NOGALES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SELECTED FOR
GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARSHIP
Diana Peralta Gets Full Scholarship to College of her Choice – UC Berkeley
LA PUENTE, CA – MAY 4, 2011 – For the fourth year in a row, a Gates Millennium Scholar has been selected from Nogales High School. Senior Diana Peralta 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. Peralta has chosen the University of California, Berkeley to study Environmental Policy and Law.
“I don’t think I could be here if it were not for the words of encouragement by my Chemistry Honors Teacher, Mr. Ezekial Chavez. His class changed my life and he is the most inspirational person I have ever met,” said Peralta. “To have overcome such a difficult freshmen year with C’s and D’s and then working hard and becoming an IB Graduate and to have this opportunity makes me and my family so happy.”
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.
Peralta will graduate from Nogales High School with a full International Baccalaureate Diploma. She has helped re-launch the Best Buddies Club on campus as Vice President, where she helps raise funds and organize field trips and events for students to interact and have friendships with students with disabilities. She loves to volunteer and is also involved in Key Club and IB Questors. Peralta’s parents immigrated here and she is proud to be the first in her family to attend a university.
Nogales High School is part of the Rowland Unified School District (www.RowlandSchools.org), and is an International Baccalaureate World School that also offers a unique Career Certification Program for students. It is a four-year comprehensive high school accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Each year graduates receive millions in grants and scholarships and attend the top colleges and universities. It is located at 401 S. Nogales Street, La Puente. For more information, call (626)965-3437 or visit www.nogaleshs.org.