SPRING LAKE PARK, Minn. – (May 22, 2015) – As high school seniors are getting ready for graduation, many are headed to further education. College and vocational choices involve many different factors, but something that almost everyone has to think about is money.
That is unless you are named as a Gates Millennium Scholar where all of your post secondary financial obligations are paid for. This prestigious scholarship has been awarded to Spring Lake Park senior Eliyas Hassen.
“I didn’t want to put a burden on my family and put them in that situation so I wanted to get all the financial aid I could get,” Hassen said.
Among his college applications, he decided to apply for the Gates Millennium Scholars scholarship.
“My sister introduced me to the scholarship and my brother had applied when he was going into college and she knew what it meant. She applied for several scholarships herself so she wanted to make sure I was in a good position like she was,” he said.
The scholarship is awarded to student leaders with great academics.
Hassen is involved in the Leo Club, Panther Mentors, Leadership Camp, National Honor Society, Student Council, Ultimate Frisbee Club and Soccer.
After he applied, and he waited. And waited. And then, the letter came.
“My parents called me that day and my brother called me and they were just like, ‘yea, you should come home right now’ and I was like, ‘why?’ And they wouldn’t tell me why. So, once I got home they had already seen the letter and seen the inside of the envelope so they knew once I got home. We all just got together and kind of celebrated,” Hassen said.
He was overwhelmed and relieved once he knew he wasn’t going to have to worry about money. The scholarship covers tuition, books, fees and living expenses for four years and can be extended to graduate school as well.
“My friends, they’re all really happy for me, and my siblings, of course they’re happy for me too and they’re congratulating me and telling me how proud they are of me,” he said.
The scholarship is awarded to one thousand students nationwide. They can study any subject they want to.
“The scholarship really emphasizes leadership and scholar, so academics and I had a lot of opportunities with leadership, for example being captain of ultimate frisbee team here at SLP also being in other activities at school like Panther mentor program really gave me a lot of opportunities for leadership, and that’s one thing they want. They really want leaders of America, so they want to find really good talented smart leaders,” Hassen explained.
He plans to attend the University of Minnesota in the fall and student science or engineering. But, even knowing that, he is trying to focus as he enters his final weeks as a high school student.
Hassen is one of 10 recipients of the scholarship in the state of Minnesota. They will all get a full ride to the school of their choosing along with all of their living expenses. The money that funds the scholarships comes from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
