Gov. JB Pritzker Delivers Remarks During Illinois DCFS Scholarship Award Ceremony

3 months ago

Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) delivered remarks during the scholarship award ceremony for the Department of Children & Family Services.

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Transcript

00:00All right.

00:19Are we ready to get started?

00:23Yeah.

00:26Woo.

00:28Welcome to the 2024 DCFS Scholarship Award Luncheon.

00:36My name is Heidi Miller, and I am the new director, proud new director of DCFS.

00:43And I'm really, really excited to be here with you today, celebrating all of you and

00:49recognizing all of you for your accomplishments.

00:52I'm also really excited today because we are awarding today a record number of scholarships,

01:01352 scholarships this year.

01:08That's almost 100 more scholarships than we awarded last year.

01:13And I'm also really excited and proud today because we are going to be awarding special

01:18awards for students who are pursuing degrees in social work in honor of Pamela Knight

01:25and Deirdre Silas, who are two of our former DCFS caseworkers who tragically died because

01:31of injuries that they sustained in the line of duty.

01:35So we are really proud of the students here today that will be honoring their legacy.

01:41Today we're also really privileged to hear from our keynote speaker, Tamika Bethel, who

01:47received this scholarship to Yale University, whoo, I know, in 2008, and she stands before

01:56us today as a shining example of achievement and resilience and what can be accomplished

02:03when we at DCFS recognize your potential and invest support and resources into helping

02:12you reach your dreams.

02:14I also want to recognize some of the dignitaries that we have in the room today, including

02:20Senator Doris Turner.

02:26We have Senator Feigenholz, I don't know where she is.

02:36Senator Lakeisha Collins.

02:42And Representative Bradley Fritz, and we're really thankful to you for being with us today.

02:48I also can't say any more without giving huge shout out and thanks to Chevelle Bailey, who

02:55put this all together.

03:03So we're here today for you students, and we're here to recognize you for your remarkable

03:10achievements.

03:12To receive this scholarship, you all had to demonstrate sustained academic achievement

03:19and excellence.

03:21You had to be engaged in community and extracurricular activities, and you had to demonstrate your

03:26vision and purpose as you pursue higher education.

03:31So these things make you exceptional among all students, just in and of themselves.

03:38But we in this room see and know that there is more to the story.

03:47We know the grit and the resilience that it has taken just to be here today.

03:54We see it.

03:56And the fact that you've achieved the excellence you have achieved in the face of barriers

04:02and challenges and trauma is truly remarkable.

04:10So there's a lot of research about what makes people successful in life.

04:17And it's something that I like to talk to my students at DJJ about a lot.

04:24All of the research kind of circles around one quality that is kind of the number one

04:29predictor of success.

04:32Anybody want to take a guess what that quality is?

04:34You can shout it out.

04:37What's that?

04:39Yes.

04:40It's along the same lines, it's something called grit.

04:46Grit really means never giving up.

04:51It's toughness.

04:52It's resilience.

04:54It is getting up each morning and trying again, even if the day before really sucked.

05:03And to me, grit really means hope.

05:08It means that you are willing to do whatever it takes to reach your dream because you have

05:12hope and you have faith and you have knowledge that you are going to get there.

05:18So I can't wait to see what you all become.

05:23Because as I stand here today, I know that all of you, because of what it took just to

05:28get here, have more of that number one success ingredient than most people can earn in a

05:33lifetime.

05:36And so the truth is that many people in this room, including me, including Ms. Bailey,

05:43including all of the people who work at DCFS, and including our governor, stand here in

05:49awe of you.

05:54So speaking of our wonderful governor, I have the honor of introducing our next speaker,

06:00who is Governor JB Pritzker.

06:06I'm going to say a few things about him.

06:11Governor Pritzker was sworn in for a second term as the governor of Illinois on January

06:158th, 2023.

06:19And since taking office, he has shown up and shown out for the people of Illinois.

06:26He has accomplished one of the most ambitious and consequential policy agendas in state

06:31history.

06:33He's reached across the aisle to achieve bipartisan support for projects like Rebuild Illinois,

06:39and he's passed a balanced budget every single year since taking office.

06:45He's taken bold action by creating jobs, raising the minimum wage, making university

06:51and community college education more affordable, and advancing equal pay for women.

06:59But I feel like I need to say a few more words about him.

07:04I mean, we all know he really could be anywhere in the world today.

07:09But he's here.

07:11And why is that?

07:14Having worked for him extremely proudly for the past five and a half years, I know it's

07:19because he wants to be here, because he cares about you, and he is truly proud of you.

07:28Many of us know his story, that he himself experienced loss and trauma in his family

07:35at a young age and again as a teenager.

07:38He has also had to heal from those things in order to achieve his own dreams.

07:44And so when he stands here with all of you today, cheering you on, he is truly standing

07:53with you, next to you, shoulder to shoulder, but also heart to heart.

08:01To have someone who stands with us like that in the governor's seat in our state is kind

08:07of mind-blowing.

08:10So before I go on and on about how much I love this governor, I'm going to stop talking.

08:20And without further ado, I'm going to introduce the great governor of our state, J.B. Pritzker.

08:49Well, thank you very much.

08:50I mean, that is really one of the kindest introductions I've ever received.

08:51And it is so great to be here.

08:52Good afternoon to all of you.

08:53Oh, come on.

08:54You can do better than that.

08:55Good afternoon.

08:56Good afternoon.

08:57You bet.

08:58The many people who have been part of your lives for years now, who support you, sitting

09:05with you, all of the scholarship winners, and it's just an honor every year to be here.

09:11I want to just give a special recognition to Heidi Miller, who has served this government

09:19for I think eight years now.

09:23We're coming on eight years.

09:25And who has just been an outstanding public servant and someone who cares deeply about

09:30the work that she does.

09:31She is truly selfless, and we are so lucky to have her leading the Department of Children

09:36and Family Services.

09:37Can we give her a big round of applause?

09:44We have a number of members of the General Assembly who are here with us today, and you've

09:48heard their names.

09:49But I want you all to understand that none of what we do and none of what we're able

09:55to accomplish, and these scholarships themselves, none of it happens without the General Assembly.

10:01Without putting together a balanced budget, thank you General Assembly, and funding scholarships

10:07for these unbelievably talented young people.

10:10So let's give them a big round of applause too.

10:16And then of course Chevelle Bailey, every year you put on just a terrific event for

10:21all of us.

10:22I can't explain to you how meaningful it is for us to be together to do this, and I'm

10:29grateful for the work that you do every day.

10:33I'm excited to be here especially though because we're among, all of us, among a motivated

10:38group of young people.

10:41And we're here to honor all that you've accomplished.

10:44Well, so far I should say, because there is so much more that you are going to accomplish.

10:50But we're here to celebrate you and your very bright futures.

10:55This is an important milestone to recognize your already years of hard work and dedication.

11:03And I hope that, and I'm speaking to the young people in the room today, I hope that you

11:07take a minute today to just feel pride in yourself and knowing how far you've come.

11:14This is a moment just to step back and say, I got here.

11:19I did this.

11:20I did this.

11:21I got so much accomplished.

11:22And there's more to do.

11:24You've got a lot ahead of you.

11:26But it's a day to celebrate yourself.

11:28And I'd also like to take a minute to thank all the parental figures and guardians and

11:33mentors that are here in the room with you today, yeah.

11:41There really is nothing more transformational for a young person than the type of support

11:47that all of you provide, the love, the encouragement, the hope.

11:53Thank you for stepping up and believing in these young people and helping them grow into

11:58the best versions of themselves.

12:01Your sacrifices have been instrumental in making these achievements possible.

12:06So you all deserve a big round of applause.

12:08And I want to thank you personally.

12:15Each year, the Department of Children and Family Services awards scholarships to an

12:19exceptional group of young people, and that's what you are.

12:24And each year, the bar gets raised higher and higher because so many are excelling.

12:30And that's why I've made it a priority for my administration to increase the proposed

12:34budget for this program.

12:36As I said, yeah.

12:44And as I said a little earlier, it doesn't happen without the General Assembly, so let's

12:48take some recognition for them, yeah.

12:54So last year, we jumped from 53 scholarships the year before to 259.

13:01And then you've heard already this year, we've increased by almost 400% in total this year,

13:08raising that bar higher to 352 scholarships.

13:16So what does that mean?

13:17It means 352 students who can attend college, university, or trade school in Illinois, 352

13:26students who are on their way to reaching their full potential, 352 students who will

13:32help lead this state to a brighter future.

13:35And boy, do we need you.

13:37For as much as some people talk about your generation, you don't hear enough about the

13:43passion, the ingenuity, the resilience that you all show every single day.

13:48And these are the impressions that you leave with me when I speak with you individually

13:53and I hear your voices.

13:55I can feel your potential, and I know everyone around you does too.

14:00You have overcome, well, more challenges in your formative years than most people do in

14:06their entire lifetimes.

14:09Many of you have lived through adversity and upheaval to get to where you are.

14:14It might have been easier and perhaps even understandable for you to give up along the

14:18way or to feel cynical about the world, but you didn't do that.

14:22You persevered and you pushed yourself harder.

14:26And rather than lowering your expectations for yourself, you scaled up your ambition.

14:31Rather than giving up, you committed yourself to greater academic excellence, to extracurriculars,

14:37to creative and athletic pursuits.

14:40Rather than feeling jaded about the world, you set out to change it for the better and

14:45to change your own lives for the better.

14:48And you should be so, so proud of you as we all are.

14:52That is more than just inspiring.

14:54It's a model for how all of us should live our own lives.

14:58You have modeled lives that we would like to emulate.

15:04You've modeled courage, dedication, and strength, and it means such a great deal to those of

15:10us who are aging and who look back and think, what will the world be like in the future?

15:17And we look at all of you and we have great hope.

15:20As your governor, I could not be prouder of you.

15:22I have made it my mission to ensure the next generation of Illinoisans has every opportunity

15:28needed to thrive.

15:30And being with you today is a reminder of how important that mission really is.

15:35The future of this state and the future of this nation is in your hands.

15:41You are future nurses and firefighters and attorneys and carpenters and entrepreneurs.

15:49Maybe one of you will even become governor of the state of Illinois.

15:53I hope you don't run in the next couple of years anyway.

15:57That all starts with you going to class, of course, and listening to your teachers and

16:02doing all your homework, which you've done, and some of that is ahead for you.

16:08But before you get back to doing all of that, today is a day to relish the success that

16:15you've had and to know that the governor of the state of Illinois, that all the people

16:19around you today, and frankly, all of the people of Illinois are behind you.

16:24You are our future, as I said, and we are so, so hopeful for you.

16:30Before I close, I'd like to recognize Tamika Bethel, who you're going to hear from, your

16:36keynote speaker today.

16:38Tamika was sitting in a room like this, and back in 2008, I know that sounds like a long

16:45time ago, but think about yourself and the possibilities when you look at and hear the

16:52story of Tamika.

16:55She's a respected leader at Yale University.

16:59She's one of the most distinguished academic students, as well as working at one of the

17:06best institutions in the country.

17:10She is an inspiration.

17:11She's an inspiration to me.

17:13She's an inspiration to the rest of the country.

17:16Overcoming adversity makes you strong and resilient and successful, and she is an example

17:22of exactly that, and that is what all of you have ahead of you.

17:28So once again, I want to congratulate you.

17:29I want to wish you good luck.

17:32I really can't wait to see what all of you accomplish, and I know that quite a number

17:36of you will be, as you achieve success, will be calling you because we want you to come

17:42back and talk to the students in the future who are receiving these scholarships so that

17:48you can demonstrate for them what they can become in the future.

17:51So thank you very much for all that you do, and I'm really so proud and honored to be

17:57among you today.

Gov. JB Pritzker Delivers Remarks During Illinois DCFS Scholarship Award Ceremony

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