Gates program smiles on students

Three students from local high schools are financially set for their undergraduate years and beyond thanks to grants from the highly competitive Gates Millennium Scholars program.

No fewer than 57,000 students applied for just 1,000 scholarships in the program, which is aimed at black, Hispanic and other minority students who show leadership in their communities and have cumulative GPAs of at least 3.3 on an unweighed 4.0 scale.

While Vidur Beharry is the second DeWitt Clinton High School student in a row to win the scholarship, he did not take his success for granted.

“I was kind of shocked that they chose me,” said Mr. Beharry, 18, who will start at Princeton University this fall. 

He heard about the Gates scholarship from Princewill Umeh, the winner who graduated from Clinton last year. The scholarship, which the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched in 1999, not only pays for tuition, but also additional costs like textbooks and living expenses based on need. Winners also can apply to continue the scholarship through graduate school in certain fields of study, including computer science and public health.

“I was thinking about it already,” Mr. Beharry said of post-graduate studies. “Since I’ve been blessed with this opportunity to be able to go to grad school and not pay anything, I might as well take full advantage of it.”

Mr. Beharry said his family was still expected to contribute some money after the Gates scholarship determined his need, but he secured another scholarship to cover those costs. He officially has a full ride.

The student modestly said he has no clue how he stood out in that crowd of 57,000. But he probably got an edge from taking Advanced Placement classes and accumulating wide-ranging job and internship experience. He also spends a lot of his free time giving back to his community.

Among other volunteer work, Mr. Beharry spends his Saturdays at a recreational center that runs free programs for children with autism.

“It’s something that I feel like is needed in our community, for people to actually step up and delve into that area that not a lot of people are willing to delve into.”