Polson High School student wins prestigious Gates scholarship
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POLSON — Polson High School senior Sierra Pete was one of 1,000 students nationwide to receive a Gates Millennium Scholarship this year. Pete plans to attend Washington State University.
The nation’s largest scholarship program, the Gates Millennium Scholars Program awards good-through-graduation college scholarships to 1,000 students per year. The scholarships can be used to pursue degrees in any undergraduate major at the accredited college or university of the recipients’ choice. The Class of 2011 Gates Millennium Scholars represents 44 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories: American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and will be attending 334 colleges and universities.
Established in 1999 with the goal of developing the next generation of America’s leaders, UNCF’s Gates Millennium Scholars Program is funded by a $1.6 billion grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
To date, more than 15,000 students have received GMS scholarships, attending more than 1,500 schools, including Ivy League colleges, flagship state universities, and Minority Serving Institutions including UNCF member Historically Black Colleges.
The Gates Millennium Scholars Program provides recipients with leadership training, mentoring, and academic and social support as well as financial support. The program is known for its recipients’ high graduation rates — a six-year rate of 90 percent (45 percent higher than the national graduation rates for all students) and comparable to the rates for students from high-income families.
