Calexico grad to advise Obama By NICOLAS TABOREK, Staff Writer
Friday, November 28, 2008 10:42 AM PST
President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Tino Cuéllar, a Calexico High School graduate, to lead his transition team’s immigration policy group.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported this week that Cuéllar, a law professor at Stanford University, will lead one of seven groups that Obama has convened to develop policy priorities for his administration.
Cuéllar, 36, is a 1990 graduate of Calexico High School who went on to receive a bachelor’s degree from Harvard, a law degree from Yale and a Ph.D. in political science from Stanford. He became a professor at Stanford in 2001.
In high school, he was “the kind of student you remember for the rest of your life,” said Marie Anderson, a retired Calexico High French teacher who taught Cuéllar for three years.
Cuéllar already spoke Spanish fluently and soon mastered French, Anderson said.
“He was very mature — I would say more mature than most high school kids, that’s for sure — very intellectual, an exceptional student,” Anderson said.
In addition to being an academic standout in high school, he also served in student government.
Frank Salazar, who knew Cuéllar when they both were part of the high school’s associated student body, described him as an articulate and dedicated student.
“We knew that Tino was going somewhere,” he said. “It’s great to see a fellow Calexico alumnus, in Tino, is moving forward and will be giving the president his counsel.”
Through a spokeswoman for Stanford Law School, Cuéllar declined to be interviewed.
According to the Chronicle article, Cuéllar has been described as a close adviser to Obama on immigration and could be on the short list to head the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency.
Cuéllar served for two years in the Treasury Department during the Clinton Administration, focusing on fighting money laundering.
Cuéllar will co-lead the immigration policy transition group with Georgetown University Law Center Dean T. Alexander Aleinikoff, who was second in command at the Immigration and Naturalization Service during the Clinton years, according to the Chronicle.
" hats off to tino!! i'll be glad to claim him as a chs grad, though he was originally from texas and didn't move to calexico until high school. "
elfilosofo2222 wrote on Nov 27, 2008 11:33 AM:
" Great news for the angry city of Calexico.I hope this news inspires the people of Calexico to have high expectations of themselves and clean up the city! "
vsedano wrote on Nov 27, 2008 10:09 AM:
" Congratulations! I feel proud that someone from the Imperial Valley has done so well. "
mikegino wrote on Nov 27, 2008 8:20 AM:
" Congrats to Professor Cuellar for ascending so high. We all should wish him well. " "
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vquinonez wrote on Nov 28, 2008 10:43 AM:
glowstar
wrote on Nov 27, 2008 1:21 PM:
" hats off to tino!! i'll be glad to claim him as a chs grad, though he was originally from texas and didn't move to calexico until high school. "
elfilosofo2222
wrote on Nov 27, 2008 11:33 AM:
" Great news for the angry city of Calexico.I hope this news inspires the people of Calexico to have high expectations of themselves and clean up the city! "
vsedano
wrote on Nov 27, 2008 10:09 AM:
" Congratulations! I feel proud that someone from the Imperial Valley has done so well. "
mikegino
wrote on Nov 27, 2008 8:20 AM:
" Congrats to Professor Cuellar for ascending so high. We all should wish him well. " "