Senate Resolution No. 2519

BY: Senator KAPLAN

HONORING Cesar Hernandez upon the occasion of his
designation as recipient of a Fulbright Scholar
Award

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor the young
adults of today, and leaders of tomorrow, whose character and
achievements best exemplify the ideals and values cherished by this
great State and Nation; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Cesar Hernandez upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of a
Fulbright Scholar Award; and

WHEREAS, The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for
individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching
Assistant Programs; a candidate must submit a Statement of Grant Purpose
defining activities to take place during one academic year in a
participating country outside of the United States; and

WHEREAS, The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct
interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in
routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others'
viewpoints and beliefs; through engagement in the community, the
individual will interact with their host in an atmosphere of openness,
academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual
understanding; and

WHEREAS, A 2021 graduate of Farmingdale State College, Cesar
Hernandez was named a Fulbright Scholar; these awards are highly
competitive, and the list of winners since its creation in 1946 is
impressive, with 61 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients,
and 40 who have served as a head of state or government; and

WHEREAS, Cesar Hernandez, who majored in applied psychology with a
minor in biology, is among six Fulbright winners from Farmingdale State
College since 2010, and is the school's first winner since 2013; and

WHEREAS, Subsequently, during the 2022-2023 academic year, Cesar
Hernandez will travel to the University of Copenhagen in Denmark to
study, teach and do research in neuroscience; he wants to focus on how
genetic mutations in the Danish population affect the functioning of the
nervous system, leading to psychiatric diseases; and

WHEREAS, Cesar Hernandez emigrated from El Salvador to the United
States with his family at the young age of six; having lived with sickle
cell disease, he has always been interested in studying the impact of a
physical illness on a person's mental and emotional health; and

WHEREAS, In his hometown of Port Washington, Cesar Hernandez
volunteers at Cohen Children's Medical Center, where he often takes part
in sickle cell disease events; he hopes to continue his volunteer work
at a children's hospital in Copenhagen; and


WHEREAS, Upon the completion of his year abroad, Cesar Hernandez
plans to purse a Ph.D. at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; and

WHEREAS, Poised eagerly with enthusiasm and determined purpose, this
scholar now stands honorably, with just pride in his accomplishments and
in eager anticipation of future challenges, understanding and
appreciating the caring counsel and support provided by his teachers,
mentors and parents; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Cesar Hernandez upon the occasion of his designation as recipient
of a Fulbright Scholar Award; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Cesar Hernandez.