Atlanta students lead nation in Gates Millennium Scholarships
I want to note the unprecedented number of metro students named Gates Millennium Scholars this year. This year, 50 metro Atlanta seniors received the scholarships. And Atlanta Public Schools earned 29 of those slots, the most for any district in the nation. Many recipients are not only the first in their families to go to college, they are also the first to graduate high school. (For a list of all 50, please go here.)
The scholarships are open to low-income minority students who have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher, have demonstrated leadership abilities and meet Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria.
The generous Gates scholarship covers students’ academic costs for as many years as it takes them to graduate college. It also provides academic support, mentoring and leadership training.
According to the AJC:
The (APS) school system’s strong showing was the result of an initiative the United Negro College Fund, the program’s administrator, launched in 2008 to increase the number of eligible students.
For years, students from Atlanta schools applied for the full-ride scholarships but, when taken with the more than 20,000 other applications received each year, theirs weren’t considered competitive.
“We were seeing strong students come through but they weren’t presenting applications in ways that would make them competitive so we came up with a plan to work with school districts to help them work with the students they considered strong candidates,” said Larry Griffith, vice president of the program.
After talks with district officials and then-Mayor Shirley Franklin, Griffith said they began holding workshops with students to help prepare them for the rigorous application process and with school counselors and other staff so that they could provide the mentoring students would need to market themselves appropriately.
Trina Scott, a counselor at Carver Health Science & Research, has participated in the specialized training since the initiative was launched two years ago.
The two-hour training, she said, covers everything from helping students tell their stories in the most compelling way to choosing the best person to write letters of recommendation and hitting the send button on their computers no later than 11:59 p.m. January 11, the deadline for submitting the application.
In addition to the training, banners were hung at the school touting the scholarship. Instead of “Got Milk” posters, “Got Gates” posters populated the walls.
Carver Principal Darian Jones said schools are encouraged each year to identify students with a grade point average of 3.3 or above as early as the junior year to apply for the scholarship and to hold meetings with them and their parents.
At Carver, he said, Gates alumni were invited to come and talk to perspective scholars about their experiences, to give them the extra incentive to complete the application. They even shared their essays to use as guides.
“They tell them they don’t have to stand in financial aid lines like other students because everything is paid for,” said Scott.
Students were encouraged to begin writing their essays over the summer.
“We tried to be much more intentional and it paid off,” said Jones.
Out of the 13 Carver students who applied, he said, five were named finalists.
One of them, Briahna Head, 18, said that while the tips she received to shore up her essays helped, the nomination and letter of recommendations she received from her AP biology teacher and mentor were the winning pieces of her application.
“They believed in me,” she said.
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41 comments Add your comment
Suavez
May 9th, 2010
8:35 am
Asians need not apply.
zoe
May 9th, 2010
8:43 am
Actually the number is 53, you do not have the 3 that received the scholarship in Clayton County. Demarcus Bell- North Clayton High School, Mai Tran Le – Riverdale High School, Thu-Hang Tran- Morrow High School. Note to Suarvez, two of the three from Clayton County are Asian.
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May 9th, 2010
8:52 am
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Maureen Downey
May 9th, 2010
10:24 am
Let me tell the news editors about the omission of the Clayton students. Maureen
Gina
May 9th, 2010
10:53 am
Congratulations to all of the recipients, however, I wish the stipulation “minority” would be removed from scholarship qualifications for programs such as this. There are many non-minority students who are low-income and face similar challenges. Can anyone sincerely feel that a white student growing up in poverty in West Virginia coal mining country doesn’t equally need that hand up?
oldtimer
May 9th, 2010
11:12 am
Gina, I agree….
Suavez
May 9th, 2010
11:13 am
How many poor asians with better SAT scores and better grades were passed over for “disadvantaged” minorities. I guess the asians should know better than to study hard when they could have played xbox all day.
Lillian
May 9th, 2010
11:14 am
As a recipient of the civil rights movement and a second generation college graduate from an HBCU allow me to remind all of you that poverty is color-blind! I’m sure the educators in West Virginia are trying very hard to lift that veil of poverty for their students! Teachers can’t do it all, it starts in the home!
Proud Black Man
May 9th, 2010
11:25 am
Gates can spend his money as he darn well choses. For all the tea baggers complaining about it being a “minority” only scholarship; whats stopping you people from starting a scholarship program???
Suavez
May 9th, 2010
1:19 pm
Maybe I will start a whites-only scholarship. Let’s see how that is received in the black community.
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Chris
May 9th, 2010
2:51 pm
You can still find scholarships for fall semester.
http://www.collegesanduniversities.biz/
justbrowsing
May 9th, 2010
3:58 pm
Suavez- you sound ignorant and rediculous. It is so obvious that you have a narrow minded view with regard to this and other “minority” related issues. It is that same narrow minded view which confims why there is a necessity for scholarships restricted for minority applicants. There are a variety of scholarships for those in West Virginian communities and elsewhere which fit the profile of almost any willing student vested in furthering their education. Let’s congratulate these students who have overcome immense odds to achieve their dream of attending college. Don’t cheapen it with your uninformed and ignorant views. You are pure simple.
Gina
May 9th, 2010
4:10 pm
I am hardly a teabagger, having spent many, many hours standing on street corners registering voters on behalf of the Obama campaign and, more recently, visiting representatives’ offices to support the President’s healthcare initiative.
Proud Black Man
May 9th, 2010
4:22 pm
@ Suavez
“Maybe I will start a whites-only scholarship. Let’s see how that is received in the black community.”
Have at it. Can’t speak for the whole black community but PBM could care less what you do.
Suavez
May 9th, 2010
5:44 pm
@justbrowsing -there is a necessity for scholarships restricted to minority applicants because they refuse to study and do the work that would be required to actually compete against asian and whites. When uneducated and unemployed single mothers are giving birth to 60% of black kids today there is no way they can compete.
Amused at Suavez' s ignorance
May 9th, 2010
5:53 pm
To @Suavez
You should have taken the time to do research before you wrote your comments to stir the pot for the bigots, asians are indeed receiptants! the following was taken directly from the website: http://www.gmsp.org
GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARS PROGRAM ANNOUNCES
Students are eligible to be considered for a GMS scholarship if they:
• Are African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian and Pacific Islander American, or Hispanic American
• Are a citizen/legal permanent resident or nationals of the United States
• Have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.3 on an unweighted 4.0 scale or have earned a GED
• Will enroll for the first-time at a U.S. located, accredited* college or university (with the exception of students concurrently pursuing a high school diploma) in the fall of 2011 as a full-time, degree-seeking, first-year student. First-time college enrollees can also be GED recipients.
• Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities
• Meet the Federal Pell Grant* eligibility criteria; and
• Have all three forms (Nominee Personal Information Form completed by the student, Nominator Form completed by an educator familiar with the student’s academic record and a Recommender Form completed by a person familiar with the student’s leadership and community service) submitted by the deadline.
Additionally from the Gates Foundation website: http://www.gatesfoundation.org
There are scholarships available for blacks, whites, asian, hispanics etc in addition to the Gates Millenium Scholarship.
Suavez
May 9th, 2010
5:58 pm
Then why do 99 percent of the recipients in Atlanta have names like Laqueeba?
Proud Black Man
May 9th, 2010
6:20 pm
@ Suavea
“Then why do 99 percent of the recipients in Atlanta have names like Laqueeba?”
Another example of how excessive tea-bagging can destroy your frontal lobes.
Suavez
May 9th, 2010
6:38 pm
Sorry, but through a cruel twist of evolution it is blacks who came up short on intelligence. Sad but true.
Proud Black Man
May 9th, 2010
8:22 pm
I see another tea bagger has joined the ranks of get schooled. He/she should fit in quite perfectly.
Lee
May 9th, 2010
10:56 pm
Yes, one can only imagine the uproar if the Gates Foundation limited a scholarship to whites only. The politically correct pathogens would be falling over themselves crying for a boycott of all things Microsoft. The professional race hustlers such as Jesse Jackson and Sharpton would be crawling over each other to be first in line for the spoils – sorta like two seagulls fighting over a dead fish.
Maybe Bill Gates should pay more attention to making sure Windows Vista doesn’t crash every thirty minutes….
Reality
May 10th, 2010
3:14 am
So the critieria for this scholarship includes no standardized tests? Hummmmmmm…. very interesting. I really wonder why they don’t look at SAT or ACT scores?
In APS it is VERY easy to get a gpa higher than a 3.3 – so what’s the big deal?
the prof
May 10th, 2010
8:18 am
PBM, quit lying to people. You aren’t black and everyone knows it now.
Proud black Man
May 10th, 2010
11:48 am
@ Lee
“Yes, one can only imagine the uproar if the Gates Foundation limited a scholarship to whites only.”
Wasn’t that the way Amerikkka operated until the 60s? But I’m sure that outrages you too huh?
Black Girl
May 10th, 2010
1:57 pm
“In APS it is VERY easy to get a gpa higher than a 3.3 – so what’s the big deal?”
@Reality, really? As a graduate of an APS school I can assure you that I worked hard to earn my diploma. What school systemd did you graduate from?
@ Suavez, what does a name have to do with anything? Atlanta is a predominantly black school system. So yes, more blacks will receive the award. Perhaps if their name was Becky you’d feel more comfortable.
This is a scholarship for minorities. If you don’t like the fact that many blacks are recepients, get together and develop a scholarship for non-minorities. Trust me, some people will talk, but most of us won’t care.
“Maybe Bill Gates should pay more attention to making sure Windows Vista doesn’t crash every thirty minutes….”
@Lee, I’ve had my laptop for over a year with Vista and haven’t had one problem. He should spend his money has he sees fit because it’s HIS money. Go make your own and then spend it as YOU see fit. Geesh!
Black Girl
May 10th, 2010
1:59 pm
oops…that should’ve read “recipients” and has should be “how”.
Carlos
May 10th, 2010
7:36 pm
Maureen, Thank you! There are billions of dollars for white students.
Just a Thought
May 10th, 2010
11:17 pm
Maureen,
Thank you for posting this. It is great to recognize excellence for all of our students. We should all be proud of the great showing for Metro Atlanta students.
As for the naysayers, I have finally come to see that some people are very comfortable in their prejudice and ignorance. No matter what minority groups do to better themselves it will never be enough for those who are still bitter over integration (this is the real issue you see, now that resources have to be shared instead of hoarded in certain communities as during the pre-civil rights era). Darn 14th Amendment messing everything up.
Proud Black Man
May 11th, 2010
8:56 am
“No matter what minority groups do to better themselves it will never be enough for those who are still bitter over integration (this is the real issue you see, now that resources have to be shared instead of hoarded in certain communities as during the pre-civil rights era).”
Correct!
CCPS Parent
May 11th, 2010
9:18 am
Maureen it’s been two days and the names of the Clayton County recipients have yet to be added. PLEASE get on this ASAP! After all of the negative news that your paper covers on Clayton County, it would be quite refreshing to have accomplishments in our county noted.
shakinthosehatersoff
May 11th, 2010
11:48 am
My son is not in APS and is a 2010 recipient of this scholarship. Test scores are reported on the initial application & scores must be sent. I don’t know how hard it is in APS; however, my son graduated in Dekalb with over a 4.1 and is #2 in his class of 300 students. Asians can also apply for this scholarship so whoever thought they could not is simply misinformed. Please don’t under estimate the african american male he is quietly knocking you all out with education (something that can not be taken away by man-not even the racist man). My son has always competed nationally on all testing & can compete with the best & brightest (no matter what race). Suavez-stop hating. You could have done what my son did as well…you just chose not to. Don’t get upset at him because he is the product of a single black mother with 1 child that decided to educate him beyond measure. You know what…it is your ignorance that motivates him & me to add to the list of accolades that keep coming and coming and coming. Suavez…my son may see you in graduate school at Georgetown, or when he is working on his PHD at Harvard…oops! You don’t have funding…well catch him on CNN when he’s landed that wonderful job that he’s working toward…KUDOS
Proud Black Man
May 11th, 2010
11:52 am
@ CCPS Parent
Yes I have noticed it too. Isn’t it funny though that the three white valedictorians received quick name recognition?
Maureen Downey
May 11th, 2010
12:39 pm
CCPS, I sent the education editor a note, but I am going to find out about the delay. Maureen
Maureen Downey
May 11th, 2010
3:25 pm
CCPS Parent, I talked to the education editor again today — Wednesday — and there is supposed to be an item in the paper tomorrow and an update to the online list.
Maureen
Suavez
May 11th, 2010
4:31 pm
@shakinthosehatersoff
Congratulations on your son. That is quite an accomplishment considering how uneducated you seem to be. I hope he turns down all those affirmative-action scholarships since he can compete on his own merits. I wouldn’t get too high and mighty though. Most valedictorians from south Dekalb would have trouble finishing middle school at a place like Westminster or schools in east Cobb.
Maureen Downey
May 11th, 2010
4:36 pm
Suavez, I have to direct you to a piece I wrote a while back on this very issue. Here is the link and the opening lines: http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/04/crossing-the-finish-line-high-school-grades-matter-most/
Suavez
May 11th, 2010
8:56 pm
I’m sure that an “A” from an urban school does show the student has at least put forth some effort, but I still don’t think that getting an A in Algebra at Crim is the same as getting an A at Westminster. Anyways, my main point is that I don’t understand why poor Asians are passed up for affirmative-action despite the fact that by and large they study harder than so-called “disadvantaged”minorities.
Maureen Downey
May 13th, 2010
5:00 pm
@CCPS, The Clayton kids were added to the list and a blurb also ran. I hope you saw them.
Maureen
MedVance
May 18th, 2010
9:34 am
Interested in using your scholarships for medical billing or coding? Contact us at:
http://www.MedVance.info
Stephanie
June 4th, 2010
3:53 pm
In addition to the previous three, the paper has also left off the Mount Vernon Presbyterian School student from the list. His name is Joshua Long. He worked very hard and I’m disappointed to see he was omitted.