr. Cocco De Filippis' resume is no doubt an inspiration to her students, just as it is an inspiration to me.

Dr. Cocco De Filippis returned to Hostos Community College in 2020 as President and led the school through the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, navigating the difficult world of online learning and community preparedness with grace and hope. Hostos College reported significant advancements under her leadership. A myriad of impactful initiatives aimed at improving student life and accessibility have been implemented during her tenure, positively impacting both enrollment and retention. In early 2023, Hostos College unveiled a brand-new, cutting- edge research center established due to the generous donations garnered under Dr. Cocco De Filippis' leadership, which has allowed members of the Hostos faculty to explore new and more effective ways of teaching, all with the goal of improving Hostos' learning environment for students and professors alike.

We are honored to recognize Dr. Cocco De Filippis' leadership and her achievements today. Her contributions have been invaluable to the lives of many, and we thank her for her relentless dedication to empowering others through education.

Mr. Speaker, Luciel Boles-Wilson (Ponder) was born in the Boogie Down Bronx to Nelson and Estelle Ponder on August 28, 1947. Growing up she loved math and upon graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1965 she went to work her first job as an assistant at MetLife Insurance New York. After a year of working there, she spent the next thirty years working as a project manager for Blue Cross Blue Shield. During that time, she experienced so many rich moments.

She met her first husband, Russell M. Boles, Sr. and had two children, Bonita Ponder and Russell M. Boles, Jr. She would then get divorced, become a Grandmother and raise her first Grandchild, Walter J. Redden with the help of her second husband Austin Wilson. She would have many grandchildren, Russell Boles, Randolph Davis, Donovan Hines, Nia Boles, Russia Boles but because of special circumstances she raised her first grandchild as her own.

She stopped working in 1996 due to complications with breast cancer. But she still has so much more love to share and give. So, she started a business from her Co-Op City apartment named Walter's Grandmother Daycare and After School Program where she would nurture the kids in her community. She even became the PTA president of middle school 181 while her grandson was studying there.

Once her grandson was secure enough on his own, she moved to Nereid Ave and quickly became a frequent visitor of the R.A.I.N. Nereid Center. Then soon she would frequent all the R.A.I.N Centers in the Bronx. She became an active member of United Christian Baptist Church and went to every event there ever was in the Bronx.

So many people had so many kind words for Miss Luciel. Senator Bailey called her a mother figure and a light in the community. District Attorney Clark said that Luciel personified the Bronx with her community service. Speaker Heastie called her the heart and soul of the Bronx.

I want to close by echoing the words of Borough President Vanessa Gibson, ``Luciel Boles-Wilson, the life of the party, a great friend, a wonderful Mother and Grandmother, someone you can always count on to cheer you up, make you smile and light up the room with her presence.''

Let us keep the family in our hearts, and may she rest easy.

Mr. Speaker, today I was not present in the House Chamber. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 20 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 21.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, long before I was a Congressman and long before I had been a Council Member, I am and will always be the eternally grateful student of Michael DeStefano. For his influence on me is as powerful today, as it was nearly two decades ago, when God first brought him into my life.

When I was a kid, growing up in the 1990s, I would watch a show known as Boy Meets World, which had an iconic character, a wise, revered teacher by the name of George Feeny.

Mr. DeStefano was, in many ways, the Mr. Feeny of Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx. As a teacher, Mr. DeStefano embodied for me the nobility of public education as a profession. And as a person, he was a formidable presence who could inhabit a room with the power of his personality and the force of his intellect. He had an eloquence and erudition that could captivate almost anyone who heard him speak. And captivate he did.

Indeed, Mr. DeStefano was the first educator to inspire me.

He engendered in me a love of words and ideas--a love that has remained with me ever since. He enabled me to discover a talent for public speaking I never thought I had. He encouraged me to lead the Lehman High School Law Team, which, I believe, set me on a trajectory that led to the New York City Council and then ultimately to the United States Congress. Words cannot capture the fullness of what Mr. DeStefano has meant to me.

The only constant in life, it has been said, is change. The ancient Greek thinker, Heraclitus, put it best: no person steps into the same river twice. The river is not the same, and neither is the person. Everyone and everything changes constantly at every moment. Reflecting on the theme of a constantly changing self, William James once observed that we have various selves at various points in our lives, and how do we know which one of those selves is the true self? According to James, the true self is one in which we feel most deeply and intensely alive.

Mr. DeStefano inspired me to pursue Moot Court in high school, and it is through Moot Court where I began discovering something resembling my true self, where I felt most deeply and intensely alive for the first time in my life.

As a student at Lehman High School, I remember looking for reasons to stop by Mr. DeStefano's office just to listen to and learn from him, just to be inspired by him. He never disappointed. He never ceased to amaze me with the sheer breadth of his knowledge and the sheer eloquence with which he could express every thought that came to mind and the sheer seamlessness with which he could move from one subject area to the next: philosophy and history and psychology, economics and international relations, literature, and religion. He could speak effortlessly about all of it. He had anecdotes and allusions, quotes and statistics that he could readily recover from his encyclopedic mind.

Whether it is Abraham Maslow's theory of self-actualization as the highest human need or Immanuel Kant's concept of the thing in itself or Soren Kierkegaard's leap of faith: all of these ideas that continue to shape how I think about life and the world were born out of conversations with Mr. DeStefano nearly two decades ago.

Those dialogues with Mr. DeStefano remain fresh in my mind as if we had spoken yesterday. I often find myself wondering: What would Mr. DeStefano do about a particular problem? What would he think about a particular question?

As I ask these questions, I am reminded that I am a better person and a better public servant for having had Mr. DeStefano as an educator in my life.

Mr. DeStefano brought out the best in me, and that, to me, is the greatest gift that one can give you.

I am grateful to his wife for sharing her brilliant husband and to his daughters for sharing their brilliant father with the students of Lehman High School, where he served with distinction as an Assistant Principal and teacher for decades.

He was a close confidante of Robert Leder, who at the time was the longest serving principal in the NYC public school system, beloved by many in the Bronx and beyond. The two of them, together, were the dream team in public education.

I miss and love them both.

Mr. DeStefano's legacy will live on not only in the lives of his family and friends but also in the lives of his students.

I will end as I began: I am proud to be a student of Michael DeStefano--always have been and always will be.

May my greatest teacher Rest in Peace.