DISTRICT NEWS & PR |
High schooler gets 10-year free ride to college
April 22, 2009
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Aaron Sudholt
Collinsville Herald
April 22, 2009 |
Local one of 1,000 Gates scholars in U.S.
A Collinsville High School student has won a scholarship so big she doesn't even know what to think yet. She is still too stunned.
"It's cool," said Karah Kelly, a senior. "I don't know what else to say."
The United Negro College Fund on Thursday named Kelly a Gates Millennium Scholar, giving her a decade of tuition payments at any schools of her choice.
The scholarship, paid by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, can cover bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees as long as the student continues to meet academic standards. The funding is for 10 years.
The funds are for black, Native American or Hispanic students who need "exceptional assistance" with higher education and have a 3.3 or higher grade point average, according to the foundation.
Art teacher Emma Houshmand and math teacher Cindy Tesdall nominated Kelly for the scholarship.
"I've had her in my class for the past several years," Tesdall said. "She's always been a big performer in math and she does all the hard work."
Kelly approached Tesdall last year about sponsoring her.
"With this scholarship she has the path to reach her potential," Tesdall said.
The funds are a huge help for Kelly's mother, Evelyn Connor, of Collinsville.
"She's the fourth of five kids," she said. "I don't have to worry about her holding a job, she can completely dedicate herself to succeeding in college."
Kelly said she plans to first attend the University of Kansas to work on her bachelor's degree in architectural engineering.
"I like architecture and I like designing houses and I liked taking physics this year and I thought it would be a good way to earn my degree," she said.
Once done with her bachelor's degree, she'll decide where to go next for her master's degree, Kelly said.
Kelly said that she didn't really feel any additional pressure to succeed now that she had the award, which has some conditions and requirements to keep it.
"I'm not worried about it right now," she said.
The program has helped more than 12,000 students since its launch in 1999. The foundation is the charitable arm of Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates.
One thousand scholarships were handed out this year. Kelly is the only winner from downstate Illinois.
Online
http://www.gmsp.org/
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