Five Houston Community College students enjoyed a dinner with former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and the evening raised money for HCC scholarships.

At the HCC Foundation Scholarship Gala on April 16, Trustee Dave Wilson was the high bidder for a dinner for six with Parker and her wife Kathy Hubbard, with the $1,400 going toward scholarships for HCC students.

Trustee Wilson and the five invited students took a limo to the home of David and Glenda Regenbaum, who hosted the dinner on May 22. David Regenbaum is the Vice President of the HCC Scholarship Foundation.

“Taking the students to have dinner at the Regenbaum’s was a great experience for everybody,” said Wilson, “conversations were lively, differences of opinion were kept aside and a good time was had by all.”

Wilson and Parker have a history of clashing on LGBT issues. Last year while Parker was still in office, Wilson filed a petition to amend Houston’s city charter and define gender identity in order to prevent biological males from using women’s bathrooms. Parker considered it an attempt to repeal the equal rights ordinance or HERO, which was later defeated in a referendum in November.

However, Parker and Wilson’s feud did not surface at the dinner table—the evening was about HCC students.

“I never thought I would have dinner with Annise Parker, she’s a fabulous person,” says Erik Foster, an electrical engineering student at the HCC Central Honors College.

“Her contributions to Houston have been tremendous, and to be able to sit at a table with her and break bread is an amazing experience,” says Josue Rodriguez, who is studying political science at the HCC Central Honors College.

Rodriguez was the United Student Council President this past year, and is now the President of HCC’s Omega Sigma Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

“She shared wonderful, valuable insights regarding leadership, management, how to run for public office—so we definitely learned a lot tonight,” said Ivan Lopez, “we’re really grateful, and I’m really honored that I got the opportunity to meet with such wonderful leaders of the city.”

Lopez is an economics major, class of 2016 graduate from the HCC Central Honors College, and immediate past president of HCC’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter. He has been accepted into Columbia and Yale University, and recently had an admissions interview with Harvard.

The HCC Egalitarian’s Alyssa Foley and Jimmieka Mills both attended the dinner. Foley has been The Egalitarian’s editor-in-chief since October 2014, and just graduated with her second associate’s degree from HCC. Mills has been The Egalitarian’s news editor since October 2014, and will be editor-in-chief starting June 1.