* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. CITY COUNCIL HAS RECONVENED FROM ITS EXECUTIVE SESSION AND NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN. THANK YOU ALL TO THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO ARE HERE TONIGHT TO, UH, RECOGNIZE OUR NEWLY ELECTED OR REELECTED, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND READ, UH, THEIR NAME. THEY WILL RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE OF ELECTION, AND AT THAT POINT, UH, ALL OF US WILL COME DOWN AND THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE REELECTED, UH, WILL HAVE A, AN OATH OF OFFICE. IT'S THE OFFICIAL OATH OF OFFICE, SO THEY'LL BE ABLE TO DO WORK TOMORROW. UH, BUT THE CEREMONIAL SWEARING IN THAT WILL INCLUDE THE ENTIRE 2019. 2020 COUNCIL WILL OCCUR ON JUNE 19TH. UH, AND YOU ARE ALL AGAIN INVITED TO THAT, AND THERE'LL BE A LOT OF POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE. OKAY. SO WE'LL START WITH, WE'LL START WITH DISTRICT ONE. COUNCILMAN ROBERTO TREVINO, DISTRICT THREE. COUNCILMAN REBECCA GRO ON THREE. THREE. THANK YOU. AND THEN DISTRICT SEVEN, COUNCILMAN ANNA SANDOVAL. CONGRATULATIONS, HONOR. WELL DONE. DISTRICT EIGHT. COUNCILMAN MANNY. S THANK YOU. YOU WANT ME ALL, ALL DRESSED UP FOR TWO SHOTS FROM ME? AND THEN 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3. OKAY. HI, GAVIN. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. DISTRICT NINE. COUNCILMAN JOHN. COURAGE. CONGRATULATIONS, JOHN. WELL DONE. THANKS. 1, 2, 3, 2, 3. YOU GOTTA GET BACK FOR ONE MORE. . THANKS. AND DISTRICT 10, COUNCILMAN CLAYTON PERRY. CONGRATULATIONS, CLAY. ALL GREAT HONOR. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA GET A GROUP PICTURE OF ALL OF THEM. SO IF Y'ALL WANNA JUST COME UP TO THE FRONT. FRED'S GONNA GET A GROUP PICTURE. STAY RIGHT THERE. OH, YEAH. LET'S MAKE UPSIDE ANGLE DOWN LIKE THIS. OH, TWO THREE. 1, 2, 3. VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. STAY THERE. STAY WHERE YOU ARE. SO YOU CAN GET THE CERTIFICATE HERE. JUST PLACE THEM RIGHT THERE [00:05:01] AND THEN JUST STAY UP HERE. WE'RE GONNA ADMINISTER THE OATH OF ABOVE. OKAY. YOU CAN PUT IT RIGHT THERE. OKAY. MANNY, YOU CAN PUT IT HERE. . OKAY. I AM GONNA ADMINISTER THE STATEMENT OF APPOINTED OFFICER, FOLLOWED BY THE OATH OF OFFICE. SO IF YOU PLEASE RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND AND REPEAT AFTER ME. I STATE YOUR NAME. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I HAVE NOT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY PAID, THAT I HAVE NOT DIRECTLY, NOT INDIRECTLY PAID, OFFERED, OR PROMISED TO PAY. OFFERED OR PROMISED TO. CONTRIBUTED OR PROMISED TO CONTRIBUTE. CONTRIBUTED. CONTRIBUTED OR PROMISED TO CONTRIBUTE ANY MONEY OR THING OF VALUE, ANY MONEY OR THING OF VALUE, OR PROMISED ANY PUBLIC OFFICE, OR PROMISED ANY PUBLIC OFFICE FOR THE GIVING OR WITHHOLDING FOR THE GIVING WITHHOLDING OF A VOTE AT THE ELECTION. THE ELECTION AT WHICH I WAS ELECTED, WHICH WAS, OR AS A REWARD, OR AS A REWARD TO SECURE MY APPOINTMENT. TO SECURE MY, WHICHEVER THE CASE MAY BE. THE CASE MAY BE. SO HELP ME GOD. SO HELP ME GOD. AND NOW I'M GOING ADMINISTER THE OATH OF OFFICE. I STATE YOUR NAME. I SO DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF, OF THE OFFICE OF STATE. YOUR OFFICE. DISTRICT. OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND WELL, TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY AND TO THE BEST OF MY, OF MY ABILITY. PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND. PRESERVE, PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION. THE CONSTITUTION. AND LAWS AND LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES. OF THE UNITED STATES. AND OF THE STATE. AND OF THE STATE. SO HELP ME, GOD, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU. TEST, TEST, TEST. DO THE M M. OH, GREAT. AND, UH, COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ IS CURRENTLY ON A CRUISE, BUT SHE WILL HAVE HER SWEARING IN ON MONDAY IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN ATTENDING. OKAY. WE DO HAVE ONE CEREMONIAL ITEM, UH, FOR THIS EVENING. IT IS THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS, THE SCHOLARSHIPS COMMI COMMITTEE OF THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR COMMISSION. WE'LL ANNOUNCE THEIR 2019 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS. THE AWARDS ARE FUNDED BY LOCAL BUSINESSES, COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. EACH RECIPIENT WILL BE PRESENTED WITH A SCHOLARSHIP AWARD, CONGRATULATE, CONGRATULATORY CERTIFICATE, AND A COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL. NEARLY $100,000 WILL BE PROVIDED TO 25 LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO ASSIST WITH THEIR COLLEGE EDUCATION COSTS. SO I'D LIKE TO CALL FORD, VERONICA SOTO FOR THIS PRESIDENT. OH, I'M SORRY. MIKE ETTI, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION. AND MIKE, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. AGAIN, MY NAME IS MIKE IAN, AND I'M PROUD TO SERVE AS THE EXECUTIVE LIAISON TO THE M L K COMMISSION. UH, THE M L K COMMISSION ESSENTIALLY HAS TWO PURPOSES. ONE IS TO HOST AND ORGANIZE THE LARGEST MARCH IN THE COUNTRY. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR ATTENDING THE LAST MARCH. AND THE SECOND THING THAT THEY DO, ESSENTIALLY, IS TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO GRADUATING STUDENTS. AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, THIS YEAR, WE'VE RAISED, THE COMMITTEE HAS RAISED $95,000 TO ISSUE 25 SCHOLARSHIPS. SO AT THIS TIME, MAYOR, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR M L K COMMISSION CHAIR. UH, MR. NATE DAVIS, MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US JUST TODAY. TODAY IS A GLORIOUS OCCASION FOR US BECAUSE THIS IS THE BEST PART OF OUR JOB WHEN WE GET A CHANCE TO GIVE AWAY MONEY. [00:10:01] SO, UH, I, UH, NO FURTHER ADO. I'M NOT GONNA WASTE TIME BECAUSE I WANT TO KEEP THE PROGRAM MOVING. BUT, UH, THE PERSON THAT REALLY IS DOING ALL THE HARD WORK AND THE EFFORT, UH, DR. GEORGE WILLIAMS, I WANNA CALL HIM UP, AND I'M GONNA GET HIM TO INTRODUCE HIS TEAM TO YOU. AND, UH, THEN WE WILL GO ON AND, AND, UH, GO AHEAD AND PRESENT THESE MAGNIFICENT AWARDS TO OUR, TO OUR PARTICIPANTS. SO, GEORGE, COME ON. WOULD YOU HELP ME WITH THIS? THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. UH, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU, UH, FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR ALLOWING US TO DO ANOTHER SCHOLARSHIP RUN. YES, INDEED. WE HAVE RAISED OVER $95,000 TO PROVIDE, UH, SCHOLARSHIPS FOR OUR STUDENTS. A LITTLE BIT OF A BACKGROUND IN TERMS OF THIS, UM, WE RECEIVED THIS YEAR, 315 COMPLETED APPLICATIONS. UM, THAT'S UP FROM LAST YEAR. AND SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT STUDENTS RIGHT HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY, APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS TO PAY FOR PORTIONS OF THEIR TUITION. UM, 11 SCHOOLS WERE ALSO, UH, USED AS WAYS IN WHICH WE, UH, PROVIDED WORKSHOPS FOR STUDENTS TO RECEIVE, UH, M L K WORKSHOPS. AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE STUDENTS AS WELL. UM, AND THEN ALSO I'D LIKE TO SIMPLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT ARE BEHIND ME AND ALSO EVALUATED. SO IF I CAN SIMPLY ASK THEM TO STAND, TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION, TO EVALUATE, AND ALSO SCORE THOSE APPLICATIONS, PLEASE STAND OUT OF THE 315 STUDENTS, 43 STUDENTS, UH, WERE SELECTED FOR AN INTERVIEW. AND OUT OF THAT 43 STUDENTS, 25 STUDENTS IS WHAT WE ARE CELEBRATING TONIGHT THAT ARE RECEIVING SCHOLARSHIP. AND ALL 25 ARE HERE WITH THEIR FAMILY AND THEIR FRIENDS. AND SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. UM, THESE SCHOLARSHIPS WILL, AGAIN, HELP PORTIONS OF THEIR TUITION AND ALSO, UH, PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO RECEIVE IT ON A RENEWABLE BASIS. I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE TWO OTHER GUESTS THAT ARE HERE WITH US TONIGHT. THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS FROM TEXAS A AND M UNIVERSITY. DR. MELISSA MAHAN IS ALSO OFFERING, UH, ADDITIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THOSE STUDENTS THAT HAVE SELECTED TEXAS A AND M, SAN ANTONIO AS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY. SO, DR. MAHAN, I KNOW YOU'RE HERE. AND ALSO THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO. UH, CARLA BROADUS, HE'S, SHE'S THE DIRECTOR OF AFRICANA STUDIES, AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES AT U T S A U T S A IS ALSO PROVIDING AN ADDITIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR THOSE STUDENTS THAT HAVE SELECTED U T S A OF THEIR CHOICE, CARLA. SO WITH THAT, MY JOB IS DONE. MAYOR, I THINK YOU'RE ON BECAUSE YOU WE'RE GONNA ASK THAT YOU, UH, CONGRATULATE THESE STUDENTS INDIVIDUALLY. I'D LIKE TO NOW CALL UP DR. MARTINA MCGEE THAT WILL OFFER THE NAMES OF THESE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS. OUR FIRST STUDENT IS KIANA CUNNINGHAM, WHO WILL BE ATTENDING TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY. KIANA, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A PHOTO. OUR NEXT RES, OUR NEXT RECIPIENT IS KYLER NEL, WHO ATTENDING THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON. OLIVIA BONY WILL BE ATTENDING THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO. DEVIN CHRISTIAN WILL BE ATTENDING HARDEN SIMEON'S UNIVERSITY. [00:15:03] ZACHARY SIMMONS WILL BE ATTENDING TEXAS A AND M UNIVERSITY AT SAN ANTONIO. WILLIAM SANDS WILL BE ATTENDING VANDERBILT'S UNIVERSITY, TTE RAMIREZ. WILL YOU ATTENDING LAMAR UNIVERSITY? WOO. MADELINE, MADELINE DEUS WILL BE ATTENDING UNIVERSITY OF INCARNATE WORD, BRADEN HAMMOND WILL BE ATTENDING BAYLOR UNIVERSITY HAVEN. PRIMM WILL BE ATTENDING ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY. ALEXANDER ZOBEL WILL BE ATTENDING THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. ISABELLA MONTREAL WILL BE ATTENDING THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. GABRIELA GONZALEZ WILL BE ATTENDING COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. SIDNEY POWELL WILL BE ATTENDING TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY. MARIA BALTAZAR WILL BE ATTENDING ST. EDWARDS UNIVERSITY. CHLOE CRAIG WILL BE ATTENDING ARIZONA. ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY READY TO GO. LAMAYA TEMER WILL BE ATTENDING UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON. JADE MORENO WILL BE AT TEXAS A AND M SAN ANTONIO. WOO. YEAH, HE'S HE'S GONNA GO GREAT. HIS ARE SLOW. SHOULD DO THAT. THE, YOU SHOULD DO THAT. 2%. SOPHIA SANTOS WILL BE AT TEXAS A AND M SAN ANTONIO. THEY'RE STILL EGGS. OKAY. GO. JAGUAR. JAGUAR. FATIMA PEREZ WILL BE AT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. [00:20:08] YOU SITTING IN THE CHAIR RIGHT NOW, KAYLA PITA WILL BE AT RICE UNIVERSITY. AALIYAH GLOVER WILL BE ATTENDING TEXAS A AND M UNIVERSITY. TBE WILL BE AT BROWN UNIVERSITY. JEVON MOR WILL BE AT TEXAS A AND M, SAN ANTONIO Z ZION MINOR WILL BE AT TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY. WELL, I JUST WANNA CLOSE OUT, THANK YOU, YOU GUYS, FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO FOR NOT ONLY JUST THE MARTIN LUTHER KING COMMISSION, BUT FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. SO, UH, WE WANT YOU TO KEEP UP YOUR GOOD WORK AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. CONGRATULATIONS, EVERYBODY. WE'LL HAVE SOME COUNCIL COMMENTS. WE'LL START WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN ELIAS. THANK YOU. UH, VERY MUCH SO TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU STUDENTS. UM, YOU KNOW, IT, YOU DIDN'T JUST GET, UH, A NICE PHOTOGRAPH, A HANDSHAKE FROM THE MAYOR, UH, AND A SCHOLARSHIP. WHAT YOU GOT IS EXPECTATIONS. UM, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US IN THIS ROOM WHO ARE HERE, ARE EXPECTING REALLY BIG THINGS FROM YOU. UH, IN FACT, YOU WERE CHOSEN FOR THESE, I'M CERTAIN BECAUSE THEY SAW SOMETHING IN YOU, RIGHT? UH, THAT WE KNOW THIS INVESTMENT THAT WE'RE MAKING IN YOU WILL PAY OFF. AND THE EXPECTATIONS ARE THAT YOU WILL DO WHAT HAS BEEN DONE FOR YOU TODAY. YOU'LL DO IT FOR SOMEONE ELSE IN THE FUTURE AND NOT NECESSARILY GIVE A SCHOLARSHIP TO SOMEONE IN THE FUTURE, RIGHT? OR DO SOMETHING AT CITY HALL, BUT THAT YOU'LL REACH OUT AND YOU'LL HELP SOMEONE ACHIEVE SOMETHING, MAYBE EVEN SOMETHING BIGGER THAN YOU. IF YOU DON'T DO THAT AT SOME POINT IN YOUR LIFE, WELL, THEN YOU WILL HAVE GOTTEN AN F FROM EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. OKAY? WE'RE MAKING A HUGE INVESTMENT IN YOU. NOW, SOME OF YOU, UH, GOT TO, UH, YOU KNOW, GET DIFFERENT AMOUNTS IN SCHOLARSHIPS. I I'VE GOT A DOCUMENT UP HERE THAT SHOWS THAT, AND SOME OF YOU'RE GOING ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES. AND WHAT'S REALLY SPECIAL ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT TO ME IS THAT IT SHOWS ME THAT WE'RE SENDING A PIECE OF SAN ANTONIO, THE BEST OF SAN ANTONIO ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES TO SORT OF POLLINATE, RIGHT? WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT. AND REMEMBER, WHAT WE'RE ABOUT IS CULTURE, KINDNESS, DIGNITY, RESPECT, CHARITY, RIGHT? BUT ALSO REMEMBERING AND NEVER FORGETTING THAT ALL OF US, EVERY SAN ANTONIO STANDS ON THE SHOULDERS OF SOMEBODY GREAT WHO CAME BEFORE US, AND SOMEBODY WHO HELPED US OUT. THE PEOPLE WHO RAISED ALL THIS MONEY, THESE AREN'T RA RICH PEOPLE. THEY WORKED SUPER HARD TO PUT TOGETHER THIS MONEY. AM I RIGHT? THEY WORKED SUPER HARD TO GET [00:25:01] TOGETHER THIS MONEY. SO MY REQUEST OF YOU GUYS IS EARN IT. YOU HAVEN'T EARNED IT YET. YOU STILL GOT A LOT OF WORK TO, TO EARN THIS. AND ALL OF US ARE GONNA BE EXPECTING ALSO TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR SUCCESSES. ONE IN PARTICULAR, A YOUNG MAN BY THE NAME OF ALEX LUME LEE, I KNOW YOUR FATHER, YOUNG MAN. AND SO I'M GONNA BE, I, MY EXPECTATIONS ARE REALLY QUITE REAL. UH, AND I DON'T CARE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO A FANCY PANTS SCHOOL IN PENNSYLVANIA. UH, YOU KNOW, I KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO FIND YOU. CONGRATULATIONS, BRO. THAT'S, THAT'S A REALLY BIG DEAL. CONGRATS KIDS. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN ELA. COUNCILMAN SALDANA. THANK YOU. UH, BAD COP, GOOD COP. Y YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE WORKED PRETTY HARD TO GET HERE. I'M, I, I'M JOKING. I KNOW THAT MANNY'S, UH, REALLY MEANS WHAT HE SAYS. AND ACTUALLY, I, I SECOND THAT. THERE IS A LOT OF EXPECTATION FOR YOU ALL, AND, AND WE WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU TAKE THAT TALENT THAT YOU'VE ALREADY GOT, TAKE IT TO WHICHEVER UNIVERSITY YOU'RE GOING TO, AND MAYBE AT SOME POINT BRING IT RIGHT BACK TO SAN ANTONIO AND COME FULL CIRCLE. IT IS A BIG INVESTMENT. AND, UH, I WANNA JUST CALL OUT, UH, I KNOW I KNOW A FEW OF 'EM, BUT WE'VE GOT SOME PARENTS HERE, UH, WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE YOU TO, YOU KNOW, CLASSES AND, AND EXTRA SUMMER SCHOOLS, OR IF YOU NEEDED TUTORING, OR EVEN IF YOU WERE IN LITTLE LEAGUE. UH, THEY SAY THAT BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL CHILD IS AN ASTONISHED PARENT. UM, AND I HO I KNOW THAT THAT'S LIKELY NOT THE CASE FOR MANY OF YOU ALL WHO HAVE THE SAME EXPECTATIONS THAT YOU'D BE HERE LIKELY, UH, ONE DAY. SO I JUST WANNA SAY, STUDENTS, CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL THE WORK YOU'VE ALREADY PUT IN. UH, YOU KNOW, THIS, THOSE ESSAYS DIDN'T WRITE THEMSELVES. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ALL, YOU ALL HAD TO DO INTERVIEWS, UH, ALONG THE WAY. SO I, I'M REALLY, REALLY GRATEFUL THAT YOU ALL ARE SPENDING THE EVENING WITH US HERE, AND WISH YOU ALL A TON OF LUCK AS YOU GET INTO UNIVERSITY. IT'S GONNA BE GREAT. IT'S GONNA BE FUN. YOU'RE GONNA WORK HARD. UH, AND AT SOME POINT, MAYBE YOU'LL MAKE IT BACK TO SAN ANTONIO. WE'LL BE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN SALDANA. COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR PRO TEM. UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA THANK EVERYONE ON THE COMMISSION FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO. UM, YOU'RE REALLY MAKING THE FUTURE WHEN YOU RAISE ALL THAT MONEY AND YOU AWARD IT TO THESE STUDENTS AND STUDENTS, YOU'RE A PART OF THAT AS WELL, OF MAKING THE FUTURE FOR SAN ANTONIO OR WHEREVER YOU END UP DECIDING TO LIVE YOUR LIVES, UM, TO EVERY ONE OF YOU, UH, SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS, ESPECIALLY THE ONES FROM, UH, YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP ACADEMY AND THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL. WE ONLY HAVE TWO HIGH SCHOOLS, DISTRICT SEVEN, SO I HAVE TO HIGHLIGHT THEM. UH, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU ON YOUR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, ON YOUR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS, AND ON EARNING THIS SCHOLARSHIP. LIKE COUNCILMAN LANGA SAID, I'M SURE IT WASN'T EASY, IT WAS A LOT OF HARD WORK. SO WE RECOGNIZE THAT. AND WHEREVER YOU GO, UH, YOU WILL BE REPRESENTING SAN ANTONIO. SO PLEASE MAKE US PROUD, WHETHER THAT'S HERE AT U T S A OR AT A AND M UNIVERSITY OR AT BROWN UNIVERSITY. AND, UH, HOPEFULLY ONE DAY YOU WILL CONSIDER RETURNING TO US AND BRINGING BACK ALL THE NUGGETS OF YOUR WISDOM. UM, NOW THOSE OF US WHO JUST TOOK OUR OATH OF OFFICE EARLIER, WE TOOK A TEST ON MAY 4TH, AND WE PASSED. IT WAS A PASS FAIL TEST. UM, THERE WAS NO, THERE WAS NO CURVE ON THAT ONE, FORTUNATELY. AND, UM, THERE, NOW THAT YOU ARE GRADUATING SENIORS, I IMAGINE MOST OF YOU'RE REGISTERED TO VOTE. SO I JUST WANNA REMIND YOU THAT IS PART OF YOUR, UH, WHAT WE CONSIDER A CIVIC DUTY. SO I DO HOPE THAT, UH, YOU WILL VOTE BETWEEN NOW AND, AND JUNE 8TH AND LEAVE THAT LITTLE PIECE OF BEFORE YOU GO OFF TO YOUR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY, UH, TO CAST YOUR VOTE IN SAN ANTONIO. SO, CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN, COUNCILWOMAN VRAN, THANK YOU. UH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU. CONGRATULATIONS TO GETTING TO THIS POINT FOR ALL OF THE HARD WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE, AND FOR THE TEARS, THE STRESS, THE LATE NIGHTS, THE CRAMMING, EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE. AND IT'S ONLY GONNA GET MORE ONCE YOU GO INTO YOUR UNIVERSITY. BUT HEY, CONGRATULATIONS ON TAKING THE STEP, BEING PROACTIVE, TAKING INITIATIVE, AND RISKING. AND I WANNA THANK THE PARENTS BECAUSE YOU'RE ON A BIG RISK TOO. SOME OF YOU ARE LETTING YOUR, YOUR CHILDREN GO OUT SOME PLACES THAT YOU'VE, YOU'VE NEVER LET THEM OUT OF THE HOUSE BEFORE. BUT THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT BECAUSE OUR FAMILIES ARE GONNA BE GREATER IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AS WAS MENTIONED. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU, BECAUSE YOU ARE ALREADY AND WILL BE GREAT AMBASSADORS FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, WHEREVER YOU GO. UM, TWO THOSE IN DISTRICT THREE, EAST CENTRAL MCCULLUM. CONGRATULATIONS. I AM, UH, UNDERGRAD. I GOT MY UNDERGRAD FROM TEXAS STATE. SO, UM, GO BOBCATS. [00:30:01] AND I AM JUST SO, SO THRILLED FOR WHERE YOU ARE GOING. BUT NEVER FORGET WHERE YOU COME FROM AND NEVER FORGET THAT WE ARE CHEERING YOU ON ALONG THE WAY. AND YOU HAVE A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES AND FRIENDS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THAT ARE CHEERING YOU ON TO BE YOUR VERY BEST. SO, THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN, COUNCILMAN, COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM. I JUST WANT TO ADD MY CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU WHO, UH, WORKED SO HARD TO GET WHERE YOU WERE TODAY. UH, WE HEARD THAT YOU HAD TO GO FOR AN INTERVIEW, AND YOU HAD TO GO AHEAD AND EXPRESS WHAT YOUR HOPES WERE FOR YOUR FUTURE, WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO FOR YOURSELVES, YOUR FAMILY, AND YOUR COMMUNITY. UH, AND THAT'S, THAT'S GREAT. AND, AND THAT'S HELPED YOU GET WHERE YOU ARE TODAY. DON'T FORGET EVERYBODY ELSE WHO HELPED YOU ALONG THE WAY. I WAS A TEACHER FOR 27 YEARS. I TAUGHT AT JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR MANY YEARS. I SAW A LOT OF GRADUATING STUDENTS WHO WORKED VERY HARD TO GET WHERE THEY WERE, WHO WENT ON TO COLLEGE. IT'S SO PLEASING TO ME TO SEE MANY OF YOU HERE TODAY STEPPING OUT TO DO THE SAME THING. THE FUTURE IS YOURS, BUT DON'T FORGET WHERE YOU CAME FROM. COME BACK TO US. HELP CONTINUE TO MAKE THIS BE THE GREAT CITY THAT HELPED YOU BE WHO YOU ARE AND WILL HELP YOUR BROTHERS, SISTERS, FRIENDS TO GO ON TO A GREAT FUTURE TOO. SO, CONGRATULATIONS. BEST OF LUCK AND ENJOY COLLEGE. BUT IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF HARD WORK AND GOOD LUCK. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN TREVINO. THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM. UM, I JUST WANNA SAY CONGRATULATIONS AND, YOU KNOW, FROM SOMEONE THAT REMEMBERS WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO TRY TO NAVIGATE WHAT, UH, YOUR NEXT STEPS WOULD BE AS YOU GO ON TO COLLEGE. I JUST WANNA CONGRATULATE YOU BECAUSE THIS IS, THIS IS TRULY ALSO PART OF SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, IS DIFFICULT AND WANT TO COMMEND YOU FOR, FOR CHASING THOSE SCHOLARSHIPS TO KNOW THAT, UH, I'M REALLY PROUD OF, OF, UH, THE M I K M L K ORGANIZATION TO, UH, HELP BE A PART OF THAT. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT, IT'S, UH, SOMETHING THAT, UH, YOU'LL KNOW IS, IS GONNA BE PART OF THE REST OF YOUR LIVES, IS THAT DISCIPLINE TO, TO CHASE YOUR DREAM, TO KNOW THAT, UH, YOU, YOU'VE GONE OUT THERE AND YOU'VE, UH, APPLIED FOR SOMETHING THAT HAS COME BACK TO YOU AS A REWARD FOR, FOR YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, FOR YOUR EFFORTS, BUT ALSO FOR THAT PROMISE, THAT PROMISE THAT YOU WILL, UH, BE A, A MEANINGFUL PART OF OUR SOCIETY AND OUR COMMUNITY. AND WE, WE HOPE, UH, YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME, UH, IN YOUR RESPECTIVE COLLEGES AND WISH YOU THE BEST. AND HOPEFULLY YOU COME BACK TO SAN ANTONIO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN COUNCILMAN PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU. THIS IS A GREAT HONOR. IT'S, UM, I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN SET UP HERE ALREADY, BUT I WANT TO, I WANT TO GO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER. I WANNA LEAVE YOU WITH FIVE POINTS. UH, MY COLLEAGUE, UH, UH, COUNCILMAN HALL HAS ALREADY HEARD THESE AT, AT ANOTHER, UM, IT WAS ANOTHER CELEBRATION FOR GETTING SCHOLARSHIPS AND FROM ANOTHER, UH, ORGANIZATION. BUT LEMME GO OVER THESE FIVE POINTS WITH YOU AND, AND LISTEN CAREFULLY. AND IF YOU WANT COPIES OF THIS, I'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU THESE COPIES. BUT REMEMBER, REMEMBER THESE, KEEP ON THE PATH THAT YOU'RE ON NOW. YOU'VE, YOU'VE TRAVELED THIS FAR AND LOOK AT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND YOU'RE BEING RECOGNIZED TONIGHT FOR THAT. BUT KEEP ON THIS PATH. KEEP STRIVING AND KEEP WORKING HARD FOR THE REST OF YOUR COLLEGE CAREER. AND THEN AFTER YOUR COLLEGE CAREER, UH, YOU HAVE TO KEEP WORKING HARD AND YOUR HARD WORK WILL BE RECOGNIZED JUST AS IT'S BEING RECOGNIZED TODAY. NUMBER TWO, NEVER BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP. IF YOU'RE STRUGGLING AND YOU NEED HELP, ASK FOR HELP. DON'T KEEP IT ALL INTERNALIZED. DON'T TRY TO DO IT ON YOUR OWN. IF, IF IT SEEMS LIKE AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK TO DO, REACH OUT AND ASK FOR HELP. NUMBER THREE, LEAN ON YOUR FAMILY AND LOVED ONES FOR SUPPORT. THEY'RE THERE RIGHT BEHIND YOU, AND THEY'RE WILLING TO HELP. AND THEY, THEY HAVE LOVED YOU, NURTURED YOU UP TO THIS POINT. DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA DO IT ANY, ANY FURTHER. THEY'RE GONNA KEEP ON THAT PATH AS WELL. SO, LEAN ON YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR LOVED ONES FOR THAT SUPPORT. A REAL KEY ONE HERE. UM, ALWAYS LOOK FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAVE YOUR BEST INTEREST AT HEART. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA RUN INTO A LOT OF FOLKS OUT THERE ON YOUR COLLEGE CAREER THAT [00:35:01] MIGHT NOT HAVE YOUR BEST INTEREST AT HEART. AND YOU NEED TO ALWAYS ASK YOURSELF, IS THIS REALLY WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR? IS THIS REALLY WHAT I'M I DESERVE? IS THIS REALLY ON MY CAREER PATH? SO ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THAT WITH THE PEOPLE THAT YOU MEET, BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE TRYING TO LEAD YOU ASTRAY AND DOWN THE WRONG PATH. SO THINK ABOUT THAT WHEN YOU MAKE FRIENDS, BUT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BE THAT PERSON THAT PEOPLE LOOK UP TO, THAT YOU HAVE YOUR FRIEND'S BEST INTEREST AT HEART. SO WORK WITH THEM ON A DAILY BASIS. AND THEN FINALLY, UM, HAVE FAITH. YOU KNOW, WHETHER YOU BELIEVE IN A SUPREME BEING OR NOT, YOU CAN ALWAYS HAVE FAITH, HAVE FAITH IN THAT SUPREME BEING OR HAVE FAITH IN YOURSELF, AT LEAST HAVE FAITH IN YOURSELF THAT YOU CAN DO THIS AND ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO THE FUTURE AND HAVE THAT FAITH THAT YOU'RE GONNA MAKE IT. BY GOLLY, YOU'RE GOING TO, YOU'RE GONNA GRADUATE AND YOU'RE GONNA GET A GREAT JOB. AND HOPEFULLY YOU'LL COME BACK HERE TO SAN ANTONIO AND STAY HERE IN TOWN AND CONTINUE YOUR DEGREE AND CAREER PATH HERE AND GIVING BACK TO THIS GREAT CITY HERE. AND IF THE ADULTS AND THE PARENTS LISTEN TO THOSE FIVE POINTS, YOU CAN STILL LIVE BY THOSE FIVE POINTS ALSO. SO THAT'S MY RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU. UM, LIKE I SAID, I'LL SEND THESE TO YOU IF YOU WANT, BUT ANYWAY, CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN AND BEST OF LUCK. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN PLY. THANK YOU. AND YOU KNOW, I ALREADY MADE COMMENTS, BUT I, I FORGOT SOMETHING. I I'M LOOKING THROUGH THIS LIST HERE. UM, AND REALLY THIS IS DIRECTED TO THE THREE STUDENTS, THE ONE WHO WENT TO, WHO'S GOT INTO BROWN OOK, AND THEN COLUMBIA, GABRIELA, AND THEN, UH, ALEXANDER, WHO'S GOING TO PENN. I'M SO SORRY THAT THE THREE OF YOU COULDN'T GET INTO TRINITY UNIVERSITY, LIKE THE MAYOR AND MYSELF DID . UH, BUT, UH, AND LIKE OUR CITY MANAGER, HEY, SERIOUSLY, LIKE WHAT I WANTED TO END WITH IS, HOW MANY OF YOU SHOWED UP WITH A PARENT, A GRANDPARENT, A GUARDIAN, UH, A MENTOR TODAY? YEAH. HEY, GUESS WHAT? I THINK IT'S TIME THAT YOU GUYS THANK THE PEOPLE WHO MADE ALL OF YOU POSSIBLE. LET'S DO THAT NOW, RIGHT? AND I'LL, I'LL CLOSE OUT THE COMMENTS. AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU ALL. FIRST, LEMME SAY THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THE M L K COMMISSION, NATE DAVIS AND YOUR TEAM. I WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE. UH, DR. GEORGE WILLIAMS AND, AND, AND HIS TEAM. HE'S A DEAN AT O L U. SO WE, WE WANNA THANK HIM FOR WHAT HE'S DONE AS WELL. UM, AND THEN FOR DR. ETAN AND ALL OF HIS WORK AND HIS, UH, SUPPORT FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO SIDE. AND THEN I THINK THE NUMBERS ARE JUST AMAZING. SO FIRST OF ALL, WE GOT 25 STUDENTS AND WE'VE GIVEN OVER, OR ALMOST A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, BUT WE HAD OVER 300 STUDENTS APPLY FOR THIS. AND SO WHEN I, IF MY CALCULATIONS ARE CORRECT, THAT'S ABOUT 8%. SO YOU ARE THE TOP 8% HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THAT APPLIED FOR THIS SCHOLARSHIP. SO THAT, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOU ALL. IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING, AND IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT WHAT, AS COUNCILMAN SAID, OUR EXPECTATIONS FOR YOU, UH, LONG TERM. THE TWO THINGS THAT I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE, UH, I DO INTERVIEWS FOR MY ALMA MATER AND I TELL THEM TWO THINGS. NUMBER ONE, STUDY ABROAD. UH, MOST OF YOUR UNIVERSITIES ARE GONNA HAVE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS. SO IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY, DO IT. UM, I, I STUDIED IN ECUADOR. I HAD A, UH, ONE OF MY ROOMMATES STUDIED IN FRANCE, ANOTHER ONE STUDIED IN LONDON, ANOTHER ONE STUDIED IN EGYPT. THE, THE, THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE OUT THERE, TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THEM. AND THEN THE FINAL THING I'LL SAY, KIND OF ALONG THE LINES OF COUNCILMAN PERRY, IF YOU ARE A FAITH PERSON, UM, FIND YOU A CHURCH HOME. AND ONE THING I USED TO DO IS I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO WRITE MY PARENTS, BUT I'D GO TO CHURCH AND ON THE BACK OF THE PROGRAM, I'D SAY A COUPLE NOTES AND I'D SEND THE CHURCH PROGRAM IN, UH, HOME. AND SO, UH, SO THAT LET THEM KNOW THAT, HEY, I WAS DOING OKAY , UH, BUT ALSO I WAS ABLE TO WRITE THEM A SHORT NOTE. SO AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS. LEMME SAY THIS, THE M I K COMMISSION HAS, UH, UH, FOOD IN THE BACK. SO RIGHT, IF YOU GO OUT THESE DOORS RIGHT BEHIND US, UH, FOR PARENTS AND THE STUDENTS, THERE'S A, THERE'S A FULL MEAL AVAILABLE FOR, FOR OUR STUDENTS. SO CONGRATULATIONS YOU ALL AGAIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, BEFORE YOU GET UP TO LEAVE, I ALSO DO WANNA RECOGNIZE NATE, UH, MIKE AND THE WHOLE M L K COMMISSION AND MAKING THIS HAPPEN YEAR AFTER YEAR AND GETTING BIGGER AND BETTER EVERY SINGLE YEAR. AND I KNOW IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO SELECT THE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS. AS COUNCILMAN HALL SAID, YOU ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST. AND SO I'D LIKE TO JUST, UH, SAY A FEW WORDS TO THE TEACHERS, THE GUARDIANS, AND THE PARENTS WHO ARE IN THE AUDIENCE. A NUMBER OF US ARE PARENTS, UH, AND YOU HAVE HAD SET A VERY HIGH STANDARD OF RAISING HIGH QUALITY INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT TAKES A LOT MORE THAN JUST GRADES TO EARN A SCHOLARSHIP [00:40:01] LIKE THIS. AND SO THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE LEFT OUR CITY, OUR WORLD, A PLACE WITH COMPASSIONATE, UH, UPSTANDING CITIZENS WHO ARE GONNA ENGAGE AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS, MAKES US ALL VERY PROUD TO LIVE HERE. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU, AND WE'LL LIVE UP TO YOUR STANDARD AS WELL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.