Michael Harrison of Avon earns Gates Millennium Scholarship

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Photo of Harrison attached. Please credit: Marla Alvarado Neuerburg. Photo of both scholars available upon request. Web story: http://www.augustana.edu/x47743.xml

ROCK ISLAND, IL (10/16/2012)(readMedia)-- Two members of the Augustana College first-year class – Lizeth Tamayo and Michael Harrison – are recipients of the Gates Millennium Scholarship, a program established in 1999 with a $1 billion grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The scholarships Tamayo and Harrison received cover all tuition costs, including living expenses, at any college or university. Additionally, their scholarships are renewable throughout graduate school if they choose to pursue several specific areas of study.

Tamayo is from Poplar Grove, Ill., and a graduate of Belvidere North High School. In describing herself, she said, "I am the first person in my family, both extended and immediate, to go to college. I have a lot of pressure to do well and be a role model for my younger sister and for my many younger cousins. I intend to major in pre-medicine with a minor in psychology."

Harrison is from Avon, Ill., and a graduate of Bushnell-Prairie City High School. "I devoted a lot of time to the Gates Scholarship application," said Harrison. "It was an extensive process that required me to submit nine essays, a résumé and a detailed application form."

He continued, "I was relieved to hear I had been accepted into the Gates Scholar program ... My mother cried at the mailbox when I received notification because it meant I could afford to go to Augustana and would not leave college with student loans."

Dane Rowley, Augustana's dean of admissions, added, "Each year the Gates Millennium Scholars Program selects 1,000 students who not only excel academically, but who also demonstrate significant leadership and commitment to community."

Rowley described Tamayo and Harrison as part of a cohort of students who are attending schools that include Harvard, Wake Forest, Yale and Emory.

"Having worked with other Gates Scholars in the past, I've seen they are agents of change and innovation on whatever college campus they choose," said Rowley. "They become leaders among their peers, and they stand out as thinkers and doers in and out of the classroom."

About the Gates Millennium Scholarship: The Gates Millennium Scholarship promotes academic excellence and provides an opportunity for outstanding minority students with significant financial need to reach their highest potential by:

• Reducing financial barriers for African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American and Hispanic American students with high academic and leadership promise and significant financial need;

• Increasing the representation of these target groups in the disciplines of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and the sciences, where these groups are severely underrepresented;

• Developing a diversified cadre of future leaders for America by facilitating successful completion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees; and

• Providing seamless support from undergraduate through doctoral programs, for selected students entering target disciplines.

About Augustana: Founded in 1860, Augustana College is a selective four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences. Augustana is recognized for the innovative program Augie Choice, which provides each student up to $2,000 to pursue a high-impact learning experience such as study abroad, an internship or research with a professor. Alumni include 139 Academic All-Americans, a Nobel laureate, 12 college presidents and other distinguished leaders. The college enrolls 2,500 students and is located along one of the world's most important waterways, the Mississippi River, in a community that reflects the diversity of the United States.