Information Guide for Gates Scholarship:
The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS), funded by a grant from the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, was established in 1999 to provide outstanding
African American, American Indian/Alaska Natives, Asian Pacific Islander
Americans, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an
undergraduate college education, in all discipline areas and a graduate education
for those students pursuing studies in mathematics, science, engineering,
education, or library science. The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence
and to provide an opportunity for thousands of outstanding students with
significant financial need to reach their fullest potential.
There are several sections of the scholarship application:
1. Personal Information/Financial Information/Educational history: Filled out
by the student. The financial sections of the application are completed with the
help of their high school counselor.
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2. Recommender: Any adult (non-family) that is familiar with them and their
leadership and community activities. This recommender must fill out an on-line
form for the nominee. they fail to do so, the application will not be read;
consequently, it is imperative that the student find someone who is reliable and
trustworthy.
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3. Nominator: Someone connected with their high school who is familiar with
academic performance and leadership. This nominator must complete the online form for the nominee. If they fail to do so, the application will not be read;
consequently, it is imperative that the student find someone who is reliable and
trustworthy.
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4. Accomplishments:
*Honors and Awards: There is room for 8 honors and awards along with a
short description. An example might be: National Honors Society. 20 students
are invited to be members from the Junior/Senior Class based upon a 3.5 gpa
and 20 hours of community service. Be sure to help them identify nontraditional awards, such as Pow-wow Princess, etc. Gates especially identifies
cultural leadership.
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* Unpaid Volunteer Work and Community Service. This area involves listing
any kind of volunteer work during specific time periods. Enter all the
organizations with the total number of volunteer hours for each time period.
Think out of the box--if they help build a fire for a ceremony, babysit for nieces
and nephews so the parents can work----those all count!
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*Paid Employment: List all the employment within the time period and total
number of hours. Again, think out of the box---they may have been part of a
summer youth program that paid their way to a conference, they may have
exchanged beadwork for other items. Any type of activity where they gained
something from their participation could be considered employment.
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5. Leadership Roles: There is space for 6 leadership roles with the title,
organization, description and role they played. Think once more out of the box-for example, instead of just babysitting, you were tutoring nieces and nephews
with their homework or were a member of an organization to which you
contributed something unique and positive.
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6. Essay Questions: There are nine questions that provide an opportunity to
write on topics such as:
*subjects in which you have excelled and factors contributing to that success
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*subjects in which you have had difficulties, factors and how you improved in
those areas
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*describing a situation in which you were treated unfairly *discussing short and
long-term goals.
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*discussing a leadership experience
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*discussing some kind of involvement in your community *discussing nonacademic skills *describe personal characteristics, obstacles you have overcome
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