* 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] OKAY GUYS. SO THE FIRST THING ON OUR AGENDA IS JANUARY 13TH MEETING. SO IF EVERYONE SECOND. OKAY, SO THIS IS EPTEMBER 13TH MEETING. UH, WE MAINLY JUST TALKED ABOUT, UH, WE HAD HOUSE MEMBER BJ WILLIAMS COME OUT, SPEAK TO US ABOUT POWER OF PERSISTENCE AND SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY. WE ALSO HAD OUR GRAPH UP. WE DISCUSSED THE RESULTS OF IT. WE HAD VERY GOOD TURNOUT. UM, WE WE'RE STILL WAITING ON UPDATES ON WHETHER WE'RE GONNA DELIVER ALL THE POST TO THE PLACE. SO KEEP A LOOK AT ON BRITTANY, UH, WE BROKE OUR COMMITTEE GROUPS, WE TALKED ABOUT MORE UPCOMING EVENTS. AND IF YOU WEREN'T THERE, THAT MEETING TOUCHED BASE WITH YOUR COMMITTEE LATER ON TO KNOW WHAT WE DISCUSSED LAST NIGHT. AND THEN WE'LL GO. UM, I MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 13TH MEETING. DOES WANNA SECOND THE MOTION? ANDREW? I THE MOTION. OKAY, SO I ALL IN FAVOR? OKAY. THANK YOU. MOVE ON. UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS. UH, MOVING ON. CITY COUNCIL MEET AND GREET. TODAY WE'RE GONNA GET TO KNOW CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. CHRIS, WALK TO YOU. HELLO EVERYONE. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. ARE Y'ALL LIKE TIRED OR WHAT? THE WEATHER. THIS IS NOT LIKE, WHAT DOES BLUE, EVERYONE BLUE MEAN? I AGREE. I AGREE WITH IT'S LIKE NAPPING WEATHER. YOU DID SOME LIKE CHILI OR SOMETHING, RIGHT? SO MY NAME IS ISSA. I AM THE DISTRICT SIXTH, UM, COUNCIL PERSON. SO MY AREA IS VERY CENTRAL WEST, SO DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHERE CRAFT IS? THE CRAFT PLACE? SHERWIN WILLIAMS, THE ONES, SO MY AREA IS OVER THAT WAY. SO GARLAND HIGH SCHOOL IS JUST BARELY OUT IN MY DISTRICT. I AM ONE OF THE ONLY DISTRICTS THAT DOES NOT HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL. REALLY? YES. YES. I HAVE LIKE 85 MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. BUT, UM, IF YOU, UH, IF YOU'RE AT GARLAND HIGH SCHOOL, LITERAL JUST ACROSS THE STREET, YES. ON, ARE YOU? MM-HMM. SO I, I COULD HEARD LIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET, LIKE WILLIAMS. UM, SO IF YOU WENT TO WILLIAMS OR PARK, UM, THAT WOULD BE IN MY AREA. UM, JACKSON IS IN MY AREA. UH, UH, AARON DAVIS, BEAVER, THAT WHOLE LITTLE SECTION ON THERE. UM, SO I AM IN MY SECOND TERM ON COUNCIL. I AM ALMOST HALFWAY THROUGH MY, MY SECOND TERM. SO, UM, I AT GOT HALFWAY POINT. UM, SO LET'S SEE. I MADE NOTES, BUT THEN I, OKAY, SO LET'S SEE. UM, SERVING ON COUNCIL, WHAT THAT MEANS TO ME, IT DEPENDS ON THE DAY, AND I'M SURE THAT YOU GUYS CAN ALL RELATE. IT DEPENDS ON WHAT DAY IT IS. IF SOMEONE SAYS, WHAT DOES SERVING ON YOUR COUNSEL MEAN TO YOU, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A ROUGH WEEK AND IT, IT, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A FANTASTIC GROUP. YOU MIGHT HAVE GOT TO DO ALL KINDS OF NEW THINGS AND HELP NEW PEOPLE. LIKE YOU MIGHT BE OUR CURRENT CITY COUNCIL THAT HAS JUST HAD A REALLY ROUGH SIX MONTHS . SO SOME, SOMETIMES IT IS LITERALLY JUST MAKING IT THROUGH THE NEXT MEETING, MAKING IT THROUGH THE NEXT DAY, BECAUSE PEOPLE IN GROUP, THEY'RE MEAN. UM, THE INSURANCE, SOCIAL MEDIA, NOT OUR FAN. SO, UM, BUT MOST OF THE TIME WHAT COUNCIL MEANS SAYING IS THAT I GET TO HELP PEOPLE ON A LARGER SCALE THAN WHAT I WAS ABLE TO DO BEFORE I GOT ON COUNCIL. UM, BECAUSE I HAVE A BIGGER TEAM MODEL, RIGHT? SO WE'VE GOT MORE RESOURCES. UM, WHEN, WHEN BEFORE I GOT ON COUNCIL, I WAS VERY INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY AND VERY HELP WORKER, THE HELPER PERSON, YOU KNOW. UM, AND SO THAT'S HOW I GOT CONFIDENT TO BEING ON COUNCIL. THAT'S WHEN I SAID, WELL, PERSONA, THAT'S DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE DO. JUST THERE'S MORE PEOPLE TO HELP YOU. THEY LEFT OUT ALL THE BAD STUFF, RIGHT? LIKE ALL THE [00:05:01] STRESS AND ALL THE 1:00 AM COUNCIL MEETINGS. AND, BUT, UM, I DO IT TO HELP A LOT MORE PEOPLE IN A BIGGER WAY. AND SO FOR ME, THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF COUNCIL. UM, HOWEVER, AND I'M SURE AS, AS YOU KNOW, AS YOU'VE HAD MORE SPEAKERS COME, MORE COUNCIL, PEOPLE COME TO TALK TO YOU. EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERENT ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION, RIGHT? BECAUSE COUNSEL, WHETHER IT IS YOUTH OR GROWNUP, UM, NOT THE GROWNUP, BUT, UM, WHETHER, WHATEVER SKILL OF COUNCIL YOU'RE ON, IT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO MAKE OF IT, RIGHT? SO YOU CAN EITHER HAVE A FANTASTIC TIME AND YOU CAN GET TO LEARN ALL OF THE SEVEN THINGS, OR YOU CAN GO AND YOU CAN DO THE BARE MINIMUM TO SAY THAT YOU DID IT RIGHT? SO I AM VERY MUCH A, I WANT TO LEARN ALL OF THE SEVEN THINGS. LIKE, SO I, I LOVE GOING AND WORKING WITH OUR DEPARTMENTS. AND SO I'VE GONE AND WORKED WITH OUR STREETS DEPARTMENT AND HELPED THEM FOR CEMENT AND MAKE WE MEET A WHOLE ROAD. AND SO NOW I GET TO SAY LIKE, OH GOSH, I MADE THAT ROAD. I'M GONNA GO WITH THEM TOMORROW TO DO ASPHALT BECAUSE CEMENTING ASPHALT ARE TWO WAY DIFFERENT THINGS. AND THERE'S A VERY BIG PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT I WANT TO DRIVE. AND THEY SAID YES, THOUGH, THERE'S THAT , YOU KNOW, LIKE, YES, YES. LIKE SOMETIMES YOU GET TO USE YOUR, UH, CASTLE TIRE FOR WEIRD THINGS LIKE FIRE HYDRANT. THEY BRING ONE. UM, SO YEAH, SO COUNCIL, COUNCIL, IT COULD EITHER BE REALLY COOL, IT COULD BE JUST MAKE, YOU COULD JUST MAKE IT THROUGH. UM, IT'S REALLY WHATEVER YOUR COUNSELOR EXPERIENCE DEPENDS ON YOU. SO I SURE YOU GUYS IT THE SAME FOR YOU GUYS, RIGHT? LIKE, HOW INVOLVED DO YOU WANT TO BE? UM, I AM THE PERSON, IF YOU INVITE ME, I'M GONNA SHOW. UNLESS THERE'S JUST SOMETHING CATASTROPHIC GOING ON, I, I WILL PROBABLY LEAVE LATE. LET'S JUST, I WILL PROBABLY BE LATE BECAUSE THAT'S HOW JESUS GONNA BE. BUT, UM, I TRY TO GO TO ALL OF THE EVENTS, RIGHT? BECAUSE HOW DO YOU KNOW WHO YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE IF YOU'RE NOT IN EVENTS WITH THEM, IF YOU'RE NOT HANGING OUT WITH THEM AND, YOU KNOW, SEEING WHAT THEIR CULTURE IS, WHAT THEIR, THEIR FRIENDS ARE, ALL OF THAT STUFF. SO I ENJOY GOING TO ALL OF THE EVENTS. SOMETIMES IT'S A BEATING, BUT IT'S SO FUN. UM, ALSO, I'M NOT A PUBLIC SPEAKER, BUT I'M NOT CRYING. I GET NERVOUS AND THEN I CRY. IS ANYBODY IN HERE, UH, TERRIFIED OF PUBLIC SPEAKING? I SAY, OKAY, YOU CAN SEE ME PUBLIC THOUGH. OH, YOU'RE GOOD. YOU'RE FINE, YOU'RE FINE. LIKE, NO, TALKING IN PUBLIC IS WEIRD. IT'S REALLY WEIRD. LIKE, UM, BEFORE I GOT A HALF HOUR WOULD JUST STAND HERE AND CRY. LITERALLY JUST IN THERE THERE'S A YOUTUBE VIDEO, 2020 MAKE ME MARK ROLL TO THE END AND JUST LIKE, JUST CRYING. AND THEN I SAID DODO AND THAT, YEAH, IT WAS VERY AWKWARD. WE MADE IT THROUGH THOUGH. UM, SO SOME OF MY KEY PRIORITIES AND CURRENT INITIATIVE, UM, ONE OF MY, LIKE, YOUR EARS, TIFFANY, MY BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT ON COUNCIL SO FAR WAS GETTING RID OF OUR CITY MANAGER. IT, IT, IT, IT WAS VERY, IT WAS A VERY LONG PROCESS. UM, AND I'M NOT EVEN SAYING THAT TO BE UGLY, BUT SOMETIMES I COUNSEL YOU HAVE TO DO HARD THINGS. AND THERE ARE TIMES I COUNSEL WHERE THE OTHER EIGHT PEOPLE THAT SIT AROUND YOU DON'T AGREE WITH ME. AND IT, IT IS NOT EASY 'CAUSE YOU HAVE TO PLEAD YOUR CASE TO EIGHT OTHER PEOPLE AND YOU HAVE TO CONVINCE FIVE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT? BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I COUNSEL MY, MY RESPONSIBILITY AND WHAT I GOT ELECTED FOR WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY AND OUR RESIDENTS AT HEART. SO SOMETIMES THAT MEANS DOING HARD THINGS AND BEING LOUD AND THE SQUEAKY WHEEL AND HURTING SOME PEOPLE TOO. SO THAT, UM, I I FEEL LIKE IT'S, IT'S BEEN A GOOD, A GOOD TRANSITION. UH, WE HAVE AN I INTERIM CITY MANAGER RIGHT NOW THAT IS PHENOMENAL [00:10:01] AND I ADORE HIM SO MUCH. UM, AND I WON'T MAKE TIFFANY, UM, I WON'T MAKE TIFFANY GIVE AN OPINION ON THAT, BUT, UM, I, I THINK THAT WE MADE THE RIGHT MOVE AND IT WAS, IT WAS HARD. AND LIKE I HAD A COUPLE OF COUNSEL PEOPLE SAY SOME VERY COLORFUL THINGS ME, AND THAT'S, UH, ONE THAT LOOKED AT ME WAS LIKE, I, AND ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THINGS, LIKE I, I'M NOT, I DIDN'T GET ELECTED TO BE YOUR FRIENDS. I'M SORRY. I GOT ELECTED TO DO WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO DO FOR THE CITY AND FOR RESIDENT. SO YOU WOULD HOPE THAT YOU'RE FELLOW COUNSEL PEOPLE ARE YOUR FRIENDS. ALTHOUGH IT, WE'RE ALL FRIENDS NOW, BUT WE HAVE VEST ISSUES SOMETIMES. LIKE IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT OPINIONS AND THOUGHTS, IT, IT'S NOT SO JUST KNOW AND THAT'S FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, RIGHT? LIKE NO MATTER IF IT IS ON A COUNCIL TYPE OF THING, IF IT IS A WORK THING, LIKE YOU HAVE TO BE AROUND PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS THAN YOU AND THEY'RE NOT GONNA LIKE YOU. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU HAVE TO SMILE AND JUST, OKAY, LIKE THIS IS WHAT I'M HERE FOR AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO. SO, UM, MY OTHER BIG THING, UH, THIS YEAR WAS, UM, AN BILITIES COMMITTEE THAT I WANTED TO GET STARTED. SO ON COUNCIL, WE HAVE TO SERVE ON SUBCOMMITTEES. YOU GUYS HAVE YOUR OWN COMMITTEES, RIGHT? SO WE, WE TYPICALLY HAVE TWO TO THREE COMMITTEES THAT WE SERVE ON, UM, IN OUR GROUP, WHATEVER. UM, SO, UM, I SERVE ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. I SERVE ON THE COMMUNITY. COMMUNITY SERVICE. YEAH. YEAH. I, I CHAIR OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMITTEE. IT'S BEEN ALONG, UM, IN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE OUR BOARD AND COMMISSIONS FOR RESIDENTS TO JOIN. SO ONE OF THE ONES THAT I WAS DETERMINED TO MAKE HAPPEN WAS, UM, CALLED AN ABILITIES COMMITTEE. AND SO WE JUST HAD A FIRST MEETING FOR THAT. IT WAS LIKE WE WERE ALL ACROSS THIS ROAD. I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS EVER GONNA HAPPEN, BUT WE HAD OUR FIRST MEETING LAST WEEK. UM, AND SO THIS COMMITTEE IS SPECIFICALLY AIMED FOR, UM, PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT DISABILITIES, UM, AND HELPING FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN INCORPORATE THEIR NEEDS INTO THIS CITY, RIGHT? SO I'VE GOT A GUY IN MY DISTRICT THAT IS DEAF. WELL, HE CAN'T COME TO MEETINGS BECAUSE WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE AN INTERPRETER. AND SO WE TRIED TO FIND A WORKAROUND WHERE WE WERE LIKE, WELL, HE SHOW ME AN APP THAT WE CAN DOWNLOAD ON MY PHONE AND IT'LL, UM, LIKE DO LIKE CLOSE CAPTIONS BASICALLY. AND SO WE TRIED TO GET IT TO CAST ONTO THE TV AND IT WOULDN'T WORK. AND SO HE'S LIKE TRYING TO READ THIS LITTLE SCREEN AND I'M LIKE, I'M SO SORRY. AND SO IT'S LIKE LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO COME TO A MEETING AND HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCE THAT EVERYONE ELSE GETS TO HAVE, RIGHT? THAT HE GETS THE SAME INFORMATION. AND SO THAT'S WHY THAT COMMITTEE WAS SO IMPORTANT TO ME IS BECAUSE WE WANT EVERYONE IN THE CITY, NO MATTER YOUR YOUR AGE OR HEIGHT, YOUR RELIGION, YOUR, YOUR DISABILITY OR ANY OF THOSE THINGS, LIKE YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCE AS THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU HOUSE. SO I'M VERY EXCITED THAT WE HAD TO HAVE A GOOD RUNNING AND UM, THEY HIT THE GROUND. MOMMY, I WAS SO NERVOUS THAT THEY WEREN'T GONNA HAVE LIKE, KNOW WHAT THEY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, BUT I THINK THEY'VE ALREADY FILLED THE NEXT FIVE MEETINGS WITH EACH . SO IT'S EXCITING. SO, UM, OH, I GET TO ASK QUESTION. DO THEY GET TO ANSWER OUT LOUD? HM? I JUST ASKED ONE SMALL QUESTION I HAVE. OKAY, LET'S SEE. SO MY QUESTION IS, WHAT IS ONE SMALL THING THE CITY DO TO HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON? IT'S NOT ON SMALL, BUT I THINK IF THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS GO TO EACH OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS FOR LEAST, I KNOW A LOT OF STUDENTS MIGHT WANT TO TRY TO GET INVOLVED IN THEIR COMMUNITY, LIKE THIS IS A GREAT IDEA, BUT I THINK IF YOU TELL THEM LIKE HOW MUCH THE CITY COUNCIL DOES AT THE SCHOOL, I THINK THAT KIND TO SET THEM LIKE, OH, MAYBE I SHOULD ATTEND, MAYBE I HAVE AN IMPACT. THIS IS WHAT MY, I NEED TO TALK TO [00:15:07] MEMBER HIGH SCHOOL HOLDS A SCHOOL WIDE ASSEMBLY IN WHICH STUDENTS CAN'T, LIKE NEAR THE END OF THESE STUDENTS CAN GIVE ADVICE ON WHAT THEY WANT TO HAPPEN IN THE CITY FOR YOUTH TO THE, TO THAT PARTICULAR COUNCIL MEMBER. AND THEN A COUNCIL MEMBER WILL REPORT BACK TO HQ, ESSENTIALLY. AND, AND THE COUNCIL MEMBER WILL GIVE INFO AS TO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBERS DO ON COUNCIL, UH, GIVE INFORMATION. STUDENTS WILL GIVE INFORMATION AS TO WHAT THEY WANT TO HAPPEN IN THE CITY IN REFERENCE TO THEM OR US. REALLY? YEAH. I GOOD. I LIKE IT. UM, I THINK SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS PROMOTION ACTIVITIES BECAUSE LIKE I'VE MISSED OUT ON SO MANY GOOD THINGS JUST BECAUSE OF THE PROMOTIONS WEREN'T, LIKE IT WASN'T LIKE SPREAD OUT. YEAH, IT WASN'T SPREAD OUT AND IT WAS JUST LIKE MORE LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE A BULLETS BOARD, LIKE TOOK AWAY IN LIBRARY STUFF. SO SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD BE, SO ON THAT, UM, WHERE DO YOU GUYS GET YOUR INFORMATION? WHERE'S WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE LIKE, WHAT, WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THE ROAD? WHAT, WHAT IS THE FIRST PLACE THAT YOU GO TO GET INFORMATION? INSTAGRAM. I CAN TIKTOK INSTAGRAM. I FEEL LIKE SCHOOLS WOULD BE GOOD TOO. DO Y'ALL LOOK AT IT THOUGH? I LOOK AT IT. OR LIKE, THERE'S LIKE TV AND LIKE PEOPLE WILL SOMETIMES LISTEN TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT, SO THAT'LL BE GOOD. ESPECIALLY LIKE DO SOME EVENTS. YOU I GET ALL MY INFO FROM THIS FROM THE GROUP GY THING. THAT IS IT. I DON'T HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA BETTER PROMOT, FACEBOOK. ARE Y'ALL EVEN ON FACEBOOK? NO, BECAUSE MY GENERATION TOOK OVER FACEBOOK. IT'S FOR THE OLD TOO. INSTAGRAM AND TIKTOK. THERE'S NOTHING, UM, NO OTHER NEW LOW KEY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. WE Y'ALL GO TO SPECIFIC CAGES TO LOOK MORE, I FEEL LIKE I WANNA ADD ON TO, I FEEL LIKE IT SHOULDN'T BE AN ASSEMBLY, BUT I FEEL LIKE IT SHOULD BE MORE TOWARDS THE GOVERNMENT CLASSES THEMSELVES AS IT NOT ONLY HELPS, NOT ONLY GIVES IT MORE INFORMATION, BUT GIVES THEM AN ACTUAL PERSPECTIVE OF SOMEONE WHO IS, WHO'S DOING POLITICS. ESPECIALLY LIKE I GOVERNMENT RIGHT NOW, LIKE JUST TALKING TO YOU. GIMME A NEW PERSPECTIVE. I LOVE THAT. I ACTUALLY HAD A CONVERSATION WITH MR. LOPEZ UM, LAST WEEK BECAUSE AT CITY HALL WE GET A LOT OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT COME AND GET TO CITY HALL, WHICH IS FUN. BUT WHO REMEMBERS, WHO REMEMBERS THE FIELD TRIP THAT THEY TOOK IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL? I REMEMBER ONE. AND THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE HIS BOY, HE JUST CANCELED THE WAY BACK TO SCHOOL. SO I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE WE WENT. I JUST REMEMBERED THAT PERSON. I THINK IT'S BETTER FOR LIKE, I THINK MIGHT BE BETTER IF IT'S LIKE EIGHTH GRADERS AND HIGH SCHOOLERS AS IF THEY DO WANT IT'S GOOD CONNECTION TO THE YOUTH COUNCIL AS IF THEY DO WANT BE INVOLVED IN THE GO. THEY BE PART OF AGREE SAID I FEEL LIKE MAYBE LIBRARY. I LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE, OUR LIBRARY HAS TO OFFER SO MUCH COMPUTER AND THERE'S ALSO OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE LIKE SHOWED AT THE LIBRARY AND A LOT OF EVENTS ARE AT THE LIBRARY. YES. SO ALL OF YOU THAT SUGGESTED SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE SCHOOLS. THIS IS WHAT I NEED YOU TO DO FOR ME. TELL YOUR PRINCIPAL, RIGHT? I MEAN Y'ALL ARE, Y'ALL ARE GYC LIKE EMAILED THE EMAILED THE SCHOOL BOARD. BECAUSE HERE'S THE THING THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THAT THE CITY OF GARLAND AND GISD ARE TWO COMPLETELY SEPARATE ENTITIES. SO IT'S LIKE MCDONALD AND BERG WE'RE JUST IN THE SAME CITY, [00:20:01] RIGHT? SO WE CAN'T TELL THEM WHAT TO DO AND THEY CAN'T TELL US SO OH. WHICH IS A LITTLE, BUT THEY CAN ACT, RIGHT? YES. HISTORICALLY THOUGH THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS A LITTLE ROCKY, SO IT'S A LITTLE JERRY SPRING-ISH SOMETIMES. BUT I FEEL LIKE WE'RE MAKING, WE'RE MAKING GOOD SENSE. BUT I DO AGREE LIKE THAT WOULD BE VERY VALUABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO WHERE YOU GUYS ARE, RIGHT? LIKE SO, AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ASK IF PEOPLE WHERE YOU GAVE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA, BECAUSE THAT'S OLD PEOPLE. AND I ONLY POST. I ONLY POST. BUT ANYONE ELSE, ANY LIKE YOU HAVE, LIKE YOU HAVE A GREAT IDEA SINCE, UM, JUST TO ADD ON THE THING, I KNOW GARLIC HAS LIKE A WEBSITE WITH LIKE ALL THE VOLUNTEERING COLLEGE JUST IN ONE PLACE. BUT LIKE, I DON'T THINK ANYONE REALLY KNOWS THAT. NO, IT WAS LIKE MY LIBRARIAN LITERALLY HAD A, HAD A RECOMMENDED TO ME. LIKE I SAW VOLUNTEER FROM THE CENTRAL LIBRARY OPEN AND I WAS LIKE, OH, YOU, SHE WAS LIKE, YEAH, LIKE HERE'S THIS WEBSITE. NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT IT. SO MANY. IT MIGHT BE, I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD IF WE COLLABORATE WITH SOME SPECIFIC LIKE HIGH SCHOOL CLUBS, LIKE KEY CLUB IS KNOWN FOR DOING VOLUNTEERS. WE COULD DO A DISTRICT COLLABORATION. YEAH, LIKE SO, AND I KNOW OUR VOLUNTEER GARMENT, UM, IS STILL A FAIRLY NEW PROGRAM. UM, AND THAT IS ONE PROGRAM. IF I HAD TO PICK ONE PROGRAM IN THE CITY THAT IS THE ONE THAT I WILL GO, I WOULD DIE ON THAT HILL IN SUPPORT OF THEM. UM, AND THAT'S JUST BECAUSE OF WHERE I CAME FROM IS AS A KID, LIKE I AS A TEEN, AS , UM, I WAS IN A PROGRAM WITH CLARK CENTER CALLED VALENTINE. AND SO THAT, I MEAN, WE WENT AND DID GRAFFITI CLEANUP, WE DID LITTER CLEANUP, I MEAN JUST ALL KINDS OF THINGS. WE HELPED WITH SPECIAL OLYMPICS, WE DID ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS. AND SO THAT IS WHAT REALLY GOT ME HERE WHERE I AM TODAY BECAUSE WITHOUT THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE EVER HAD THAT SENSE OF OWNERSHIP OF MY CITY. AND SO THE VOLUNTEER GARLAND PROGRAM, I, I MEAN IT IS REALLY ONLY LIKE A YEAR OLD. UM, IT'S REALLY LIKE SIX MONTHS THAT THEY'VE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. AND SO, UM, WE'RE WORKING ON THE REVAMPING SOME STUFF, GETTING THEM THEIR OWN WEBSITE, THEIR OWN SOCIAL MEDIAS OR WHATEVER WE GOTTA DO. UM, BUT WE DO WORK WITH GARLAND CLUB. THEY COME OUT TO A LOT OF EVENTS. UM, SO EVERYONE WRITE IT DOWN VOLUNTEER GARLAND.ORG. SO Y'ALL CAN, YOU ARE SO FAKE, SIR. AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S REALLY COOL ABOUT THAT YOU GUYS, 'CAUSE I'VE ACTUALLY WORKED IN POST SWAY IS, UH, THEY, YOU GUYS ARE ALL GONNA GO TO COLLEGE, RIGHT? FIRST THING THAT YOU NEED IS COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS. I'VE SERVED ON DIFFERENT BOARDS WHERE I'VE ACTUALLY REVIEWED SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS AND EVERYBODY WAS SMART. AND THE ONE THING THAT WE ENDED UP, THE ONLY THING THAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE WAS THEY WERE SMART. THEY DID ALL THIS STUFF, THEY MULTITASK AND THEY, SOMETIMES THEY WORKED OR WHATEVER, BUT THEY WOULD GO IN SCHOOL AND THEY DID COMMUNITY SERVICE. SO WHAT'S REALLY COOL ABOUT THAT WEBSITE, WHEN I ACTUALLY MET HIM, UH, THE GUY THAT DOES HIS VOLUNTEER GARLAND, IT WAS INCREDIBLE BECAUSE HE KEEPS TRACK OF THAT FOR YOU. YES. AND YOU WANT THAT. BUT WHEN YOU START APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, 'CAUSE THAT SHOWS EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. IT SHOWS AS AN HOUR, TWO HOURS, WHATEVER IT WAS. AND THAT SOMETIMES IS THE ONE THING THAT DIFFERENTIATES YOU OR SOMEBODY ELSE FROM GETTING THAT SCHOLARSHIP WHO GOES TO IOT, THEY'RE PROBABLY OUT VOLUNTEERING. BUT AS AN IT STUDENT, YOU KNOW, THE LIKE, BECAUSE AN IT THEY REALLY LIKE HAMMER IN THE IMPORTANCE OF VOLUNTEERING AND GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. SO LIKE HOW MUCH, LIKE YOUR LAST YEAR, LIKE KID WITH THE MOST VOLUNTEER HOURS HAD. OH HE HAD LIKE, YEAH HE HAD LIKE, I THINK 1,200 OR SOMETHING. IT WAS IN, IN A MATTER OF LIKE FOUR YEARS. LIKE THAT'S CRAZY. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? SHE'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. LIKE THOSE ARE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT WAY HIGHER. [00:25:01] LIKE I KNOW PEOPLE THAT LIKE THEIR GRADES WERE NOT THAT GREAT BUT THEY HAD AMAZING VOLUNTEER HOURS AND PEOPLE LOOK AT THAT A LOT OF TIMES HIGHER THAN A SPANISH SCHOOL, WHATEVER. SO SHE'S REALLY BEING VERY WELL ROUNDED. MM-HMM AND WE ARE, WE'LL HAVE HER COME TO ONE OF OUR MEETING. I BELIEVE THAT HE'S GONNA DO APRIL. BUT UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE COME. OKAY NOW. UM, OKAY. ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? YES. YEAH. UM, SO YOU'VE MENTIONED LIKE HAVING, YOU KNOW, LIKE SOMETIMES LIKE THERE'S TROUBLE, YOU KNOW, GETTING IDEAS ACROSS OR LIKE EVEN GETTING ALONG WITH PEOPLE. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THAT? BECAUSE LIKE, I'M GENERALLY INTERESTED IN THAT. UM, IF YOU'RE COMMITTED TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING, YOU'LL FIGURE IT OUT, RIGHT? SO PERSISTENCE IS THE THING. UM, I HAVE THE WORST SENSE OF HUMOR. SO, UM, THAT HELPS. SOMETIMES. SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON'T TAKE YOU SERIOUS, WHICH IS FINE 'CAUSE YOU SHOULDN'T. BUT UM, ALSO SOMETIMES IT HELPS LIKE BREAK THAT ICE, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT'S LIKE TIMES ARE A LITTLE, THERE'S SOME TENSION GOING. UM, BUT REALLY JUST IT'S IF YOU BELIEVE IN SOMETHING THEN YOU JUST KEEP PUSHING. EVENTUALLY, EVENTUALLY IT'LL HAPPEN IF IT'S MEANT TO YOU. SO, OKAY, WELL YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING. HAVE A GREAT YOUR MEETING. DO A QUICK PICTURE. UM, LET'S ACTUALLY GET, IF YOU DON'T MIND, WE'LL HAVE ALL THREE OF OUR SPEAKERS. THAT WAY WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH EACH SPEAKER AND YEAH, WE'LL RIGHT HERE. WE'RE GONNA STEP RIGHT HERE AND THEN AND OH YES. SO MANY EXACTLY THE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? CAN WE GET ALL OF Y'ALL OVER BACK? WE NEED TO OUT, WHO'S GONNA BE THE MIDDLE HUMAN MISSING BOTH OF Y'ALL RIGHT NOW. IS THAT BETTER? OKAY. PERFECTLY BUT YES. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. SO FOR OUR NEXT SPEAKER, WE HAVE STUDENT. HELLO EVERYONE. UM, HOW ARE YOU GUYS? HOW ARE WE DOING? YES. YEAH. YES. UM, MY [00:30:01] NAME IS NICOLE GREEN. UM, I USED TO BE PART OF G YC. I USED TO BE NOT IN THIS SPECIFIC IN YOUR PACIFIC CARE, BUT I USED TO BE IN YOUR POSITION A LITTLE BIT. I GO TO SMU NOW. UM, I'M MAJORING IN CORPORATE COMMUNICATION, PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR THE MINOR IN SPANISH. UM, SO TODAY I'M JUST GONNA KIND OF TALK TO YOU GUYS A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT COLLEGE LIFE IS LIKE, WHAT TO EXPECT. UM, HOW MANY OF YOU GUYS ARE SENIORS WHERE YOU APPLY FOR COLLEGE OR THINKING OF COMMITTING A LOT OF YOU GUYS? SO I KNOW IT STRESSFUL IT WAS FOR ME BECAUSE IT WAS DEFINITELY LIKE A LONG PROCESS TO GO THROUGH THE APPLICATION AND SUBMIT EVERYTHING I KNOW FINALLY PASSED YOU GUYS. UM, THE SCHOLARSHIP SEASON IS ALSO COACHING IF IT HASN'T ALREADY. UM, AND KIND OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT KIND OF COLLEGE YOU WANNA GO TO, WHAT KIND OF CLUBS YOU WANNA JOIN IN. UM, SO I'M ALL HERE IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THAT. IF YOU GUYS ARE INTERESTED IN COMMUNICATIONS, IF YOU GUYS ARE INTERESTED IN MINORING OR IN SPANISH OR CLUBS, WHATEVER HERE. SO I OPEN TO YOU GUYS, YOU GUYS HAVEN'T ASKED ANYTHING, I'M READY TO ANSWER ANYTHING. WHAT WOULD DO YOU USE FOR SCHOLARSHIPS? SO, WEBSITES THAT I USED WERE PART OF THE UNIVERSITY THAT I WAS GOING TO. SO FOR SMUI APPLIED TO THE SCHOLARSHIP THAT THEY HAD OFFERED ANYTHING THAT I THOUGHT I COULD BE GOOD, A GOOD FIT FOR, WHETHER LIKE VOLUNTEERING OR FOR SPECIFICALLY FOR CULTURAL, UM, EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS WHAT I WAS REALLY PART OF IN HIGH SCHOOL. I SIGNED UP FOR SCHOLARSHIPS LIKE THAT. SO REALLY DIG DEEP INTO EMAILS THAT YOU GET FROM THE UNIVERSITIES THAT YOU'RE ALREADY COMMITTED TO OR THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN AND LOOK AT THE SCHOLARSHIP THAT THEY HAVE 'CAUSE THERE'S SO MANY RESOURCES. UM, ALSO LOOK ABROAD TO LIKE COCA-COLA OR A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT LIKE COMMUNITIES AROUND YOU. A LOT OF SCHOLARSHIPS ARE GIVEN THROUGH THAT. THEY'RE FUNDED FOR HUGE COMMUNITIES AND UM, COMPANIES AS WELL THAT CAN GIVE YOU SMALL SCHOLARSHIPS. SO LOOKING INTO THAT AS WELL. BUT MAINLY FOR ME, I LOOKED INTO MY UNIVERSITY AND SCHOLARSHIPS THAT THEY OFFERED THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN. HOW DO YOU, UM, FOR, FOR LIKE, UH, APPLICATIONS AND SCHOLARSHIPS, WHAT DO YOU, WHAT CLUBS DO YOU THINK HELPED YOU GET THE MOST? SO THAT'S THE QUESTION I ASKED MY ENTIRE FOUR YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL. YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN I DO TO BETTER MYSELF TO BE IN THE POSITION THAT I WANT TO BE, TO GET THE BEST, YOU KNOW, SCHOLARSHIP, TO BE IN THE BEST UNIVERSITY. UM, S FOR ME, MY YEAR LAST YEAR WAS LIKE THE BIGGEST CLASS IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY. SO IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET INTO UNIVERSITIES AND IVY LEAGUE TO SCHOLARSHIP AND EVERYTHING. BUT MY BEST ADVICE THAT I WISH SOMEONE WOULD'VE TOLD ME IS THERE'S NOT A SINGLE CLUB THAT YOU WILL BE IN THAT WILL BE BETTER THAN THE NEXT IS THE IMPACT THAT YOU MAKE ON IT. SO WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE? WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT? WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT FROM EVERYBODY ELSE IS EXACTLY WHAT'S GONNA HELP YOU GET INTO A PLACE THAT EVERYONE ELSE MAY NOT. A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK, WELL I NEED TO DO EXACTLY WHAT SO AND SO NEEDS TO TO DO, TO BE ABLE TO GET IN THEIR POSITION. BUT THAT'S QUITE THE OPPOSITE. YOU WANNA STAND OUT AND DO SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAT HAS TO DO WITH ONLY YOU AND HOW IT CAN MAKE AN IMPACT TO YOUR COMMITTEE THAT'S GONNA MAKE YOU STAND OUT. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT CLUB YOU'RE IN. I MEAN I WAS IN SPANISH ON SOCIETY, I WAS THE PRESIDENT IN MY HIGH SCHOOL LAST YEAR AND IT WAS THE SMALLEST CLUB IN OUR SCHOOL BECAUSE NO ONE WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN IT. WE HAD NHS AND THAT WAS A BIG DEAL, BUT I MADE SUCH AN IMPACT 'CAUSE IT WAS SO SMALL I WAS ABLE TO KIND OF LIFT IT UP A LITTLE BIT AND HELP MY COMMUNITY AND MY SCHOOL AS MUCH AS I COULD THE COMMUNITY OUTSIDE OF IT AND MAKE AN IMPACT THAT WAY. SO ANYTHING THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, WHATEVER KIND OF MOTIVATES YOU IS WHAT'S GONNA BE YOUR PASSION AND THAT'S GONNA BE WHAT YOU'RE BEST AT. CHOOSE SOMETHING THAT REALLY MEANS SOMETHING TO YOU, SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO IMPACT THE COMMUNITY WITH AND GO WITH IT AND JUST KEEP GOING UP. AND EVEN IF YOU HAVE NO AREA TO SUPPORT, YOU HAVE THAT MOTIVATION OF YOUR YOUR WANT AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GET INTO ANYWHERE YOU WANT JUST BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU. CAN I ASK WHY YOU CHOSE TO MAJOR OR MINOR IN SPANISH? UM, WELL I'VE BEEN SCHOOL MY WHOLE LIFE SO IT WAS DEFINITELY LIKE I SPOKE SPANISH MY ENTIRE LIFE. I WAS AROUND A VERY HISPANIC COMMUNITY GROWING UP. UM, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT IN MY CULTURE AS WELL. UM, AND SO I JUST THOUGHT AS WELL LEARNING SPANISH, MY ENTIRE LIKE SCHOOL CAREER, I THOUGHT IT'D BE REALLY IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE THAT. 'CAUSE MY BIGGEST THING, WHAT I BELIEVE IN IS CULTURE IS WHAT MAKES US SO UNIQUE, BUT ALSO THE THING THAT CONNECTS US THE MOST. SO WHEN I'M ABLE TO LEARN MY CULTURE AS WELL AS OTHERS AND BE ABLE TO KIND OF PRO CREATE WITH EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE UNIVERSITY. UM, AND SO IF YOU GUYS ARE DOING LANGUAGE, I HIGHLY, UM, LIKE RECOMMEND YOU GUYS CONTINUE TO DO SOME SORT OF LANGUAGE OR STAY IN SOME KIND OF THE ARTS BECAUSE IT'S JUST AN AMAZING THING TO BE PART OF IN A UNIVERSITY. UM, BUT MY ONLY SOMETHING IS JUST ALSO REALLY GOOD, YOU KNOW, JUST TO KEEP YOURSELF BUSY. BUT I LOVE SPEAKING SPANISH. I LOVE THE CULTURE, I LOVE PEOPLE, I LOVE MY COMMUNITY, SO I WANNA CONTINUE THAT AND AND KEEP CONNECTED WITH THEM. WHEN THOSE WAS AROUND ME, WHAT WAS LIKE YOUR SAT OR A CT SCORE? AND I KNOW YOU TALKED ABOUT, I KNOW YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT UH, SPANISH NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY, BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK LIKE REALLY MADE YOUR APPLICATION ? I'M GONNA SURPRISE YOU ACTUALLY. SO SURPRISINGLY, UM, MY A CT AND MY SAT SCORES WERE SOME OF THE LOWEST THAT MOST TEACHERS HAVE EVER SEEN. UM, I DIDN'T [00:35:01] SUBMIT MY SCORES TO ANY SCHOOL. UM, I HAD THE OPTION TO DO THAT. I'VE NEVER BEEN A BIG TESTER. I WAS AN IB KID, SO TESTING WAS LIKE A HUGE THING AND MY SENIOR YEAR, LIKE, TAKE YOUR TEST AND THAT REALLY DETERMINES WHO YOU ARE. THAT'S NOT THE CASE AT ALL. UM, AND IF YOU GUYS ARE IN IB, DO NOT STRESS THAT TEST. UM, MOST OF US DIDN'T STUDY A WHOLE LOT AND WE DID AMAZING STUDY THE BEST AS YOU CAN. 'CAUSE THOSE POINTS WILL MATTER A LOT IN COLLEGE. BUT DON'T STRESS IT, YOU GUYS ARE GONNA BE GREAT. BUT FOR A CT AND SAT, UM, I DID NOT THRIVE IN THAT ASPECT. THAT'S WHY I JOINED SO MANY COMMUNITIES AND SO MANY CLUBS BECAUSE I KIND OF HAVE TO BUILD UP MY RESUME THAT WAY. UM, I WAS IN A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT THINGS. UM, I DID, I WAS IN ALSO A BUNCH OF CLOTHES BESIDES SPANISH BLACK SOCIETY. I WAS ALSO AN ATHLETE. UM, I ALSO, I HAD A JOB SINCE 14 YEARS OLD. SO THERE'S A BUNCH OF THINGS THAT ADDED UP, BUT AGAIN, I WASN'T BETTER THAN ANYBODY ELSE, NOR WAS I LOWER THAN ANYBODY ELSE. I WAS JUST DIFFERENT. AND BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT I WAS ABLE TO MAKE ON MY COMMUNITY, THAT'S WHAT REALLY DREW COLLEGES TO ACCEPT ME. DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, WHAT MADE YOU, LIKE, YOU GOT ACCEPTED TO OTHER COLLEGES, RIGHT? MM-HMM . WHAT MADE YOU REALIZE THAT SU WAS THE ONE FOR YOU? SO AGAIN, WAS KIND OF DIVERSE IN THAT QUESTION. UM, IS I, MY GOAL WAS TO BE OUTSIDE OF THE STATE. I DID NOT WANNA BE IN TEXAS AT ALL. I WANTED TO GO TO HARVARD AND DO THE WHOLE IV THING AND JUST WANTED TO GET AS FAR AWAY FROM MY FAMILY AS I COULD. I LOVE MY FAMILY MY WHOLE LIFE, BUT I'VE LIVED HERE MY WHOLE LIFE SO I WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHING DIFFERENT. UM, AND I THINK FOR ME SPECIFICALLY, I WAS NOT EXPECTING TO STAY AT SMU OR TO EVEN GO THERE AT ALL. BUT BECAUSE I STARTED TO LOOK INTO THE HEART OF LIKE WHAT SMU WAS OFFERING, THE KIND OF PROGRAMS THEY HAD AS WELL AS THE MAJOR THAT REALLY RESONATED WITH ME. UM, I JUST DECIDED TO CHOOSE SMU AND THEN ONCE I WAS IN IT AND A LOT, ONE SENIOR TOLD ME THIS BEFORE I GRADUATED AND IT SUCKED ME MY ENTIRE LIFE. UM, REJECTION IS REDIRECTION AND I THINK THAT IS SUCH A BIG THING THAT I NEEDED TO HEAR DURING MY APPLICATION SEASON AS WELL AS WHEN I WAS ACCEPTED AND COMMITTED TO UNIVERSITY BECAUSE IT MAY HURT TO GET REJECTED, BUT WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO GO, WHERE YOU COMMITTED IS WHERE EXACTLY YOU NEED TO BE. THOSE ADMISSIONS COUNSELORS ARE PICKING YOU BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT YOU'RE BEST FIT THERE. SO DON'T SEE IT AS LIKE, OH, I WISH I WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE. THAT'S EXACTLY WHERE YOU NEED TO BE. AND IF IT'S NOT LIKE THE DREAM SCHOOL THAT YOU HAD, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO STILL ACCOMPLISH THAT DREAM. IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S MORE REALISTIC AND MAKE A BIGGER IMPACT THAT YOU DON'T KNOW IS IS IS THERE YET. SO I THINK THAT WAS THE BIGGEST THING FOR ME IS LIKE KIND OF ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT I'M GONNA BE HOME. BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT IT WAS GONNA BE THE BIGGEST BLESSING FOR ME BECAUSE I'M CLOSE TO HOME, I'M ABLE TO SEE MY MOM, I'M ABLE TO WORK, I'M ABLE TO BE HERE WITH YOU GUYS. I THINK THAT'S AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY FOR ME AS WELL. SO I STARTED TO REALIZE ONCE I WAS FINALLY IN IT THAT THIS WAS THE BEST CHOICE I COULD MAKE. MYSELF, MYSELF. WHAT'S YOUR WORKLOAD LIKE AND LIKE HOW DO YOU MANAGE IT? SO THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. WORKLOAD REALLY DEPENDS ON YOU. IT REALLY DEPENDS ALSO ON WHAT YOU'RE MAJORING. UM, SO MY PLAN IS TO GET MY MASTER'S IN FOUR YEARS. SO I DIDN'T UH, GRADUATE WITH AN ASSOCIATES LIKE A LOT OF DUAL CREDIT KIDS DID. I DID GRADUATE WITH AN IB DIPLOMAS. UM, SO CREDITS ARE VERY DIFFERENT. EVERY UNIVERSITY IS VERY DIFFERENT. SO COMING IN WITH SPECIFIC CREDITS HAD ALLOWED ME TO KIND OF WITHDRAW, YOU KNOW, START SOPHOMORE CLASSES AND WHATNOT. BUT YOUR WORKLOAD IS REALLY YOUR OWN. DEPENDS ON HOW FAST YOU WANNA GET THAT DEGREE. AND I WANT GET MY MASTER'S IN FOUR YEARS RATHER THAN SIX. SO I'M KIND OF DOUBLING ALL MY CLASSES, MY MAJOR CLASSES AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. SO IT IS A HEAVY WORKLOAD. I ALSO WORK SEVERAL DIFFERENT JOBS IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT CLUBS AND DIFFERENT SCHOLARS PROGRAMS. BUT THAT'S ALL IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT. BUT ONCE YOU'RE IN IT, IT'S SO DOABLE. I KNOW IN HIGH SCHOOL, LIKE I WAS IN 20 DIFFERENT THINGS AND IT WAS LIKE, IT WAS SO MUCH BUT IT WAS MANAGEABLE. BUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE IS ONCE YOU GET OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL THAT DAY CLASS ENDS, YOU GO BACK HOME, YOU'RE IN YOUR OWN LIFESTYLE. WHEN YOU'RE IN UNIVERSITY, YOU'RE LIVING THERE, YOUR LIFESTYLE IS ALWAYS SO YOU REALLY BEGIN TO LEARN AND BALANCE THE WORKLOAD BASED ON LIKE IT BECOMES YOUR LIFESTYLE. SO FROM YOU KNOW, THE BEGINNING OF THE MORNING TO THE NIGHT, YOU CAN'T HAVE A ROUTINE AND PLAN EXACTLY HOW YOU WANNA WORK THINGS THROUGH AND IT BECOMES A LOT MORE MANAGEABLE. YOU JUST REALLY HAVE TO BE FOCUSED ON EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANNA DO AND HOW FAST YOU WANNA GET, UM, YOUR DEGREE, HOW FOCUSED YOU WANNA BE ON GETTING THAT DEGREE. SO, UM, ONE MORE QUESTION. SINCE YOU ARE LIKE JUST STRAIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, I BET YOU WENT THROUGH ALL THE BURNOUT AND ALL THAT. YEAH. UM, HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THAT? BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S REALLY EASY TO LOSE YOUR MOTIVATION. THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION. I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE KIND OF OVERLOOK THE BURNOUT. THAT REALLY DOES HAPPEN. AGAIN, I WAS A FULL ID STUDENT AND ANYBODY WHO IS AN IB UNDERSTANDS THAT IT IS A LOT. UM, AND IT IS, IT REALLY, IT PREPARES YOU FOR COLLEGE WITH THE WORKLOAD AND THE INTENSITY AND THE PREPARATION. BUT PEOPLE DON'T REALLY SEE LIKE THE SHADOW THAT GOES OVER OVERSEE. THEY'RE SO OVER THE WORKLOAD THAT THEY GO INTO COLLEGE. HAVING TO DOUBLE THAT WORKLOAD AND REALIZING THAT IT'S JUST TOO [00:40:01] MUCH. UM, I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY A MENTALITY HOW BAD YOU WANT IT. YOU GO INTO LIKE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY 'CAUSE YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING, YOU WANT TO GET A DEGREE, YOU WANNA GET A REALLY GOOD JOB. HIGH SCHOOL IS KIND OF THE FOUNDATION OF EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, BUILDING THE, THE SMALL STEPS. BUT COLLEGE IS REALLY WHERE IT IS EXACTLY. YOU KNOW, BUILDING YOUR RESUME, GETTING INTO CLUBS, REALLY PUTTING IN THAT WORK. AND COLLEGES MAKE IT FUN FOR NEED TO ACTUALLY ENJOY IT. SO THAT BURNOUT REALLY MAKES IT, YOU KNOW, EASIER TO GET THROUGH. I ALSO THINK BECAUSE IT IS A LIFESTYLE, YOU'RE ABLE TO LIVE DAY TO DAY IN THE UNIVERSITY, YOUR WORKLOAD, YOU CAN SPREAD IT OUT THROUGH DAYS. YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN SCHEDULE BUT BASED ON THE CLASSES YOU WANNA TAKE. HIGH SCHOOLS NOT LIKE THAT. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT TAKING EIGHT CLASSES ON MONDAY DAY, YOU CAN SPREAD IT OUT. SO, UM, I THINK FOR ME WHAT'S REALLY HELPED ME IS FINDING THINGS THAT I ENJOY AND IT WAS REALLY HARD FOR ME TO GO TO THE GYM IN HIGH SCHOOL OR BE ABLE TO HAVE TIME TO DO THINGS I WANTED. UM, BUT IN COLLEGE AGAIN, YOU MAKE YOUR OWN SCHEDULE. SO REALLY FIND TIME TO HAVE DOWNTIME, FIND TIME TO RELAX, DO WHAT YOU WANT. I MEAN, PLAY SOME VIDEO GAMES. IF YOU GUYS WANT, HAVE AN HOUR TO JUST RELAX, LISTEN AND MUSIC. DO SOMETHING THAT REALLY LIKE RELAXES. YOU FOCUS, WALK IN FOR THE NEXT THREE HOURS AND TAKE A BREAK. IT REALLY ALLOWED ME TO BALANCE LIKE UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTING THAT THIS IS MY LIFESTYLE NOW. I'M GONNA HAVE TO GET USED TO IT. BUT IT'S FUN BECAUSE WHATEVER YOU'RE GOING INTO AND MAJORING IS SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT, SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO LEARN IN HIGH SCHOOL, YOU DO THINGS 'CAUSE YOU HAVE TO, NOT BECAUSE YOU WANTS TO, RIGHT? BUT IN COLLEGE YOU GET TO CHOOSE YOUR PATH AND IT'S EXCITING TO LEARN SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY INTERESTED ABOUT. SO I THINK THAT WAS KIND OF MY MOTIVATION OF I WANNA MAKE A CHANGE IN THIS WORLD IS TO BE STEPS I'M GONNA DO. I NEED TO EDUCATE MYSELF SO I CAN BE A BETTER PERSON AND WHAT I WANNA, UM, WORK IN THE FUTURE. SO JUST LITTLE THINGS MOTIVATE MYSELF EVERY DAY. TAKING DAY BY DAY ARE REALLY HELPFUL. I HAVE A QUESTION. SINCE YOU WERE LIKE IN THE PROGRAM AND A LOT OF YOUR CREDIT ARE ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF, HOW MUCH ARE YOU PAYING CLASSES? SO I'M REALLY BLESSED. ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I CHOSE US IS BECAUSE I'M ON FULL RIDE. SO I GOT RE WATCH THE SCHOLARS PROGRAM I'M PART OF, SO I DON'T HAVE TO BE A NINE, UH, FOR ANYTHING. UM, THAT WAS A HUGE BLESSING. SO I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE UM, HOW THAT WORKS. I KNOW EVERY UNIVERSITY IS DIFFERENT FOR SURE. UM, I KNOW FOR, I TOOK A JAN TERM CLASS DURING WINTER BREAK AS WELL. UM, AND FOR SMU IT'S ABOUT TWO GRAND PER CLASS, DEPENDING ON THE CREDIT, DEPENDING ON, AGAIN IF YOU WANNA TAKE IT IN TWO WEEKS, LIKE A JAN TERM WINTER BREAK OR IF YOU WANNA TAKE THAT TYPE SEMESTER. SO THAT'S, THOSE ARE KIND OF QUESTIONS YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO ASK YOUR ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR. UM, THANKFULLY I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE FINANCIALS OF THAT, BUT IT REALLY DOES DEPEND ON THE UNIVERSITY, WHAT KIND OF CLASSES ARE AND KIND OF HOW THEY STRUCTURE FINANCIALS IN THE SCHOOL. ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES OF WORKING AT LIKE US TAKING COLLEGE MAYBE LIKE STUDY ABROAD OR RESEARCH? ABSOLUTELY. UM, IT IS MY FIRST YEAR, SO I DON'T HAVE A HUGE SCOPE OF EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT IS. BUT I DO HAVE UPPERCLASS FRIENDS WHO DID DO STUDY ABROAD. I'M PLANNING TO DO STUDY ABROAD FOR NEXT YEAR AND THEN HOPEFULLY THE YEAR AFTER THAT I'M PLANNING TO GO TO JAPAN NEXT YEAR AND THEN I PLAN THE NEXT YEAR TO GO TO OXFORD, HAVE AN INTERNSHIP FOR MY MAJOR. SO THOSE ARE AMAZING PROGRAMS THAT ESS OFFER, BUT STUDY ABROAD IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT I COULD ADVOCATE FOR. I MEAN I, MY I GUESS CULTURE IS VERY INTERNATIONAL. UM, AND SO I'VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY, AGAIN, CULTURALLY INCLINED. I THINK IF ANYBODY WANTS TO MAKE AN IMPACT INTERNATIONALLY, YOU HAVE TO GO INTERNATIONAL AND SEE WHAT KIND OF IMPACT YOU CAN REALLY MAKE. UM, THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH YOU CAN DO WHEN YOU'RE STAYING SAID, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK ESPECIALLY HAVING INTERNSHIPS AND BEING ABROAD IS AMAZING. SEE WHAT KIND OF UNIVERSITY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO, WHAT THEY OFFER. BUT STUDY ABROAD SHOULD BE A MUST. UM, THERE'S THOUSANDS OF SCHOLARSHIPS OUT THERE. FINANCIALS ARE THE PROBLEM. UM, AND REALLY PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE AND LIKE, ABSOLUTELY, I WOULD SAY STUDY ABROAD FOR SURE. INTERNSHIPS, I WOULDN'T FOCUS UNTIL LIKE YOUR JUNIOR, SOPHOMORE, UH, SUMMER YEAR JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU WANNA START GETTING INTO YOUR MAJOR TO REALLY SEE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANNA DO WHEN YOU GRADUATE, TO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE THAT YOU WANNA START WORKING WITH. BUT ABSOLUTELY STUDY ABROAD IS SOMETHING THAT I'M VERY EXCITED FOR. I HAVEN'T GONE THROUGH, BUT I'VE HEARD NOTHING BUT DO IT, DO IT, DO IT. SO I WOULD DEFINITELY, I A QUESTION, BUT HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU LEARNED THAT YOU WEREN'T BE FORCED TO TAKE DOWN ALGEBRA? UM, GREAT, BUT I'M SADLY IN STATISTICS NOW, SO I'VE NEVER BEEN AN MATH KID. UM, I'VE NEVER, I'VE NEVER REALLY SUCCEEDED IN MATH SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, SAT STUFF OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT, UM, BECAUSE OF MY MAJOR IN CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS STILL BUSINESS ON, SO THERE'S DEFINITELY REQUIRED CLASSES YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE DEPENDING ON YOUR MAJOR. UM, BUT YEAH, I WAS DEFINITELY RELIEVED. I DIDN'T HAVE TO TAKE MANY MATH CLASSES. I'M NOT GONNA HAVE TO, BUT IT REALLY DEPENDS ON, AGAIN, YOUR MAJOR, WHAT YOU WANNA DO. AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF MATH IS SOMETHING YOU WANNA DO, DON'T MAJOR IN IT. UM, AND IF IT IS A MAJOR THAT YOU HAVE TO DO, IT WON'T BE DIFFICULT MATH, UM, IF IT'S NOT FOCUSED ON MAJOR. SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. DID YOU DO ANY INTERNSHIPS IN HIGH SCHOOL? AND IF YOU DID, LIKE HOW DID YOU GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO? SO INTERNSHIPS IN HIGH SCHOOL ARE VERY DIFFERENT. UM, I FEEL LIKE THEY'RE A LOT [00:45:01] HARDER TO FIND BECAUSE YOU ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL, IT'S KIND OF, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A SMALL RESUME BUT YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE LIKE A WORKFORCE TO KIND OF BACK THAT, THAT FOR YOU. LIKE EVEN IN COLLEGE, UM, I DIDN'T EVER HAVE AN INTERNSHIP IN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT I THINK THE BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE YOU TO FRIENDS WHO DID IS REACH OUT. I MEAN, THE ONLY, I THINK THE WORST THING THAT ANYONE CAN SAY IS NO. SO YOU KEEP BUYING UNTIL YOU GET THAT GUESS. IF YOU DON'T GO TO ONE PERSON, GO TO ANOTHER ONE. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN A COMPANY OR EVEN JUST BEING ABLE TO SIT IN, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT IN HIGH SCHOOL AGAIN BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CAN'T REALLY GET A JOB AT SUCH YOUNG AGE AT MAYBE A LAW FIRM OR A MEDICAL CLINIC OR ANYTHING THAT YOU WANNA BE A PART OF, WHATEVER IT WOULD BE. UM, BUT I WOULD SUGGEST EMAILING WHOEVER YOU CAN, PART OF THAT COMPANY, ASKING TO SIT IN, ASKING TO MAYBE LIKE HAVE A MENTOR COME AND TALK TO YOU THROUGH THINGS AND KIND OF JUST LEARN THE SMALL BIT THAT WOULD HELP YOU TO THEN LEVEL UP IN COLLEGE, GET THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AND CONNECTIONS, AND THEN GET AN INTERNSHIP, WHATEVER YOU WANT. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS? FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS? UM, I'M STILL ACTUALLY DISCOVERING THAT BECAUSE I THINK, UM, I WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH SMU C BECAUSE WITH GARLAND HIGH SCHOOL WE WENT TO SME TO DO LIKE OUR EE AND OUR, UM, OUR ESSAY AND EVERYTHING GET RESOURCES THERE. SO I WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH LIKE, WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE. I THINK SMU IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DANCE, IF NOT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS THAT HAS, UM, I THINK EVERY, ANY PLACE YOU GO IS BEAUTIFUL. IT'S FULL OF TREES, FULL OF GREEN, ANYWHERE OUTSIDE IF THE WEATHER'S GOOD IS BEAUTIFUL. UM, FOND LIBRARY IS LIKE THE MAIN LIBRARY THAT WE HAVE ON SU AND IT'S, THERE'S LIKE FOUR DIFFERENT FLOORS. I LOVE SITTING ON THE SECOND FLOOR. IT'S, IT'S HUGE. IT'S OPEN, IT'S FULL OF BOOKS. IT JUST, IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I'M BEAUTY IN THE BEAST. IT'S VERY CALMING. IT'S KIND OF LIKE A LOGO LIBRARY WITH LIKE LAMPS AND EVERYTHING. SO I FEEL LIKE A QUIET, STEADY SPACE. SO I THINK THAT'S DEFINITELY ONE OF MY FAVORITES. UM, AND THEN FAVORITE PLACE I GUESS, LIKE, I LOVE GOING TO THE GYM, SO THAT'S KIND OF A HUGE DANGER. BUT OUR GYM IS VERY SMALL. IT'S NOT REALLY LIKE INCLUSIVE. UM, BUT THERE'S A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT CLUBS I'M PART OF. I'M PART A CLUB S AS WELL. SO KIND OF BEING ABLE TO GO OVER THERE IS LIKE MY SAFE PLACE, YOU KNOW, LIKE WEARING SOME PEACE AND QUIET PRACTICE BUNCH OF PEOPLE. BUT IT'S DEFINITELY, OH GOSH, UM, HONESTLY ORIENTATION, LIKE YOU GUYS, YOU SENIORS ARE GOING TO LOVE ORIENTATION WHEREVER YOU GUYS GO. I WAS SO TERRIFIED OF, OF ORIENTATION. LIKE WHEN I FIRST CAME IN, I WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T REALLY KNOW MANY PEOPLE. LIKE, I, I DON'T, I DON'T LIKE MAKING FRIENDS. LIKE I DON'T REALLY WANNA RESTART THIS WHOLE THING, LIKE STARTING HIGH SCHOOL AGAIN. UM, BUT IT'S, IT BECOMES SO NATURAL 'CAUSE THEN WHEN YOU'RE THROWN INTO A GOOGLE PEOPLE, YOU NATURALLY HAVE TO TALK, RIGHT? AND ONCE YOU KIND OF ACCEPT THE FACT THAT EVERYONE'S JUST AS GOOD AS YOU, LIKE, YOU HAVE SO MUCH FUN. AND THAT WEEK BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS, UM, I WAS ABLE TO BE THERE TWO WEEKS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED TO MOVE INTO MY DORM AND EVERYTHING AND IT WAS A LOT OF FUN. I THINK REALLY TAKING ORIENTATION, YOU GET SO MUCH REEMERGED AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU GET TO TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT CLUBS AND REALLY GET CONNECTION WITH, YOU WANNA START GETTING TO KNOW. AND EVERYTHING I WOULD REALLY SAY IS LIKE REALLY GRASP ONTO THAT. IF YOU GUYS DO GET ACCEPTED INTO ANY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR SCHOLARSHIPS, YOU'LL ALSO BUILD COMMUNITY THERE. REALLY HAVE GOOD FRIENDSHIPS WITH, UM, WITH LIKE THE PEOPLE THERE AS WELL. UM, BUT HONESTLY LIKE IT'S, THERE'S BEEN SO MANY THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED SO FAR AND UM, ONLY IN MY STUDY SEMESTER, LIKE IT'S ALL KIND OF A BLUR BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH. BUT I THINK JUST BEING IN COLLEGE IN GENERAL IS JUST ONE BIG AMAZING EXPERIENCE THAT YOU GUYS ARE GONNA LOVE. YOU GUYS ARE ABLE TO BE PART OF IT. UM, BUT LIKE SOAK IT UP LIKE EVERY PART OF IT YOU CAN BECAUSE IT GOES BY SO FAST. EVERYONE SAYS THAT AND I'M JUST LIKE, I HAVE FOUR YEARS AGAIN FOR ME START AND DO THIS. BUT IT REALLY DOES GO BY SO MUCH FASTER THAN SO HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE PROGRAM? YOU DO LIKE THE APPLICATION INTERVIEW? SO, UM, EVERY SCHOLARS PROGRAM IS DIFFERENT. UM, I WAS ABLE TO GET INTO THE SCHOLARS PROGRAM AGAIN FOR CULTURALLY DIVERSE, UH, DALLAS STUDENTS SPECIFICALLY. SO I INTERVIEWED WITH, THEY KIND OF ASKED ME A COUPLE QUESTIONS GOING INTO LIKE THE INTERVIEW PROCESS. UM, THEY KIND OF TELL YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, LIKE WHAT EXACTLY, UM, CHILDREN PREPARED FOR. I HAD OTHER CLASSES, FRIENDS WHO WERE IN THE PROGRAM AS WELL. SO THEY HELPED YOU THROUGH A LOT. UM, BUT, UH, ONE THING THAT HELPED ME IS YEAH, MEAN WHEN YOU'RE APPLYING, YOU'RE APPLYING THROUGH THEIR APPLICATION PROCESS ONLINE EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE APPLYING FOR. UM, JUST APPLYING FOR THE SCHOOL IN GENERAL. YOU'RE ALSO GONNA APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS LIKE THAT REALLY DIG AND RESEARCH INTO WHAT KIND OF SCHOLARSHIPS THEY'RE, UM, FOR SCHOLARS PROGRAMS. I, FOR SOME AND FOR THE HONORS PROGRAMS I'M, I'M PART OF AS WELL. UM, IT WAS KIND OF A GPA CHECK AND WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN, I DO A SMALL ESSAYS ESSAY QUESTIONS AND THAT WAS KIND OF HOW I GOT ACCEPTED FOR MY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. IT WAS DIFFERENT. IT WAS VERY LENGTHY. UM, SEVERAL ESSAYS IN THE INTERVIEW, UM, WAS KIND OF NERVE WRACKING. IT WAS AN ALL DAY PROCESS. IT WAS REALLY FUN. AND EVERYBODY THERE AT YOUR UNIVERSITY WILL BE VERY WELCOMING. AGAIN, THEY'RE GONNA KNOW THAT YOU'RE NERVOUS, THEY'RE GONNA KNOW THAT YOU MAY NOT BE PREPARED, THAT YOU'RE NEW. UM, BUT GOING WITH CONFIDENCE, YOU KNOW, BE PREPARED, MAYBE TRY [00:50:01] TO REACH OUT TO UPPERCLASSMEN WHO EXPERIENCED THAT, THAT THAT'S WHAT HELPED ME THE MOST. UM, BECAUSE THEY'VE EXPERIENCED EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE GONNA GO THROUGH. SO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE ONCE YOU ARE IN COLLEGE. UM, REACH OUT TO PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE PROGRAMS THAT YOU WANT TO BE IN AND THAT THEY'RE UPPERCLASSMEN BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY'VE EXPERIENCED ALL OF IT. SO REACH FOR THE TOP OF THOSE CONNECTIONS AND THEN REALLY MAKE FRIENDS WITH LIKE UPPERCLASSMEN BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HELPED ME. ALL MY FRIENDS ARE UPPERCLASSMEN AND THEY TAUGHT ME A LOT WHAT TO EXPECT, WHAT TO GO FOR, WHAT TO, WHO TO TALK TO. SO I'D REALLY SAY DEPENDING ON THE UNIVERSITY, BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT, I WOULD DEFINITELY TRY TO TALK TO UPPERCLASSMEN AND SEE HOW THEY CAN HELP YOU THROUGH EACH STEP PROCESS THAT YOU, UM, JUST LIKE AN QUESTION. MM-HMM . WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH APPS ANALYSIS? OKAY, SO WE'RE GONNA GET REAL QUICK SECOND. SO APPS WAS, I HAD, UM, MS. , UM, AND SHE, I DID SL AGAIN, MATH WAS NEVER MY CHILD SUIT. SO I DID STANDARD LEVEL APPLICATIONS. UM, SHE WAS AN AMAZING TEACHER. BUT ANALYSIS, MR. YANCY, I KNOW THAT HE CAN BE OBESE, HE'S AN AMAZING PERSON, AMAZING TEACHER. BUT THAT CLASS ITSELF WAS VERY, VERY, VERY DIFFICULT. THE BEST THING I WOULD SAY IS, IS A LOT OF SELF-STUDY AND A LOT OF TUTORING. GO TO HIS CLASS, GO TO HIS, YOU KNOW, HOURS AND EVERYTHING. THIS GOES FOR COLLEGE AS WELL. LIVE IN THESE PROFESSORS' OFFICE HOURS. THEY WILL LOVE YOU FOR IT. NONE OF MY FRIENDS EVER WENT TO OFFICE HOURS, BUT I DID. AND MY PROFESSORS LIKE, THEY'LL CHANGE YOUR GRADE IF YOU ASK THEM TO, IF YOU REALLY LIKE, HAVE A STRONG POINT OF, OH, LIKE NOT YOUR GRADE AS A WHOLE, BUT IF YOU TAKE A QUIZ, YOU TAKE A TEST AND LIKE, I BELIEVE THIS IS THE ANSWER AND YOU REALLY ARGUE IT AND THEY REALLY SEE THAT YOU VALUE THESE OFFICE HOURS, YOU VALUE YOUR GRADES AND YOUR TIME, THEY'LL RESPECT THAT SO MUCH. BUT FOR IB, UM, IT'S HARD. I KNOW, AND I KNOW YOU GUYS, IF YOU GUYS ARE TAKING L YOU GUYS ARE TAKING UH, ANALYSIS. I KNOW IT'S A LOT, A LOT OF MY FRIENDS DID THAT. UM, BUT IT'S WORTH IT. JUST REALLY KEEP PRACTICING YOURSELF. I THINK SELF PRACTICE IS REALLY GOOD. SELF TUTORING IS REALLY GOOD. LOOK UP A LOT OF VIDEOS ONLINE FOR PEOPLE WHO WENT THROUGH IB. A LOT OF STUDENT BASED VIDEOS ARE REALLY GOOD AS WELL 'CAUSE THEY KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO TEACH 'CAUSE THEY'RE YOUR AGE, RIGHT? SO I WOULD KIND OF STRAY AWAY FROM LIKE THE ADULT KHAN ACADEMY AND EVERYTHING. IF IT WORKS FOR YOU, GO FOR IT. UM, IF TUTORING DOESN'T REALLY HELP YOU IN MISS J'S CLASS OR MISS CHROME, THEN I WOULD DEFINITELY FOCUS ON GOING ONLINE, KIND OF TEACHING YOURSELF BECAUSE HEARING DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE IS ALWAYS A GOOD WAY TO KEEP PRACTIC. UM, I'M OKAY. IT'S FINE. WHATEVER Y'ALL WANT ME TO GO ON. I THINK IF, IF WE'RE OKAY THEN THIS IS, BUT Y'ALL HAD AMAZING QUESTIONS AND THAT'S, AND WHAT I'M GONNA SUGGEST, 'CAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE ANOTHER SPEAKER TOO. WHAT I'M GONNA SUGGEST IS IF WE HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, MAYBE WE CAN GET Y'ALL HOOKED UP WITH, WITH NICOLE AND, AND WE CAN KIND OF HAVE CONNECTIONS. I MEAN, I'M SURE WOULD HELP Y'ALL KNOWING SOMEONE WHO IS IN THE LIVES. YOU, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT HAVING UPPER UPPERCLASS AND FRIENDS AND BEING ABLE TO GIVE THAT ADVICE. MAYBE SHE CAN, SHE CAN HELP, UM, Y'ALL AS WELL. SO IF WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AFTER THIS, WE CAN DEFINITELY, UM, MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS. BUT, BUT WE'RE GONNA LET, BECAUSE SHE'S ACTUALLY GOING TO SOMETHING ELSE FROM HERE. SHE, SHE MENTIONS SHE'S GOT BUSY SCHEDULES. THERE BUTTON'S A HARD ONE TO FOLLOW, RIGHT? I WAS LIKE, SHE'S A GREAT SPEAKER. SO I WAS LIKE, THAT IS REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING. REALLY GREAT INFORMATION TOO. UM, I'LL TELL YOU JUST A LITTLE BIT THAT I'M GONNA ADD ON TO THAT PART ALSO BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN ON MANY BOARDS THAT LOOK AT SCHOLARSHIPS ON SCHOLARSHIP BOARDS AND WE'RE THE ONES THAT GET TO DECIDE WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT STUFF THAT SHE NAILED IT, RIGHT? UM, ALTHOUGH SHE WAS AN IB, WHICH IS AWESOME AND IT IS VERY, ARE ANY OF YOU GUYS AN IB? I IB SO I FEEL FOR Y'ALL. 'CAUSE THAT IS HARD. I, I'VE SEEN MY NIECES AND MY NEPHEW GO THROUGH THAT AND IT'S LIKE THEY'RE BEATING THEMSELVES UP AND I'M LIKE, IT SHOULDN'T BE THAT DIFFICULT WHILE YOU'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL. YOU SHOULD ENJOY YOURSELF AND STUFF LIKE THAT TOO. YOU SHOULD STUDY AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE THAT TIME. YOU DON'T GET TO GET IT BACK. THERE'S OTHER THINGS, RIGHT? I LIKE THE FACT THAT SHE ALSO MENTIONED THAT YOU SHOULD BE WELL-ROUNDED, RIGHT? ALSO, IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING IN 10,000 DIFFERENT CLUBS, IT'S ABOUT BEING IN ONE CLUB AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE, RIGHT? MAYBE TWO CLUBS AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE. SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO THAT YOU CARRY WITH YOU. ARE THERE INTERNSHIPS, UH, FOR PEOPLE IN HIGH SCHOOL? YEAH, BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IT AND THEY'RE USUALLY WITH BIG, BIG COMPANIES. UH, I'LL TELL YOU, [00:55:01] CHASE HAS THEM, UH, TOYOTA, UH, PEPSI, UH, YOU SHOULD LOOK FRITO-LAY, UH, LOOK AT THOSE KIND OF THINGS. IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, YOU'VE GOTTA DO YOUR HOMEWORK. UH, PICK OUT WHERE YOU WANNA GO TO SCHOOL AND THEN LOOK FOR ALL KINDS OF OBSCURE THINGS THAT YOU COULD ACTUALLY APPLY FOR. 'CAUSE YOU JUST DON'T HAVE TO GET ONE SCHOLARSHIP. I MEAN, SHE LUCKED OUT, SHE LOOKED OUT A FULL RIDE. THAT'S PHENOMENAL. UM, BUT THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS HAPPEN FOR EVERYBODY, RIGHT? SO YOU APPLY FOR EVERYTHING YOU POSSIBLY CAN APPLY, APPLY, APPLY, APPLY, APPLY, AND THEN ALSO APPLY NOT ONLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS, BUT ALSO FOR GRANTS. BECAUSE ONCE YOU'RE IN SCHOOL AND YOU'RE DOING WELL, THAT GRANT CAN ALSO COVER YOU FOR THE NEXT YEAR AND THEY GIVE YOU MORE MONEY. YES. WHO'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCHOLARSHIP AND A GRANT? PARDON ME? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SCHOLARSHIP AND A GRANT? UM, IT DEPENDS. SOME GRANTS ARE FEDERAL, RIGHT? I'M TRYING TO THINK. SOME YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY BACK. LIKE YEAH, SOME YOU HAVE TO PAY BACK AND SOME YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY BACK. SO WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE ONES THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY BACK, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU DON'T, THE WORST THING IS GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE AND THEN THE NEXT 10 YEARS YOU'RE PAYING BACK ALL YOUR UM, UH, YOUR GRANTS AND YOUR LOANS AND YOUR RECEIV LOANS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO I, UM, HELPED MY NIECE AND SHE DID EVERYTHING IN FIVE YEARS. AND SHE GRADUATED FROM A AND N SHE GRADUATED FROM ETTE HIGH SCHOOL. SHE GRADUATED FROM A AND N UH, WITH HER BACHELOR'S AND HER MASTER'S. AND SHE DIDN'T TAKE A BREAK, SHE JUST WENT STRAIGHT THROUGH. SO I HELPED HER WITH A LITTLE BIT OF THAT AND STUFF LIKE THAT. BUT THE BUS ADVICE THAT SHE GAVE IS BE CURIOUS, CONTINUE TO BE CURIOUS. LOOK UP WHATEVER YOU CAN LOOK UP, UH, GOOGLE, ASK PEOPLE. UH, IF YOU SEE SOMEBODY THAT'S IN THE INDUSTRY THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN AND STUFF LIKE THAT, PICK THAT PERSON'S BRAIN. THEY, IF THEY DON'T KNOW, THEY KNOW SOMEBODY THAT DOES KNOW. MAKE SENSE? THE OTHER THING WOULD BE, UM, ASK YOUR COUNSELORS AT SCHOOL. ASK YOUR COUNSELORS AT ANY COLLEGES OR HIGH SCHOOLS OR, I MEAN, UH, COLLEGES, UH, YOU KNOW, RIGHT HERE WE HAVE THE DALLAS COLLEGE, THE GARLAND CAMPUS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AND EVERYBODY THINKS, UH, BUT THEY HAVE PEOPLE THERE THAT CAN ACTUALLY HELP YOU TO FIND OUT WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS THAT ARE THERE THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET AND, UM, AND GET SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUFF LIKE THAT FOR. THEY'LL HELP YOU WITH THE INFORMATION AND WHO TO CONTACT. RESOURCES. THAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR. RESOURCES. SO, UH, GREAT TOPIC. I I LOVED IT. SHE HAD A LOT OF PASSION. SO REALLY GREAT SPEAKER. SO NOW ME, MY NAME IS MARIA HAZEN COEN. I AM ACTUALLY FROM GARLAND. I'M A GRADUATE FROM SOUTH GARLAND HIGH SCHOOL. MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS AGAIN. UH, SO I GREW UP IN GARLAND. UH, I AM A COMMUNITY MANAGER FOR JP MORGAN CHASE. SO WHAT THAT IS, IS THAT I ACTUALLY GO TO THE COMMUNITY AND I TEACH FINANCIAL EDUCATION. I'VE WORKED FOR THE BANK FOR 34 YEARS AND I'VE HELD EVERY POSITION FROM BEING A RECEPTIONIST, UH, AND A TELLER AND A BRANCH MANAGER AND A BANKER AND A DISTRICT MANAGER. AND NOW AS A COMMUNITY MANAGER FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, I LOVE THIS. THIS IS MY PASSION. THIS IS THE STUFF THAT I DID BEFORE THEY EVEN HAD THIS POSITION, WAS ACTUALLY GO OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND TEACH, UH, A LOT OF TIMES, UM, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO SAY FINANCIAL LITERACY. I DON'T LIKE THAT. I THINK IT'S MORE LIKE FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT. THE MORE YOU KNOW, THE KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. UH, SO THE MORE YOU KNOW, THE MORE POWERFUL YOU ARE AND THE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE YOU ARE. SO, UM, I THOUGHT I'D DO SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. LAST YEAR I CAME OUT AND I TALKED AND I TALKED ABOUT SAVINGS AND GOALS AND THE SMART CLEANING, THE SMART METHOD, RIGHT? WHICH IS A GREAT METHOD BECAUSE I GO THAT BECAUSE YOU CAN APPLY IT TO ANYTHING, WHETHER IT'S SAVING FOR MONEY, MONEY THINGS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. OR MAKING A GOAL AS FAR AS I WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE, WHAT DO I NEED TO DO? ALL THOSE KIND OF THINGS. SO YOU CAN USE THAT METHOD IN EVERYTHING. BUT THEN I THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT CAN I GO AND CREDIT? WHAT CAN I GO AND TALK ABOUT THAT WOULD ACTUALLY MAYBE ENTICE YOU A LITTLE BIT AND STUFF LIKE THAT AND ACTUALLY HELP YOU. I WISH I HAD KNOWN THIS STUFF WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE AND WENT OFF TO COLLEGE AND I WENT TO NORTH TEXAS OR UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS . WHEN I WENT, IT WAS CALLED NORTH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY. UM, WHEN I WENT THERE AND I WAS AT BREAK OR WHATEVER, AND THE STUDENT UNION AND THEY WERE HANDING OUT T-SHIRTS AND CREDIT CARDS AND I WAS LIKE, WOW, THIS IS AWESOME. UH, BUT YOU KNOW, I WASN'T, I DIDN'T HAVE A JOB. MY JOB WAS TO GO TO SCHOOL FULL TIME AND LEARN. AND SO, BUT THEY GAVE ME A CREDIT CARD AND A COOL T-SHIRT. SO I HAD THE T-SHIRT AND I WAS TAKING THE CREDIT CARD AND I WAS GOING, SPENDING IT, NOT THINKING, HOW AM I GONNA PAY THAT BACK? RIGHT? SO WE'RE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CREDIT AND UH, [01:00:01] WE'RE GONNA UNDERSTAND CREDIT AND WHAT IS A CREDIT SCORE AND WHY DO YOU HAVE IT? UH, AND I'M, I'M REALLY JUST GONNA COVER THAT NUMBER ONE BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY, REALLY WHAT'S IMPORTANT. SO UNDERSTANDING CREDIT AND YOUR CREDIT SCORE. SO CREDIT IS THE ABILITY TO BUY SOMETHING NOW AND PAY FOR IT LATER, RIGHT? SO YOU SEE PEOPLE THAT HAVE A CREDIT CARD IN THEIR BUYING, THEY'RE PURCHASING SOMETHING WITH A CREDIT CARD AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO BASICALLY THAT COMPANY IS, THE CREDITOR IS ACTUALLY PAYING FOR THAT FOR YOU NOW. AND YOU'VE PROMISED WHEN YOU SIGN THAT CREDIT CARD APPLICATION THAT YOU'RE GONNA PAY IT BACK. THIS IS THE CATCHY PART. THERE'S INTEREST, THERE'S A FEE WHEN YOU DO THAT. SO THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR CREDIT WISELY. CREDITOR IS THE PERSON OR THE COMPANY THAT ACTUALLY LENDS THE MONEY THAT YOU WOULD PAY THAT GOTTA PAY IT BACK. SO THAT'S IMPORTANT. UH, CREDIT SCORE. IT'S A THREE DIGIT NUMBER, UH, ON YOUR CREDIT HISTORY THAT HELPS CREDITORS ASSESS THE LIKELIHOOD TO PAY BACK A DEBT ON TIME. SO THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT. IF YOU HEARD ADULTS TALK ABOUT, OH MY GOSH, MY CREDIT SCORE IS THIS, IS IT THAT, OR WHATEVER. UH, IT DEPENDS ON EVERYTHING NOWADAYS, EVEN TO GET A JOB, THEY CHECK THEIR CREDIT AND IT'S IMPORTANT. IF I DIDN'T HAVE VERY GOOD CREDIT, I CAN'T DO MY JOB, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO MY JOB AND I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TEACH ABOUT CREDIT AND HELP PEOPLE FIX THEIR CREDIT AND STUFF LIKE THAT. IF I CAN'T HANDLE MY OWN CREDIT WISE, HOW WISELY, HOW CAN I HELP PEOPLE? SO WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT TO BUY A PHONE, TO GET A PHONE, JUST A CELL PHONE, YOU NEED TO HAVE CREDIT, RIGHT? THEY CHECK THAT 'CAUSE THEY'RE GIVING YOU THIS SERVICE AND YOU'RE PROMISING TO PAY IT BACK. BUT THEY NEED TO KNOW, ARE YOU, YOU? IT'S NOT ASSESSED 'CAUSE OH, YOU LOOK NICE. I'LL GO AHEAD AND GIVE YOU CREDIT AND STUFF. IT'S WHAT HAVE YOU DONE IN THE PAST? WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY GONNA PAY US BACK OR WHOEVER BACKED. SO I GAVE Y'ALL THIS SHEET OF PAPER. THIS SHEET OF PAPER IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. I WISH I HAD THIS BECAUSE THIS ACTUALLY EXPLAINS HOW YOUR CREDIT SCORE IS MADE UP. SO WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT THIS AND IT TALKS ABOUT THE BIGGEST, WHAT IMPACT TO CREDIT SCORE. HERE ARE SIX FACTORS THAT CAN IMPACT YOUR CREDIT SCORE. UNDERSTANDING THESE FACTORS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP TO BUILDING YOUR CREDIT SCORE. THE BIGGEST IMPACT. SO IT GOES FROM THE BIGGEST IMPACT. SO 40%, 40% OF YOUR CREDIT SCORE IS NOT BASED ON YOUR RACE. IT'S NOT BASED ON WHAT JOB YOU MAKE. IT'S NOT, UH, WHAT JOB YOU HAVE. IT'S NOT BASED ON HOW MUCH MONEY YOU MAKE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT'S MAKING YOUR PAYMENTS ON TIME, PAY YOUR STUFF ON TIME. SO IMPORTANT. UH, I EVEN, I I EVEN, I'M SO FREAKED OUT ABOUT IT TOO BECAUSE I WANT TO CONTINUE DOING MY JOB. I PAY MY STUFF EARLY, SO IF IT'S DUE ON THE 15TH, I PAY EVERYTHING ON THE 10TH JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET IT AND STUFF. SO YOUR PAYMENT HISTORY, PAYING STUFF BACK IS SUPER IMPORTANT. IT IS THE BIGGEST FACTOR WHEN IT COMES TO FIGURING OUT WHAT YOUR CREDIT SCORE IS. YOUR CREDIT SCORE CAN BE ANYTHING FROM THREE 50, WHICH IS REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOW. AND YOUR CREDIT SCORE CAN GO ALL THE WAY UP TO EIGHT 50. IN THE 34 YEARS THAT I'VE WORKED AT THE BANK, I'VE SEEN TWO PEOPLE WITH EIGHT 30, I'VE NEVER SEEN AN EIGHT 50. I'M LIKE, I THINK THEY WALK ON WATER. THEY'RE LIKE, PERFECT. UH, I WISH I I I DON'T HAVE THAT. BUT UM, THAT IS, THAT IS THE, THE SCALE OR THE RANGE, RIGHT? SO THREE 50 BEING POOR, EIGHT 50 BEING HIGH, UH, THE HIGHEST AND WHY THAT NET THAT NUMBER MATTERS. SO BEFORE I GET TO VERSA, THIS, WHY DOES THAT NUMBER MATTER? BECAUSE IF YOUR INTEREST, IF YOUR CREDIT SCORE IS REALLY, REALLY HIGH, YOU KNOW THAT MONEY THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY BACK, IT'S CALLED INTEREST THAT THEY TAG ON RIGHT? TO YOUR, TO YOUR ACTUAL LOAN OR YOUR PAYMENTS, STUFF LIKE THAT. IF YOU HAVE A REALLY HIGH CREDIT SCORE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A REALLY LOW INTEREST RATE, RIGHT? SO THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT YOU PAY BACK IS GOING TO BE A LOT LESS THAN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY. IF YOU'RE THE OPPOSITE, YOU HAVE A VERY LOW CREDIT SCORE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A VERY HIGH INTEREST RATE, RIGHT? SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO PAY BACK MORE. SO, UM, WHEN I TELL PEOPLE LIKE, YOU GOTTA BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ACTUALLY EASE ON THAT CREDIT CARD. YOU DON'T WANNA GO TO MCDONALD'S AND PUT IT ON A CREDIT CARD. IF YOU DON'T HAVE MCDONALD'S MONEY, YOU DON'T NEED IT, RIGHT? YOU DON'T NEED TO PUT IT ON A CREDIT CARD. UH, CREDIT CARD. THAT, THAT UM, I GUESS THAT UH, QUARTER POUNDER WITH CHEESE VALUE MEAL OR WHATEVER LIKE THAT, THAT COSTS $10 WILL EVENTUALLY COST YOU DEPENDING ON HOW LONG IT TAKES YOU TO PAY THAT BACK. AND YOU THINK THAT, I'M KIDDING, BUT IT, I'VE SEEN THIS, THAT VALUE MEAL COULD HAVE COST YOU [01:05:01] 50 BUCKS. WAS THAT QUARTER POUNDER OF THAT IMPORTANT? NO. SO YOU GOTTA BE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY CAREFUL WHEN YOU'RE USING IT. SO FIRST THING IS YOU WANNA LOOK AT MAKING YOUR PAYMENTS ON TIME. SUPER, SUPER IMPORTANT. NEXT THING IS AGE AND TYPE OF CREDIT. SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD THAT CREDIT? SO NOW I'M GONNA TELL MY AGE HERE, BUT THE CREDIT CARD THAT I GOT WITH THE T-SHIRT AND THE CREDIT CARD AND THE IN COLLEGE AND STUFF LIKE THAT, I'VE HAD THAT CREDIT CARD. ALTHOUGH IT WAS HORRIBLE. IT'S NOT EVEN WITH THE BANK THAT I BANK AT, NONE OF THAT KINDA STUFF. BUT I DIDN'T WANT MY HISTORY TO GO AWAY. SO I'VE KEPT THAT CREDIT CARD FOR 45 YEARS. I TOLD YOU I'M OLD. 45 YEARS I'VE HAD THAT CREDIT CARD. AND THE REASON THAT I KEPT THAT CREDIT CARD IS BECAUSE IT SHOWS HISTORY, ALL THAT HISTORY, RIGHT? FOR 45 YEARS I'VE HAD THAT CARD. I RARELY EVER USE IT. I PUT A REMINDER IN MY PHONE TO GOTTA USE THAT CREDIT CARD. I BUY SOMETHING RIDICULOUS AND I TURN AROUND AND I PAY IT RIGHT BACK 'CAUSE I'M NOT GONNA PAY TO USE THEIR CARD, THEY'RE GONNA PAY ME OR OTHERWISE I JUST USE IT AND KEEP, KEEP THE CREDIT AND THE HISTORY. SO 21% OF THE AGE AND THE TYPE OF CREDIT, THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF CREDIT. THERE IS WHAT WE CALL INSTALLMENT THAT HAS COLLATERAL. DO Y'ALL KNOW WHAT THE WORD COLLATERAL IS? SO IT'S LIKE A CAR, RIGHT? THE CAR IS THE COLLATERAL. SO YOU GET YOU THOSE KIND OF LOANS INSTALLMENTS. SO LET'S SAY YOU BUY A CAR, YOU PAY FOR IT FOR FIVE YEARS. AT THE END OF THE FIVE YEARS YOU'VE PAID OFF YOUR CAR, IT'S YOURS. NOW FREE AND CLEAR REVOLVING CREDIT IS CREDIT CARDS. SO EVOLVING CREDIT IS EVERY MONTH YOU'RE CHARGED INTEREST ON THE MONEY. IT'S STILL OWES. SO LET'S SAY THAT $10 UH, VALUE QUARTER POUNDER TO VALUE MCDONALD'S AND YOU DIDN'T PAY IT OFF, YOU MADE THE MINIMUM PAYMENT NEXT MONTH. WHATEVER'S OUTSTANDING, THEY'RE GONNA CHARGE MORE INTEREST ON THAT, OKAY? PLUS ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU ACTUALLY DID. SO NOW IF YOU MAKE YOUR MINIMUM PAYMENT AND IT WASN'T ENOUGH, STILL THE NEXT MONTH THEY'RE GONNA ADD MORE INTEREST TO THAT. SO THAT COMPOUNDS AND IT BECOMES VERY, VERY, THAT'S HOW THE $10 VALUE MEAL END UP BEING 50. THE NEXT THING IS CREDIT UTILIZATION, IS HOW YOU USE YOUR CREDIT AND HOW MUCH OF YOUR CREDIT THAT IS EXTENDED TO YOU ACTUALLY USE. SO THAT'S THE NEXT IMPORTANT NUMBER AND I WANT YOU TO KIND OF WRITE ON TOP OF THAT. I WANT YOU TO WRITE 30%. SO OF WHATEVER IS EXTENDED TO YOU IN CREDIT, YOU NEVER WANNA USE MORE THAN 30%. SO WHAT'S 30% OF 130? PARDON ME? 30. 30. SO IF YOU HAVE CREDIT OF A HUNDRED DOLLARS, YOU WOULD ONLY WANT TO USE 30 OF IT AT ANY GIVEN TIME. YOU WOULDN'T WANNA GO OVER THAT NUMBER. UH, AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT'S THE MAGIC NUMBER, BUT THAT'S WHAT THE UTILIZATION IS. UH, THE BANKS DON'T MAKE UP THE THOSE KIND OF THINGS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. THAT IS THE ACTUAL CREDIT BUREAUS THAT ACTUALLY KEEP THIS TRACK, KEEP THIS STUFF IN TRACK. THE NEXT THING IS HOW MUCH OF THAT MONEY OR HOW MUCH DO YOU ACTUALLY OWE? RIGHT? SO YOUR TOTAL BALANCES COUNT FOR 11%. THE NEXT THING IS RECENT CREDIT BEHAVIOR. SO A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE GO, I THINK I NEED TO HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF CREDIT, A WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT CREDIT CARDS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. IT LOOKS REALLY PRETTY WHEN I OPEN UP MY WALLET OR WHATEVER LIKE THAT. AND I HAVE ALL THESE CARDS. NO, THAT'S FALSE. UH, AND I REMEMBER MY FRIENDS GETTING IN A LOT OF TROUBLE WHEN WE WERE REALLY YOUNG BECAUSE THEY HAD ALL, I'M LIKE, WHAT DO YOU NEED ALL THOSE CREDIT CARDS FOR? I DON'T KNOW. I JUST APPLIED AND I KEPT ON GETTING IT. SO THAT'S NOT TRUE. YOU WANNA HAVE MAYBE ONE, MAYBE TWO, MAYBE MAX THREE, RIGHT? AND YOU WANT TO USE THEM HOWEVER WISELY FOR YOU AND YOU WANNA SHOP AROUND. YOU GUYS ARE SO MUCH LUCKIER THAN I WAS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. YOU CAN GOOGLE ANYTHING, LOOK UP ANYTHING AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO MY ADVICE TO YOU WOULD BE TO SHOP AROUND BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY GET A CREDIT CARD SHOP AROUND AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S THE ONE THAT MAKES SENSE FOR YOU. MY HUSBAND AND I USE ONE. WE LOVE TO TRAVEL. WE DON'T HAVE KIDS, WE DON'T HAVE GRANDKIDS, WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO HE'S RETIRED. I'M GOING TO RETIRE IN A COUPLE OF YEARS. SO ANY FREE TIME THAT I GET, WE GO AND WE TRAVEL, WE GO SOMEWHERE AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AND I WANT, BASICALLY I HAVE THAT CREDIT CARD PAY ME TO USE THEM. SO I USE ALL THOSE REWARDS AND STUFF AND ALL THE LITTLE VALUE THINGS THAT I LIKE. SO YOU SHOP AROUND FOR THOSE KIND OF THINGS. AND THEN THE LAST THING IS HOW MUCH AVAILABLE CREDIT DO YOU HAVE? SO WHAT'S AVAILABLE TO YOU? UM, QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THIS STUFF? 'CAUSE IT'S LOT AND I'M TALKING [01:10:01] GROWN PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT AND GET THIS, SO I'M TRYING TO GIVE Y'ALL REALLY A BIG PUSH AND A HEADS UP AND STUFF LIKE THAT BECAUSE THIS, IF YOU GET IT NOW, YOU WILL ALWAYS GET IT. YES. COULD I JUST ANSWER MORE QUESTION? BUT WHAT AGE DO YOU THINK IS BEST TO TO TO GET A CREDIT CARD? UM, CAN'T GET A CREDIT CARD UNTIL YOU'RE 18. 18. BUT LIKE, I MEAN LIKE NOW THERE ARE WAYS TO GO AROUND THAT, RIGHT? SO MY GRANDPA HELPED ME 'CAUSE MY MOM WAS THE SAME WAY. SHE WAS LIKE, HOW ARE YOU GETTING THESE CREDIT CARDS? YOU DON'T HAVE A JOB. MY GRANDFATHER TOOK OUT A LOAN IN MY NAME AND HIS NAME WHEN I WAS REALLY YOUNG AND HE PAID IT BACK. I HAD NO CLUE THE SUFFOLK ATTACK. BUT WHEN I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL, HE SAID, HEY, HERE'S YOUR, YOU HAVE CREDIT? I'M LIKE, WHAT? HOW DID I GET CREDIT? AND HE TOOK OUT A LOAN IN HIS NAME AND MY NAME AS A CO-SIGNER EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T KNOW OR AN AUTHORIZED USER. AND I ESTABLISHED CREDIT. SO THAT CAN BE DONE, UH, WITH YOUR PARENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. UH, ONCE YOU'RE 18, THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CREDIT THINGS THAT YOU CAN USE. A LOT OF BANKS NOW, NOT JUST CHASE, BUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT BANKS THAT HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CREDIT CARDS THAT YOU CAN GET BASED ON BEING A STUDENT. THEY UNDERSTAND YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY. THEY UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE NOT, SO THEY'RE NOT GONNA GIVE YOU A LOT OF CREDIT, BUT IT'S A REALLY GOOD WAY TO START CREDIT. UH, THE OTHER THING THAT YOU CAN DO IS A SECURED CREDIT CARD. THAT MEANS THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY GONNA USE YOUR MONEY AND HOLD IT ASIDE AND ISSUE YOU CREDIT. THAT'S THE, THAT IS LIKE, I ALWAYS CALL THAT THE SHORTCUT. IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYBODY THAT CAN HELP YOU AND STUFF OR THEY DON'T HAVE GOOD CREDIT EITHER. 'CAUSE THAT HAPPENS. SO HOW COME YOU DO IT, YOU SAVE UP. THIS IS GONNA SOUND LIKE A LOT, 500 BUCKS, PUT IT IN THE BANK, THEY HOLD IT FOR YOU AND THEN THEY GIVE YOU A CREDIT CARD AND THEY GIVE YOU THE SAME AMOUNT OF CREDIT AVAILABLE TO YOU. YOU MAKE YOUR PAYMENTS, YOU USE THE CARD, PAY IT BACK, USE THE CARD. YOU HAVE GOOD TRANSACTIONS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. USUALLY WITHIN NINE MONTHS TO A YEAR THEY SAY, HEY MARIA, YOU DID GREAT. WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOU AND STUFF LIKE THAT. WE'RE GOING TO RELEASE THAT $500 THAT YOU PUT IN HERE AND WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU YOUR OWN CREDIT CARD. SO, AND YOUR OWN CREDIT. SO THAT'S, THAT'S A REALLY COOL WAY OF GETTING THERE AND BEATING WHAT I CALL BEATING THE SYSTEM. GOOD QUESTION. UM, ANYBODY ELSE? YES. UM, YOU WERE NEXT AND THEN YES. UM, SO PEOPLE WHO'VE HAD CREDIT CARDS, LIKE YOU SAID YOU HAD TO PAY IT BACK LIKE THAT, RIGHT? UM, I'VE BEEN RECOMMENDED FOR LIKE CREDIT CARDS THAT YOU WANT TO PUT IT ON, LIKE MONTHLY PAYMENTS, LIKE SUBSCRIPTIONS OR GAS, LIKE JUST THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO PAY FOR LIKE ON A DAILY OR MONTHLY. UM, IS THAT LIKE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD COMMEND? THAT'S VERY GOOD PRACTICE. SO YOU DON'T, YOU WANNA USE CARDS, RIGHT? SO I TOLD YOU DON'T USE 'EM, DO USE 'EM. SO HOW DO YOU BUILD YOUR CREDIT IS BY ACTUALLY USING THE TRANSACTIONS THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY REVIEWING IN STUFF. WHAT I ADVISE EVERYBODY TO DO IS THAT YOU WOULD, IF YOU WERE GONNA GO TO MCDONALD'S AND YOU HAD THE $10 IN YOUR HAND, RIGHT? AND YOU GO, AH, DID I GET THIS AND I PUT IT ON THE CREDIT CARD OR WHATEVER, YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE CREDIT CARD, RIGHT? 'CAUSE THAT SHOWS AS A TRANSACTION. AND THEN YOU TAKE THE $10 AND YOU MAKE A PAYMENT TO THE CREDIT CARD IMMEDIATELY. THAT WAY YOU'RE NOT CHARGED INTEREST OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SAME THING WITH GAS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, I DID NOT LEARN THIS. THIS TOOK A LONG TIME FOR ME TO FIGURE OUT. AND LIKE I SAID, I WORK IN THE INDUSTRY AND STUFF LIKE THAT. MY HUSBAND, I'M THE SPENDER, MY HUSBAND'S A SAVIOR HAPPENS. UH, SO WE, I LEARNED THAT EVENTUALLY WHEN I GOT REALLY, REALLY SMART AND REALLY, REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND STUFF LIKE THAT. I HAVE MY CREDIT CARDS, PAY ME TO USE THEM. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SO BASICALLY MY HUSBAND AND I PUT EVERYTHING ON THE CREDIT CARD EVERY MONTH, EVERYTHING GAS TO GO ON HERE, SHOPPING. I EVEN FIGURED OUT HOW TO PAY MY, MY MORTGAGE WITH A CREDIT CARD. SO I DO ALL OF THAT AND THEN I GET THE POINT, I PAY IT ALL OFF AT THE END OF THE MONTH BEFORE THEY CHARGE ME INTEREST. I PAY IT ALL OFF AND STUFF LIKE THAT. I GAINED THE REWARD MONEY FROM IT. SO ALL MY CREDIT CARDS GIMME SOME KIND OF BENEFIT AND STUFF. SO IT WILL BE STUFF, GROCERIES, I'M GONNA GO TO THE GROCERY STORE. I'M NOT GONNA PUT GROCERIES ON ON A CREDIT CARD. I'M GONNA USE, I HAVE THE MONEY, I'VE BUDGETED WHAT I USED FOR GROCERIES AND STUFF, BUT IF I PUT IT ON MY CREDIT CARD, I TURN AROUND AND I TAKE THE MONEY OUT OF MY CHECKING ACCOUNT AND I PAY THAT RIGHT AWAY. DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YEAH. YEAH. SO THAT'S EXACTLY, THAT IS A VERY GOOD PRACTICE. BUT YOU HAVE TO BE VERY, VERY DISCIPLINED. 'CAUSE IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT CAN GET OUT OF HAND REALLY, REALLY QUICKLY. 'CAUSE IT'S LIKE, NO, I PUT THAT EXTRA MONEY IN MY CHECKING ACCOUNT AND I ALREADY PUT IT ON THE CREDIT CARD. MAYBE I CAN DO THIS INSTEAD. NO, YOU HAVE TO BE DISCIPLINED. YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU PAY [01:15:01] THE CREDIT CARD BACK SO YOU'RE NOT IN THE BIG MESS AND PAY FOREVER. THAT $10 HAPPY MEAL OR YOU KNOW, THE VALUE MEAL THAT YOU GOT HAPPY WHEN YOU ATE IT, UM, IS NOW 50 BUCKS. ANY, AND YOU HIT THIS, THIS YOU THIS. UM, SO USING THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF CREDIT THAT YOU HAVE ON A CARD, DOES THAT MAKE YOUR CREDIT SCORE GO DOWN OR DOES IT MAKE YOU LOOK BAD? YOU THIS IS OKAY. SEE, NOW THIS, THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION 'CAUSE I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THIS AFTER BEING THIS UNTIL I WORKED WITH THE PEOPLE, UH, EXPERIAN, THEY ACTUALLY, UM, ARE ONE OF THE CREDIT PARENTS AND THE GIRL'S LIKE, NO, NO, NO, MARIA, I THOUGHT IT CHANGED EVERY MONTH. YOUR CREDIT SCORE, YOUR CREDIT SCORE CAN CHANGE EVERY SINGLE DAY. SO EVEN THOUGH I USE SOME OF 'EM ON MAX OUT, BUT I TURN AROUND AND I PAY IT. SO MY CREDIT WILL TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A HIT AND THEN BOOM, BOUNCE RIGHT NECK UP AGAIN BECAUSE I PAID IT OFF. SO, GOOD QUESTION. ANYBODY ELSE? NO, THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO COVER SINCE OUR TIME WAS LIMITED AND STUFF. UM, THESE ARE, IT'S VERY, VERY BASIC. UM, BUT IT'S, THIS IS, THIS IS THE WHOLE THING OF WHAT IS CREDIT, UH, IS THIS LITTLE WHEEL. LIKE WE, WHEN I TEACH IT FOR ADULTS, THERE'S A LITTLE WHEEL AND STUFF, BUT IT'S 40% IS YOUR BIGGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT THING IS PAYING YOUR CREDIT STUFF ON TIME AHEAD OF TIME. 'CAUSE I'M REALLY CRAZY AND I THINK, OH MY GOSH, WHAT IF IT DOESN'T GET THERE ON TIME AND STUFF? UH, BUT I DO PAY EVERYTHING AHEAD OF TIME 'CAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M NOT CHARGED ANYTHING OR LATE FEE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. COOL. THANK YOU. THAT'S WHAT I, OKAY. AS WE WERE FINISHED WRAPPING UP, YOU JUST HOLD ON FOR JUST A SECOND. OH YEAH. GIMME ONE SECOND. COLLECT. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. OKAY. SO WE'LL JUST GO ON TO, UH, WE DON'T HAVE TO ASK PERSONALLY TO BREAK OUT INTO OUR MAJOR GROUPS. SO YOU GUYS DO HAVE STUFF YOU WANNA DISCUSS WITH YOUR COMMUNITY, HOWEVER YOU DO, WE WANNA TALK ABOUT MESSAGE ON THERE. UM, DID YOU PARTICIPATE GET THROUGH WITH THAT? JUST ONE THING TO ADD. SO I, I MEAN, JUST KIND OF TALKING ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT SIE SAID, UM, BECAUSE WE ARE GONNA BREAK OUT THIS TIME. WE DON'T WANNA LOSE A WHOLE MONTH. SO WE DO PLEASE REACH OUT TO YOUR GROUP. WE, ESPECIALLY, WE KNOW OUR SOCIAL COMMITTEE HAS THE SOCIAL COMING UP ON THE 24TH SO THAT, I MEAN, Y'ALL CAN'T WAIT ANOTHER TIME AND Y'ALL HAVE TO BE DOING THAT, UM, BETWEEN NOW AND THE 24TH. AND SO I KNOW WE NEED TO GET TO, UH, A LIST. WE NEED TO GET A LIST FROM YOU GUYS AND EXACTLY WHAT NEEDS TO BE ORDERED FOR THE SOCIAL, LIKE FROM AMAZON AND THINGS LIKE THAT. IF Y'ALL HAVEN'T ALREADY PROVIDED THAT TO MS. RHONDA, UM, WE NEED THAT. AND THEN I KNOW TASSIE'S ALREADY PUT OUT AS FAR AS, UH, FORMS FOR POTLUCK AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE, THERE'S OTHER THINGS TO PLAN SO THAT OUR VOLUNTEER GROUP, I KNOW Y'ALL WERE COMING UP WITH, UH, ANOTHER, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO VOLUNTEER AND SO CONTINUE, YOU KNOW, THROWING OUT IDEAS. AND THEN, UM, OUR, UH, TEEN EVENTS GROUP WAS WORKING ON THE SOCIAL AND UM, OR THE KIND OF, UH, FIELD, FIELD DAY. YEAH. SO I WAS LIKE, WHAT DOES THAT WORK? THE FIELD DAY? AND SO I KNOW THAT WE OWE Y'ALL SOME FEEDBACK ON THAT, BUT, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT NEEDS, THERE'S A LOT OF PLANNING THAT GOES INTO THAT THAT CAN'T STOP. SO, UM, ALSO BACKING OFF THE SOCIAL THING. WE DO HAVE, IF YOU GUYS ARE ABLE TO ON THURSDAY I'LL BE HERE MAYBE FOR THE SOCIAL. SO, OR I CAN COME IN. BUT IF YOU WANT COME IN EARLIER LIKE THREE, BUT ITEM NINE IF YOU WANT, COME AND JUST GET SOME VOLUNTEER ARMS IN FOR THE TIME YOU GUYS MEET. COME HERE. OKAY, SO, SO LAST MONTH. SO AS A DO UYC SCHOOL OF HIGH SCHOOLERS AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, THERE ARE MANY HIGH SCHOOLERS WHO ARE ALSO IN OTHER CLUBS. ONE, THE BIG DE DECA IS A BUSINESS CLUB THAT YOU CAN GO THROUGH COMPETITION THROUGH EVENTS AND YOU PERFORM FOR JUDGE. MAKING IT TO STATE IS VERY DIFFICULT. HOWEVER, THOUGH THE MAJORITY OF OUR STATE OUTSIDE REALLY HARD AND DISTRICT IS DISTRICT AND GOOD LUCK NEXT WEEKEND. OKAY, SO REAL QUICK, WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH UPCOMING MEETING AND EVENTS. SO OUR ATION DROP FOR OUR, WE WAITING MONTHS [01:20:02] THAT, UM, FEBRUARY 21ST, OUR ANIMAL SHELTER ADOPTION. UM, DETAILS ABOUT THAT. CALENDAR UPDATES. SO MAKE SURE YOU PUT, YOU CAN GO. UH, FEBRUARY 20, MAKE SURE YOU GUYS ARE CHECKING YOUR SCHEDULE. EVERYTHING GOES ON. YES. UM, FEBRUARY 24TH SOCIAL. IT'S A, UM, MORE DETAILS TO BE SENT OUT LATER THIS WEEK, MAYBE EVEN NEXT WEEK. UM, UH, WITH A FLYER TALKING ABOUT DRESS CODE FOR DO SOME THINGS. UH, MARCH 10TH WE HAVE OUR NEXT EARLY COUNCIL MEETING. AND THEN APRIL 1ST WE HAVE THE TRUCKING. SO AGAIN, UH, MEMORIZE WILL BE SENT OUT. SO MAKE SURE YOU GUYS CLICK GO WITH YOUR ATTENDANCE. OKAY. * 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.