Nogales Student Selected for Gates Millennium Scholarship - Full Scholarship to College of Choice

NOGALES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SELECTED FOR

GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARSHIP

Jonathan Ramirez Gets Full Scholarship to College of his Choice - USC

LA PUENTE, CA – APRIL 27, 2010 – Nogales High School Senior Jonathan Ramirez was chosen as one of the this year’s Gates Millennium Scholars, the nation’s largest minority scholarship program that awards good-through-graduation scholarships to pursue degrees in any undergraduate major at the college or university of the recipients’ choice. Ramirez is proud to attend University of Southern California to major in Engineering.        

            “This scholarship is the opportunity of a lifetime that I will certainly take advantage of,” said Ramirez. “I am deeply grateful for my parents’ hard work to raise four children. They have taught me to work hard and strive to be the best that I can be and thanks to them, I have been motivated to make the most of every opportunity available.”    

            In addition to financial assistance, Gates Millennium Scholars receive academic support, mentoring and leadership training. The Gates Millennium Scholar Program reports that as a result, recipients have an average five-year graduation rate of almost 80 percent, 45 percent higher than the six-year rate for all college students. This is the third student from Nogales High School that has received a Gates Millennium Scholarship.    

            Ramirez will graduate from Nogales High School with a full International Baccalaureate diploma and has a 4.5 GPA weighted for Honors.  He has been involved in the California Scholarship Federation, Spanish Honor Society, AP Spanish Club, Key Club, IB Questors, Associated Student Body and baseball. He is proud to be the second in his family to attend college, after his older sister who attended UCLA.

            Nogales High School is part of the Rowland Unified School District, proudly serving the cities of Rowland Heights, West Covina, Walnut, La Puente and City of Industry. Nogales High School is an International Baccalaureate School, a National Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Demonstration School and offers a unique Career Pathways Program for students. More information can be found at www.RowlandSchools.org