Washington State Achievers Program Announces Inaugural Class of 1,000 College Scholarship Winners

SEATTLE -- The Washington State Achievers Program today awarded its first four-year college scholarships to approximately 1,000 high school juniors and seniors from 16 schools throughout the state. The Achievers Program also provides funding and technical assistance to help these schools restructure into smaller learning communities that provide the personalized attention and the support students need to be college-ready.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with the Washington Education Foundation (WEF), created the Achievers Program to increase the higher education opportunities for low-income students in Washington state. In addition to providing scholarships to low-income students with potential for college and encouraging the redesign of 16 schools into smaller learning environments, the program encourages students to pursue higher education by focusing on it in the middle school years, preparing students in high school and providing ongoing mentorship once in college.

"Higher education is the key that opens doors of opportunity for our youth," said William H. Gates, Sr., co-chair and CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "With the Washington State Achievers Program, we hope to inspire these students to pursue their dreams, accomplish great things and make a real contribution to their community."

As the largest private scholarship program in the state of Washington, the Achievers Program student awards represent a total investment of $100 million over 13 years. Each year for the next nine years, the Achievers Program will award 500 new four-year scholarships to high-achieving high school juniors. In this inaugural class, however, an additional 500 high school seniors are also receiving the awards. Profiles of representatives of the first class of scholars are attached.

"Every student, regardless of ability to pay, deserves the chance to attend college," said Bob Craves, CEO and president of the Washington Education Foundation. "A college degree should not be a privilege, it should be a right for all students."

Current college scholarships are not filling the gap for low-income families. Studies show that students from families with incomes less than $40,000 a year have unmet financial aid needs of $3,000 to $3,500 each year. Whereas families making more than $60,000 a year receive more financial aid than they need and end up using the extra money for non-education expenses. And while only 5.5 percent of students from families with incomes below $33,000 a year go on to college and earn a degree by age 24, 64 percent of students from families with incomes of $80,000 or more graduate from college in that same time period. This, according to data from Mortenson Research Seminar of Public Policy Analysis of Opportunity for Postsecondary education.

The Achievers Program tries to address some of this disparity in Washington state by providing scholarships to cover the remaining college costs for students after colleges award financial aid packages. To be eligible for nomination, students must meet the following criteria:

 

"Receiving this scholarship means so much to me, it will allow me to attend college worry free (for a while anyway) and help me achieve my career goals," said Monica Prado of Davis High School in Yakima. "It feels great to know that all my hard work during high school paid off."

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports efforts to create small, autonomous learning environments of no more than 100 students per grade level. The Achievers schools receive $500 per student to support re-design efforts and an additional $100 to strengthen early college-awareness programs. These five-year grants also include technical assistance. The 16 partner schools were announced in March 2001.

The WEF is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization formed to provide economically disadvantaged and underrepresented students the educational and financial incentives necessary for them to attend the post-secondary institutions of their choice. The foundation currently administers two scholarship programs – the Washington State Achievers Program and the Costco Scholarship Fund.

On the Internet:

Washington Education Foundation, www.waedfoundation.org