Gil Cisneros, who was recently elected to represent Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties in the U.S. House of Representatives, celebrated his community swearing-in ceremony and his upcoming birthday at Cal State Fullerton’s Golleher Alumni House Saturday, Feb. 10. The congressman shared he was “proud, honored and humbled” to be serving the 39th Congressional District.
“You deserve the representation you voted for,” he said.
During opening remarks, Cal State Fullerton President Fram Virjee thanked Cisneros for being the “impetus for the life-changing moment” of Titan Miriam Tellez, a DACA student who was invited by the congressman to attend the State of the Union address earlier this month. Virjee spoke of a now-famous photo of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Tellez and Cisneros.
“Draped around Miriam was a symbol of resilience, a symbol of courage, that embody everything that this university and this nation stand for,” said Virjee. “It embodies inclusion, diversity, the path toward the American Dream.”
The symbol draped over Tellez’s shoulders, he explained, was the Cal State Fullerton Dreamers graduation sash that she will wear when she graduates in May.
Although Cisneros is not a CSUF graduate, said the university president, “today and everyday, he’s a Titan. He’s a supporter of our Abrego Future Scholars program. He’s a believer and a supporter of the Center for Oral and Public History Orange County Politics Project. He’s a believer and a supporter of our Dreamers, like Miriam, and all our students from all their backgrounds who do as he did — work hard and tap into the transformative nature of the power of higher education and the path to upward mobility that it can provide.
“That’s what being a Titan is all about — and that’s what our congressman is all about.”
Cisneros, for his part, joked about bringing the congressional baseball game to CSUF. “I might have to borrow a Titan uniform,” he said.
Cisneros spoke of two recent examples of successful bipartisanship — a bill in support of veterans that recently passed in the House and a trip to a U.S. Air Force base as part of the House Armed Services Committee.
Those two instances, said the Navy veteran, “have given me confidence that we can work together and we can get things done. I know we can pass comprehensive immigration laws. I know we can pass common sense legislation. We can work to lower the price of health care, the price of prescription drugs, protect those with preexisting conditions … we can do this together.”