Students sought for Gates awardsWire servicesJune 2, 2006http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/centralphoenix/articles/0602ext-gatesfund0602Z4.htmlFAIRFAX, Va. - One thousand academically talented,low-income students of color who have demonstrated leadership skills will beable to continue their education with the help of a college scholarship fromthe Gates Millennium Scholars Program.Since the program began in 1999, more than 10,000scholarships have been awarded by the program."The Gates Millennium Scholars program is more thanjust scholarships," said Michael Lomax, president of the United Negro CollegeFund, which administers the GMS program in partnership with the HispanicScholarship Fund, the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars and theOrganization of Chinese Americans.GMS scholarships are awarded to African-American,American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American andHispanic-American students who demonstrate academic excellence, community service andstrong leadership skills. Scholarships assist students in meeting thecost of tuition and can be renewed for up to five years in undergraduatestudies in any field of study.GMS Scholars who choose to pursue graduate studies inthe areas of education, engineering, library science, mathematics,public health and science are eligible to receive continued funding.Candidates for the GMS award must be citizens or legalpermanent residents of the United States. Students must also meet theFederal Pell Grant eligibility criteria, have at least a 3.3 GPA (on a4.0 scale), and have demonstrated leadership through community service orother extracurricular activities.To find information on previous scholars, visit www.gmsp.org. Nomination materials for the 2007-08 academic year will also beavailable in the fall on the same Web site. More information is available atwww.gatesfoundation.org.