Twenty-nine Northwestern students were announced as Gates Millennium Scholars for the 2007-2008 academic year on July 18. The Gates Millennium Scholars program was created by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and gives academically talented, low-income minority students a chance to receive a full college education. At Northwestern, the GMS program matches money NU would have set aside for loans or work-study and offers students leadership conferences.
Corey Winchester, a SESP sophomore and GMS honoree, said he spoke at a reception this summer at Swarthmore College to local school districts and faculty members about the program.
“I was talking to the administration just trying to spread the word,” he said. “It was good to know there are people out there who are willing to help and wanting to know hard work pays off.”
Winchester said they wanted to hear his story since everyone in the program has a story, saying he thinks of his fellow scholars as family.
“It’s a really well-rounded program,” said Stephanie Llamas, a Weinberg senior. “It’s not just like, ‘Here’s a check, go out to the real world and have fun,’ it’s the full deal.”
SESP sophomore Keenya Hofmaier said she went to a conference with guest speakers who talked about how to make the best out of her four years and grow educationally and personally.
She said she receives e-mails from the GMS program about opportunities to guide her through her educational career and rest of her life.
“As soon as I got the award, I realized it was more than an award or scholarship,” Hofmaier said. “It will definitely help me continue with my educational goals and give me the tools, resources and support to go out and be whatever I want to be.”
Llamas recommended the scholarship for minority students who are having a hard time getting financial aid.
She said if she hadn’t been a GMS, she didn’t know if she would have been able to afford Northwestern.
After the scholars were chosen, they attended a conference to meet their peers and listen to speakers.
“It was really cool to hear Bill Gates Sr. speak about how he founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” said Weinberg senior Dulce Vasquez. “The award goes to any school you want, so kids from community college to Harvard were there.”
Weinberg freshman Brandon Samuels said he will attend a GMS leadership workshop this October.
“I want to meet people who have the same values and skills as me and see what they offer,” Samuels said. “I want to build a good foundation for my first year, start off well and make connections.” McCormick graduate student Goher Mahmud said he applied for the scholarship one of the first years it was offered, during his senior year in high school, and re-applied for graduate school.
“The basic idea is they’re giving you financial help, so when you’re in school you can focus on your academics and don’t have the extreme burden or pressures of paying for this semester’s credits,” he said.
Mahmud, a first-generation college student in America, said his parents didn’t know anything about the country’s college system.
“My parents always told me if I worked hard in life and put an emphasis on my education and academics, then things will pay off in the end,” Mahmud said. “This gave me an opportunity to fulfill that dream to go to college and get an education.”
Weinberg freshman Lillianna Franco said the scholarship gives her hope for the rest of her life because the foundation wants to help over a long period of time.
“They told me if I wanted to go longer than four years, they’d cover me,” she said. “The program still keeps in contact after we’ve graduated, so it’s nice to know there’s people out there who want to help that much.”
Reach Kristin Ellertson at [email protected].
