Hot Springs seniors receive scholarships

Melissa Oyer

Valley Press

The futures of two Hot Springs seniors just became a little bit better and a whole lot cheaper.

News came on April 15 that Matea Depoe and Jocelyn Erchul were awarded scholarships through the Gates Millennium Scholarship Program.

More than 25,000 seniors across the nation applied for the funds which are awarded to only 1,000 recipients.

The scholarships go to low income, minority students.

The Gates Millennium Scholarship was established in 1999, and was primarily funded by a $1 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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 GMS Scholarship provides support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help; 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.

Erchul will attend the Art Institute of Colorado to pursue a degree in Visual Effects and Graphic Motion.

A years worth of tuition costs $88,003 so the news of this award made Erchul’s dream that much better.

Depoe is planning to attend Washington State University and major in Physical Therapy.

Knowing that her $31,560 year tuition is covered, Depoe is relieved.

The Gates Scholarship funds the education of its recipients for as long as they wish.

Superintendent Larry Markuson was not surprised to hear of his students’ accomplishments

“In my six years of being here, Hot Springs has had six students receive this scholarship,” Markuson said.

“I was ecstatic, couldn’t be prouder of those two girls.”

Of  the 10 years  the scholarship has been awarded, seven Hot Springs students have been awarded.

“I think this just proves the type of learning environment our school offers,” Markuson said.

“We don’t necessarily push the students to go after these scholarships, they just get pushed to get the very best they can at all things.”