Each year, students all across the United States apply for thousands of scholarships in an attempt to receive help paying for their college education. Some scholarships pay out more than others and those that carry the most financial benefits are usually also the most sought after. One such scholarship is the Bill Gates Scholarship, which was awarded this year to AHS senior Valerie Beraun.
The GMS (Gates Millennium Scholars) Program Class of 2012 Good-Through-Graduation Scholarship can be used to pursue degrees in any undergraduate major at the accredited college or university of the recipients’ choice, according to gmsp.org. The scholarship covers all college expenses, such as room, board, and tuition, which are not covered by the recipients other scholarships.
To apply for this scholarship Valerie started with an online application. Throughout the application process she wrote a number of essays and submitted two recommendations. All together, her application took about three hours to prepare. Two months after she turned in her application, which was in January, she received confirmation that she was a finalist. Finalists had to submit transcripts, a FAFSA form, and a sign-off by their school counselor.
Valerie said the worst part of it all was the waiting, but her waiting paid off. In April she received an email confirming she was chosen as the recipient of the Bill Gates Scholarship. Valerie said she was in shocked by the happy news and first went to tell an Alliance High School science teacher Mrs. Vicki Joule. Mrs. Joule and Valerie have worked together on multiple projects in their Science Research Class, and Mrs. Joule assisted Valerie in her search for scholarships. Unfortunately, Mrs. Joule was not there, so Valerie emailed her brother Ozzie to share her happiness. Now the news has spread and the entire school will soon be wishing Valerie well in her pursuit.
Valerie will be attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) to study premed biology. After she graduates from UNK, she will transfer to UNMC (University of Nebraska Medical Center) to finish her graduate degree in medicine.
