D.C. Students First Among 2010 Graduates Chosen as Gates Scholars: ...Fifty-seven high-achieving Washington, D.C., students applied for the competitive Gates scholarships, which are administered by the United Negro College Fund. The Gates awards are the nation’s largest and most visible minority scholarship program.
Only seven D.C. students were chosen: Jose Gutierrez of Saint Anselm’s Abbey School; Elzabad Kennedy of McKinley Technology High School; Jasmina Rivas of the School Without Walls; Erwin Sweetwine, Jovalee Thompson, and Mary Amaechi, all of Benjamin Banneker Academic High School; and Isaiah West of Ballou High School.
In 1999, UNCF took control of a $1.6 billion endowment fund from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that became the basis for a scholarship program promoting academic excellence among outstanding U.S. students of color with unmet financial needs.
