Florida Lottery Ice Cream Social

Photo Credit: William A. England, Alligator

Last Thursday, representatives from the Florida Lottery came to UF to host an ice cream social on the Plaza of the Americas.  I made some brief remarks thanking Florida Lottery Secretary Cynthia O'Connell for her dedication to education in the state of Florida.  Here is a transcript of my speech:

Thank you all for being here today.  I'm sure the reason why most of you are here is for the free ice cream, but I would like to draw your attention to one of Florida's strongest partnerships: education and the Florida Lottery.

Most people view education as the backbone of the American Dream.  Knowledge is empowerment and education is the best way to enable ordinary people to do extraordinary things.  

In higher education policy, accessibility and affordability are the major issues that students face.  Under Secretary O'Connell's leadership, the Florida Lottery is making a college degree more accessible and more affordable.

Across the state of Florida, 96% of in-state freshmen receive Bright Futures Scholarships. Because of this, our best and brightest to stay in this great state and get a degree from one of the country’s top universities, UF of course being the best University to attend. All joking aside, many students sitting here today were afforded the opportunity thanks to Secretary O’Connell, to fulfill their dream of going to College and becoming a Gator.

On behalf of the entire student body, thank you to the Florida Lottery and especially Secretary O'Connell for her dedication to the students at the University of Florida and students across Florida.

Go Gators!