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Record of Proceedings

Sterling Heights City Council Special Meeting – May 20, 2026: Scholarship Award Ceremony

City Council Meetings — Wednesday, May 20, 2026
BodySterling Heights, Michigan
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateWednesday, May 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 37:43

Original source
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1:03

All right.

1:04

Good evening, everyone.

1:06

I'd like to call this special meeting of the Stirling Heights City Council to order.

1:10

If you would all please stand with me for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for our invocation.

1:16

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

1:23

One nation under God and indivisible.

1:27

Let liberty and justice grow.

1:29

Dear God, please bless our elected officials.

1:32

Grant them courage and wisdom to do it as right for all citizens.

1:35

Amen.

1:39

Mayor Taylor.

1:39

Here.

1:40

Mrs.

1:40

Roski here.

1:41

Mr.

1:41

Magjack.

1:42

Here.

1:42

Mr.

1:42

Radkey.

1:43

Present.

1:44

Mrs.

1:44

Schmidt.

1:44

Present.

1:45

Mr.

1:45

Yannis.

1:46

Mrs.

1:46

Yarko.

1:47

Present.

1:48

Thank you, Council.

1:48

We need approval of the agenda.

1:50

Mayor Taylor.

1:51

Mrs.

1:52

Zarko.

1:52

Move to approve the agenda as presented.

1:54

Support.

1:55

It's been moved and supported.

1:56

Any discussion?

1:57

No discussion.

1:58

All in favor signify by saying aye.

2:00

Aye.

2:00

Opposed.

2:01

Motion carries.

2:02

All right.

2:03

So this is a uh a special meeting.

2:04

I know one we look forward to every year.

2:07

Uh, and we only have one agenda item tonight, and it is to recognize and congratulate recipients of scholarships awarded through the 2026 Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation Scholarship Program.

2:19

Uh so to help kick us off, I will call up the executive director of the Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation, Carl Escoyen.

2:26

Mr.

2:27

Skoyen.

2:27

Thank you.

2:28

Thank you, Mayor Taylor.

2:29

Good evening, Mayor Taylor, Council Members, City Manager Vanderpool.

2:33

Thank you again for the opportunity to share the annual Sterling Heights Community Foundation Scholarship Award Program of our community.

2:40

Like you, this really is one of the highlights of our year, and every year these awardees become more spectacular.

2:46

As you said, I'm Carl Escoyne, I'm the executive director and president emeritus of the Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation, which we are celebrating our 35th year serving our community.

2:55

On behalf of the foundation, welcome to our 28th annual scholarship award ceremony to our area students pursuing degrees in higher education or vocational training.

4:00

The organization's awarding scholarships in 2026 are BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Land Systems, Manziek and Sun, Mayor Richard J.

4:11

Notte Scholarship for Government Public Service, the Professional Public Management Education Scholarship, the Ronald Himmler Science Scholarship, Selfridge Air National Guard based community council scholarship, and the Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation and Wujack Calcutta and Sons.

4:29

Community leaders like our eight scholarship partners make a wide difference in the lives of not only the students but our community at large.

5:00

The foundation began awarding scholarships in 1999, and with this evening's awards, has presented scholarships totaling 567,000 to now 571 area students pursuing degrees in general studies, technical training programs, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, health care, and public service, and the skilled trade vocational fields.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Youth Programs█████████████████████████████████████████████83%
Procedural█████████17%
Summary of Proceedings

Sterling Heights City Council Special Meeting – May 20, 2026: Scholarship Award Ceremony

This special meeting was convened to recognize and congratulate recipients of the 2026 Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation Scholarship Program. The Council unanimously approved a resolution honoring the awardees. The ceremony marked the 28th annual scholarship awards, with cumulative scholarships totaling $567,000 awarded to 571 students since the program began in 1999.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the agenda: Moved by Mrs. Zarko, seconded, and passed unanimously without discussion.

Discussion Items

  • Scholarship Presentations: The executive director of the Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation, Carl Escoyen, introduced the program. Eight scholarship partners presented awards to 12 students (one recipient absent). The scholarships and recipients were:
    • Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation: Three $3,000 scholarships to Zina Fower, Luke Mulka, and Kayla Thomas.
    • BAE Systems: One $1,000 scholarship to Carson Ahern (STEM field).
    • General Dynamics Land Systems: One scholarship (amount not specified) to Shaila Lepuri.
    • Manzick and Sons: One $1,000 vocational scholarship to Landon Law (recipient absent due to weather).
    • Mayor Richard J. Notte Scholarship for Public Service: One $1,000 scholarship to Samantha McKay (recipient absent).
    • Professional Public Management Education Scholarship: One $1,000 scholarship to Yara Abu Zrena.
    • Ronald Himmler Science Scholarships: Three $2,000 scholarships to Skylar Barbu, Gianna D'Angelo, and Dara Ruwala (one absent).
    • Selfridge Air National Guard Base Community Council: One $1,000 scholarship to Macy Cool.
    • Wujack Calcutta and Sons: One scholarship (amount not specified) to Rosalind Las.
  • Council Remarks: Council members Mrs. Sarowski, Mr. Radke, and Mr. Yanis offered congratulatory statements, praising the recipients' achievements and expressing confidence in their future contributions.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution to Recognize and Congratulate Scholarship Recipients: Moved by Mrs. Sarowski, seconded, and passed unanimously by voice vote. The resolution formally recognized the awardees and their accomplishments.
  • Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned following a motion and unanimous vote, with a group photo taken on the front steps.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public addressed the Council.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Good evening, everyone. I'd like to call this special meeting of the Stirling Heights City Council to order. If you would all please stand with me for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for our invocation. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God and indivisible. Let liberty and justice grow. Dear God, please bless our elected officials. Grant them courage and wisdom to do it as right for all citizens. Amen. Mayor Taylor. Here. Mrs. Roski here. Mr. Magjack. Here. Mr. Radkey. Present. Mrs. Schmidt. Present. Mr. Yannis. Mrs. Yarko. Present. Thank you, Council. We need approval of the agenda. Mayor Taylor. Mrs. Zarko. Move to approve the agenda as presented. Support. It's been moved and supported. Any discussion? No discussion. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. All right. So this is a uh a special meeting. I know one we look forward to every year. Uh, and we only have one agenda item tonight, and it is to recognize and congratulate recipients of scholarships awarded through the 2026 Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation Scholarship Program. Uh so to help kick us off, I will call up the executive director of the Sterling Heights Area Community Foundation, Carl Escoyen. Mr. Skoyen. Thank you.

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