Congressman Mike Thompson | Official U.S. House headshot
Congressman Mike Thompson | Official U.S. House headshot
On July 9, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) recognized Gilbert Rangel, Jr. as the 2023 American Dream Award recipient for Lake County. The American Dream Award is presented to California’s Fourth District residents who have come to the United States and made outstanding contributions to our communities.
“The contributions of people like Gilbert Rangel have made Lake County better and more inclusive for all who want to live in our region,” said Thompson. “Throughout his time in Lake County, he was worked to connect our communities and ensure that Spanish speakers received key information about wildfires. His dedication to Lake County and the immigrant community makes clear he is deserving of this award, and I am proud to recognize him with this honor.”
Mr. Rangel grew up in his family’s home in Guadalajara, Mexico. Mr. Rangel’s life has been a constant migration between California and Mexico, during which he has made significant contributions to his communities. Mr. Rangel began his career in San Joaquin County in migrant student educational services before being appointed by the Office of Governor Schwarzenegger to aid in the development of AmeriCorps in California. He continued his work under Governor Brown and was then recruited by the Lake County Office of Education to implement a local AmeriCorps program. Mr. Rangel serves as a Board Member for the Kelseyville Unified School District and as an advisor to the Middletown Arts Center. Mr. Rangel founded his company, Equilingual, in 2021 with the mission of achieving equity through language and supporting communications between local organizations and the Spanish speaking community.
The American Dream Award honors immigrants who have excelled professionally, through entrepreneurship and innovation, in the arts and culture, or through community service.
The full list of recipients from California’s Fourth District includes:
- Gilbert Rangel, Jr. – Lake County
- Rolando Herrera – Napa County
- Madhulika Singh – Solano County
- Jack Ding – Sonoma County
- Dr. Anita Oberholster – Yolo County
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