The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) has been awarding scholarships to deserving, college bound,students for 75 years. In 1999, UNCF became the administrator for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program. In partnership with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars (AIGCS), and the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) over 20,000 students, families and communities have been able to build upon this grant of nearly two billion dollars.
A Gates Millennium Scholar is a leader for America’s future and an exceptional student. They are often the first in their family to attend college, and they have limited family income or generational wealth to support their journey to and through college. The Scholarship is an investment from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to display that when economic barriers are removed, the result is the development of brilliant minds and leaders that are on par with their counterparts that do not face such financial obstacles.
The purpose of this session is to explore the challenges that still exist when this population of students has their financial barriers of attending college removed and the ways that those challenges are addressed by the Gates Millennium Scholars Program.