Local student named Gates Millennium Scholar
Published 5:00 pm Saturday, April 23, 2016
Jerimiyah Viena, a senior at Decatur High School, was named a Gates Millennium Scholar last week.
Being named a Gates Millennium Scholar means Viena will receive funds to help seek an undergraduate degree of his choosing. He can receive continued awards by pursuing graduate degrees in math, science, engineering, education or library science.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation began awarding scholarships through the Gates Millennium Scholars program in 2000. It has funded the college goals of 1,000 students per year since then. Scholarships are awarded, according to the Foundation, to “high-achieving minority students who are in severe financial need and otherwise would be excluded from higher education.”
Viena’s scholarship will be administered by the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund.
To be eligible for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 on an unweighted 4.0 scale or have earned a GED; have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities; be African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Asian American/Pacific Islander or Hispanic American; and be eligible for a federal Pell Grant.
