The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is funded by a $1.6 billion dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was established in 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.

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the Administrator of the GMS initiative and has partnered with the following organizations: American Indian Graduate Center Scholars (AIGCS) Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)

The GMS Scholarship Award funds academic financial support covering unmet need & self help. Continued graduate school funding up to Ph.D. in the 7 areas of : Computer scienceLibrary sciences Education Public Health EngineeringSciences Mathematics

Eligibility.. African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American; Citizen/legal permanent resident or national of the United States; Cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted) at the time of nomination; Degree-seeking freshman who will be entering an accredited college or university as full-time student; Demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities; and Federal Pell Grant eligible criteria

GMS Provides.. Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help Renewable awards for Scholars maintaining satisfactory academic progress Option to transfer Graduate School Funding for continuing Scholars in the 7 selected areas Leadership Development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities

Not Just About Money.. Student Leadership Conferences GMS Leadership Academies Scholar Connection Alumni Relations Program Mentoring Program

GMS Notables.. Funded over 14,050 Scholars since 1999 Selects 1,000 new scholars each year From the 2000 through the 2008 academic year, GMS has awarded over $425,000,000 in scholarships through 2008 Freshman retention rate 97%; sophomore rate 96% 8/10 Gates Scholars graduate in 5 years Gates Millennium Scholars have enrolled in over 1,500 different colleges and universities Over 5,000 Gates Millennium Scholars have completed a degree since the program’s inception

The Application Process.. 1. Nominator Form – Educator/Guidance Counselor Educator who is familiar with the student’s academic background completes the Nominator Form 2. Recommender Form – Community Service/Leadership Advocate Community member or individual who is aware of the student’s community service and leadership activities completes the Recommender Form and 3. Nominee Form – Student Student completes comprehensive Nominee Personal Information Form. Independent readers complete individualized reading and scoring assessment of each eligible Nominee in three major areas: A. academic achievement, B. community service, and C. leadership potential

The Application Process.. List activities by high school year Summarize the academic record, honors and awards Summarize community service activities Summarize leadership opportunities Write clearly and with vigor regarding your accomplishments, goals, and dreams Nominees (students) Be Prepared To:

Leadership examples Church group youth leader Boys and Girls Club volunteer Caretaker for different generations of family members Youth leader at local Temple Translator for parents Starting a cultural club at your high school Involvement in Student Government Team Captain/Co-captain

Community Service Examples Habitat for Humanities Senior Citizen Centers Helping others Learn to Read Animal Shelters Political Campaigns Park and Recreation Volunteers Food Banks Neighborhood Clean-up projects

STUDENT ACTIVITIES FORM

Tips for Nominees..

Applications do not need to be submitted in the same format or at the same time Forms can be mailed or submitted online online submission are preferred and post instantaneously online application detection will alert you of errors No attachments All forms must be submitted by the deadline

GMS Essay Questions Discuss the subjects in which you excel or have excelled. To what factors do you attribute your success? Discuss the subjects in which you had difficulty. What factors do you believe contributed to your difficulties? How have you dealt with them so they will not cause problems for you again? In what areas have you experienced the greatest improvement? What problem areas remain? Briefly describe a situation in which you felt that you or others were treated unfairly or were not given an opportunity you felt you deserved. Why do you think this happened? How did you respond? Did the situation improve as a result of your response? Discuss your short and long-term goals. Are some of them related? Which are priorities? Discuss a leadership experience you have had in any area of your life: school, work, athletics, family, church, community, etc. How and why did you become a leader in this area? How did this experience influence your goals? Discuss your involvement in and contributions to a community near your home, school or elsewhere. Please select an experience different from the one you discussed in the previous question, even if this experience also involved leadership. What did you accomplish? How did this experience influence your goals? Other than through classes in school, in what areas (non-academic or academic) have you acquired knowledge or skills? How? Is there anything else you would like to tell us about that may help us evaluate your nomination (i.e., personal characteristics, obstacles you have overcome)?

For Applicants and Recommenders.. Option to go to online or down-load Forms

Nomination materials are available at A Complete Application Packet Consist of: 1. Nominee Form (student application) 2. Nominator Form for the applicant 3. and a Recommender Form for the applicant must be submitted by the deadline.

All three forms are linked by the student registration identification number. The student’s registration identification number is a combination of their five digit zip code and the last four digits of their preferred phone number. For example, if their five digit zip code is and their preferred phone number is ; then the registration identification number would be

Nominees (students), must select one telephone number to use for their student registration identification number to prevent any possible confusion. The student’s registration identification number is automatically displayed by the system as they complete page one of the online application. Nominators and Recommenders will have to enter the student registration identification number to access the Nominator or Recommender Form. Nominators and Recommenders, do not have to wait for the Nominee to start their application before they begin their nomination or recommendation for the student.

Timeline From August through mid January All online applications are processed when submitted All applications mailed by the deadline are scanned and loaded into the Nomination database Online applications must be submitted by January 11, :59 p.m. EST. and paper applications postmarked by January 11,

Timeline During the month of February Independent readers complete an individualized read and scoring assessment of each eligible Nominee in three major areas: academic achievement, community service, and leadership potential From March through early April Applications are continuously reviewed as all information in applications is verified including GPA, citizenship status, and Federal Pell grant eligibility All Gates Scholars are selected and notified

GMS Scholarship Application Available online at Deadline -January 11, :59 p.m. EST or postmarked on or before January 11, 2010

For Guidance Counselors and Students.. Tips to pass along for 9 th, 10 th, and 11 th grade students Identify and explore websites or visit colleges of interest Register on Scholarship Search Sites now Develop a student profile (community service, leadership opportunities, employment, awards, honors) Develop a timeline for applying to scholarships and colleges Document volunteer/leadership opportunities Prepare a Scholarship Checklist

For Seniors.. Tips to pass along to 12 th grade students in early Fall If eligible, start the GMS process early Complete the FAFSA Estimator Apply for your FAFSA (January 1) Apply for colleges early Apply to a stretch school (Ivy League, Flagship) Apply for as many scholarships as possible

Scholarship Checklist

College Road Map/Scholarship Resource The U.S. Department of Educations website designed in collaboration with students to help you reach your college dream Create a personalized college roadmap Scholarship search Financial Aid Resources Information for Parents /Family Information for Teachers/Counselors

Senioritis… “ Decreased motivation toward studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of their high school careers” Maintain current GPA Prepare for SAT/ACT Select College or University Schedule College Visit Identify Scholarships Semester Exams Apply for Multiple Scholarships Apply to a Minimum of 3 Colleges Community Service/Leadership Activity Work (car, extra cash) Family Boyfriend/Girlfriend

Who are Gates Scholars?

Atlanta Public Schools Produced 20 Gates Scholars in 2009 Booker T. Washington High School Jasmine Johnson Breonna Davis Ambernique Howard Jeanie Johnson Carver High School of Health Sciences Khali Jones Alex Mullins Frederick Douglass High School Rodneysha Brown Audrianna Bryant Tilifayea Griffin Derick Jones Antonika Souder Janelle Vallair North Atlanta High School Malika Begum Bakhtawar Mazhar Evangeline Mcdonald Elyas Munye South Atlanta High School Webster Foreman Therrell High School Ashley Garvin Mays High School Sarnesha Evans Maynard H. Jackson High School Robin Ayers

Contact GMS Russell Peek Relationship Manager Gates Millennium Scholars Program United Negro College Fund GMSP (4677)