Cummings High School senior Jessica Canar-Quito will attend Guilford College in North Carolina with assistance from a program initially funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Jessica Canar-Quito, a member of the program’s Epsilon Class from Hugh M. Cummings High School in Alamance County, is the fourth Elon Academy scholar to receive the award.
According to its website, the Gates Millennium Scholars Program selects 1,000 students each year to receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice. Scholars receive personal and professional development through leadership programs along with academic support throughout their college career.
Established in 1999, the program was initially funded by a $1 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The average award was $12,227 between the 2001-2012 academic years.
Since 2007, the Elon Academy each year has welcomed select high school students in Alamance County who are academically promising with a financial need and/or no family history of college. It includes three consecutive summer residential experiences prior to the sophomore, junior and senior years, as well as year-round Saturday programs for students and families.