Along here on great day live,
we are partnering with McDonald's
to highlight high school seniors
that are black history makers.
Joining us today is Jay Benitez from
Central High Magnet career Academy and
I read Damus from Iroquois High School.
Damus, damus, damus, damus.
I got to write the first
time and owner operator,
Nicole Topper and McDonald's
director of Operation John Broberg.
Guys, this is one of my favorite segments.
I love to highlight what students
are doing because I get so excited
not only about what you doing now,
but I feel like I can see into your future.
And you're doing so well.
Wonderful.
I mean, first of all,
what was your reaction to being selected?
I was really excited to be selected.
I'm excited to have the money,
to be able to like to complete
the opportunities that I want
to do. Yeah, it's really exciting.
What about you? I was really amazed you
didn't see it coming. At all. No.
I love hearing that though, right?
It's like that's just wonderful.
What is it you think like on your
resume and what you've been doing in
school that kind of stood out that
you're like this is what got their
attention or or maybe you just you're,
you're doing your thing
and and you're so focused.
So I play a lot of leadership roles
around my school and my community.
I really love to help everyone out.
So it could have been that I was nominated.
So just like she said,
I was like very surprised.
I didn't even know about
anything until like she told
us that we got that. I got this
position. Yeah. You know,
what is the scholarship? To you.
And what do you plan to use it for?
I plan to use it for university
and it means everything to me,
the way me and my family are right now.
My dad, he passed away a year ago,
just last week, and we're still
finding our way emotionally,
spiritually, financially.
And this is going to help us out.
It's like a godsend in a way,
right? Or your dad
saying let's make sure you're OK
and you're taking care of what do
you plan to study in the future.
Um, probably business.
But I do want to help people.
So I just want to go to university
and grow in knowledge just to
be able to help people. Yeah.
And give back. Absolutely.
You want to be a vessel. Amen. Wow.
Whoa. OK. I don't even know
where to go with that. Jade,
what about you? What do you what
do you plan to. Sorry,
I'm studying civil engineering
at speed school over here at UL.
You know, I'm really
interested in engineering.
I want to be an architect.
So I wanna, my big plan is like to
really work with like homelessness
and then try to help build better
homes that you can actually help
people with and give them jobs. Guys
are going to be leaders
here in this community.
I know I'm going to be following,
not even just here in this community.
Who knows where else you may
be serving and giving back.
And I think we need more
students definitely like you.
Is there somebody in your life that
you've looked to that you're like
whether it's somebody in your.
Family or community that you're like,
that person's inspiring me to do better.
My teacher, Mr. Brown, my stem teacher.
I've been with him for four years
and he's always helped me out.
He's always encouraged me to do better, even,
like when I'm having a really rough day.
He's always been there.
He's very uplifting.
He's really sweet,
and he's a great teacher.
He deserves a lot of recognition
for what he does at central. We
need to hear that about our teachers.
I know that they do so much
and they sacrifice so much,
be away from their families to help us.
Mary, what about you?
Who's in who's been kind of your your light?
My family. And the staff
at your equal high school.
Mm-hmm. Absolutely.
They do everything to provide,
to provide for us, right.
They want to step in,
in your family life,
in your academic life, everything.
They help mold you if you're
willing to take it there.
And it sounds like they really
stepped in when you lost your father.
They were like, we're your family,
we're here. Absolutely.
I can't say enough to just about these two
schools in the programs they have, right.
Imagine if you didn't go to these schools
and they didn't have the programs,
they probably helped you.
Find your direction.
In many ways, they did, right?
Ohh. Wow. Nicole.
John, I don't know if you cannot
watch and not be inspired by
what they're saying, you know?
And I mean, I feel like it's obvious
to us how you chose these young,
you know, how you chose them.
But what stood out to you?
Well, as you can tell, it was it was
not very hard to choose these two young
women. You cry on crime.
You know, we have the teachers
or the counselors or their
principals nominate these young,
young leaders of today.
And you know, just what we heard
from the teachers and the counselors
and what they shared with us,
they stood out on paper and just
to hear what from their mouths,
what they do in their community and
what they're going to do not only
today but tomorrow in the future.
We're so proud of them and we are proud
to be here to to reward and recognize
them and to celebrate their success
and share with them the scholarship.
Absolutely. And. And I know,
John, you have to be so proud
to be a part of this program.
Absolutely. I'm so proud.
And it's not just about grade point average.
It's about true leadership.
These students are people who are
volunteering in their communities.
They're tutoring other students.
They're picking up that job after
school to help support their families
and save for their education.
And so we're just all very excited
to see what they do in the future
and proud to be a part of this.
I am too. Like, I feel like
I want to have you all back.
Right. Like like a capsule to look back,
you know, and, you know, forward in a
couple of years and see what's going on.
I feel like you are just such powerful
young leaders already and I feel like young
people need a lot of guidance these days.
What advice would you maybe give
to some young person that's like,
I just don't have my way.
I don't have this.
I don't want to get involved.
I don't know what to do right.
Maybe they feel lost.
The advice I would give is like,
really look into yourself.
Look at who you want to be,
what you want to work on,
the person who you want to be for
the rest of the world, for yourself.
Don't really try to compare
yourself to other people.
Finding your way is really just
about what you want to do,
what makes you
happy. That's so good. I would say,
you know we all have feelings,
but if you act on them.
You probably won't.
Have the life you intend.
We all know that tragedies happen, but.
Girl, I'm sorry. It's OK.
If I.
If I just gave up.
Because my father passed. I wouldn't.
I wouldn't have the scholarship
I have now from working so
hard. Like I have. Thank
you all so much for sharing, leading.
Keep it up, because we're just
going to have to hug or something.
I can't. I can't not hug, you
know? My goodness,
you all. Thank you.
Keep doing what you're doing.
Keep doing what
you're doing. OK.
You're such an inspiration.
And you're such.
Both of you are incredible role models.
And we're really,
really lucky to have you here today.
And I'm serious.
I want to have you all
back on the show sometime.
And you can sit here and tell the mayor
what you think. You can tell
the community what you think,
but we need more.
People like you that care, right?
That is so much love and so
much caring. And I'm proud
of you all and I gotta go to break
your gonna lose them to tune in
next week when we feature another
deserving high school senior as a
McDonald's black history maker.