Seven Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) high school seniors have been named Gates Millennium Scholars and will receive good-through-graduation scholarships to attend any accredited college or university in the United States.

Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the amount of the scholarship is based on the cost of tuition, fees, books and living expenses for the 2016–2017 academic year, as well as the availability of grants and other scholarships.

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program was established in 1999 to provide outstanding low-income students who are African American, American Indian/Alaska native, Asian Pacific Islander American, or Hispanic with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate education in any discipline they choose. Students receive leadership development opportunities, mentoring, and academic and social support.

The 2016 Gates Millennium Scholarship recipients from MCPS are:

• Alazare Bati, Montgomery Blair High School
• Shantavia Craigg, John F. Kennedy High School
• Ciciely Davy, Albert Einstein High School
• Edna N’guessan-Gbe, Springbrook High School
• Leul Tesfaye, Wheaton High School
• Mengizem Tizale, Winston Churchill High School
• Folane Zeleke, Montgomery Blair High School

Nationwide, from a pool of 53,000 applicants, 1,000 students were selected as Class of 2016 Gates Millennium Scholars.

To learn more about the Gates Millennium Scholarship Program, visit http://www.gmsp.org/.