ROCK ISLAND – Two members of the Augustana College first-year class – Lizeth Tamayo and Michael Harrison – are recipients of the Gates Millennium Scholarship, a program established in 1999 with a $ 1 billion grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The scholarships Tamayo and Harrison received cover all tuition costs, including living expenses, at any college or university. Additionally, their scholarships are renewable throughout graduate school if they choose to pursue several specific areas of study.
Tamayo is from Poplar Grove, and a graduate of Belvidere North High School. In describing herself, she said, “I am the first person in my family, both extended and immediate, to go to college. I have a lot of pressure to do well and be a role model for my younger sister and for my many younger cousins. I intend to major in pre-medicine with a minor in psychology.”
Dane Rowley, Augustana’s dean of admissions, added, “Each year the Gates Millennium Scholars Program selects 1,000 students who not only excel academically, but who also demonstrate significant leadership and commitment to community.”
Rowley described Tamayo and Harrison as part of a cohort of students who are attending schools that include Harvard, Wake Forest, Yale and Emory.
“Having worked with other Gates Scholars in the past, I’ve seen they are agents of change and innovation on whatever college campus they choose,” said Rowley. “They become leaders among their peers, and they stand out as thinkers and doers in and out of the classroom.”
The Gates Millennium Scholarship promotes academic excellence and provides 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 and 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 selected students entering target disciplines.