Skip to main content

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program

When I reach out to other organizations for outreach programs, I often end up on their mailing lists. That means that this time of year I get a lot of information about scholarship opportunities. I pass on as much of it as I can. I know that families dealing with Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome or Chediak-Higashi Syndrome face not only the usual obstacles to paying for college, but the added financial burdon of having someone in the family in need of medical care in a chronic matter.

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program - taken from their materials:
For students entering college for the first time in the fall 2012, the GMS 2012 Scholarship Application online process is now open. The deadline for all submissions is Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EST.






GMS will select 1,000 talented students each year to receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice. We provide Gates Millennium Scholars with personal and professional development through our leadership programs along with academic support throughout their college career.






Our program is more than a scholarship—it’s an opportunity to change your life! Just ask Deonte Bridges how much the GMS scholarship means to him.






If you are willing to serve as a nominator or recommender for deserving students, you can make a difference in their lives.






The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for outstanding minority students with significant financial need to reach their highest potential by:






•Reducing financial barriers for African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American and Hispanic American students with high academic and leadership promise who have significant financial need;


•Increasing the representation of these target groups in the disciplines of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and the sciences, where these groups are severely underrepresented;


•Developing a diversified cadre of future leaders for America by facilitating successful completion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees; and


•Providing seamless support from undergraduate through doctoral programs, for students selected as Gates Millennium Scholars entering target disciplines.

The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program, established in 1999, was initially funded by a $1 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.



The GMS Scholarship Award Provides:



•Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help aid;

•Renewable awards for Gates Millennium Scholars maintaining satisfactory academic progress;

•Graduate school funding for continuing Gates Millennium Scholars in the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science;

•Leadership development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities.

Program Accomplishment:



•Funding more than 15,000 Gates Millennium Scholars since the inception of the program

•Obtained a 79.9% graduation rate in five years*

•Supported Gates Millennium Scholars enrolled in more than 1,500 colleges and universities

•Supported Gates Millennium Scholars representing 50 states and five outlying areas

•Graduated over 7,000 Gates Millennium Scholars since the program's inception

•Five year retention rate of 87.7%*

*Reflects cohorts 1 through 4



To apply, or learn more, go to: http://www.gmsp.org/publicweb/AboutUs.aspx

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ratner's Cheesecake

Here's another recipe from Toby! Thanks Toby......and I'll get the others posted soon! Ratner's Cheesecake and plain cookies Ratner's was a Jewish dairy restaurant in the lower East Side of Manhattan. This recipe, from my disintegrating, no longer in print Ratner's cookbook, is the closest I've ever gotten to reproducing the rich, heavy cheesecake my mother made when I was a kid. It's worth the time it takes to prepare and every last calorie. Dough Can be prepared in advance. Makes enough for two cakes. Can be frozen or used to make cookies – see recipe below. 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup shortening 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 cup butter 2 eggs 3 cups sifted cake flour ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients with hands. Refrigerate 3 -4 hours, or preferably overnight. Filling (for

The next generation with Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome

I'm so behind on posting about the trip to Puerto Rico. Since the episode of Mystery Diagnosis on Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome ran right after we got home, it's been a little busy. These, however, are my favorite pictures from Puerto Rico. I know, not pretty senery etc - but these little guys and gals inspire me. They are the next generation of folks with HPS, and if we keep up the hard work, they will live better lives because of it. They motivate me.

Some good news about Pirfenidone

Below is a press release from Intermune, the company that makes Pirfenidone. They have essentially reviewed the various clinical trials going on, and decided that Pirfenidone is safe and well tolerated. That would pretty much go along with what we've observed in the HPS community as well. We have a few folks that have been on the drug since the late 90s and continue to do well. Of course, as a journalist, I do have to say consider the source - but at the same time, as someone in a Pirfenidone trial, it's good to know. Results of Comprehensive Safety Analysis of pirfenidone In IPF Patients Presented At European Respiratory Meeting - Analysis shows safety and tolerability of pirfenidone across four clinical trials - VIENNA, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN ) today announced that the results of a comprehensive review of safety data from four clinical studies were presented at the 2009 European Respiratory Society Annual Congress in Vienna, Austria