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Schools

PHS Senior a Finalist for Gates Scholarship

Melia Asucan is one of five finalists from PUSD and would be first PHS student selected for $250,000 Gates Scholarship.

 Melia Asucan, a senior from Pasadena High School, has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious and potentially $250,000 Gates Millennium Scholarship.

Asucan is the only student from Pasadena High School to make it into the finals. A total of five PUSD students made the cut. Asican joins Destiny Iwuoma and Valeria Sosa from John Muir High School and Crystal Bascou and Samantha Hwang from Marshall Fundamental Secondary School.

"I am extremely proud of Melia and her accomplishments,” Principal Gilbert Barraza said of her advancement but also gave credit to counselors and teachers, “who committed the time and resources to help ensure that deserving students have the resources they need to go to college and pursue their dreams.” 

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The nominating counselor for Asucan was Mr. Minh Tran, and the recommending teacher was Wesley Davis.

The Gates Millennium Scholarship was founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 1999 to recognize and reward outstanding minority high school students. Candidates are selected based on grades, leadership ability, and participation in community or extracurricular activities.  Students must have at least a 3.3 grade point average on an unweighted 4.0 scale to apply.

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The scholarship covers all tuition for both undergraduate and graduate school, should the student choose to continue with postgraduate studies. In 2010, these scholarships were awarded to 1,000 seniors across the country.

Asucan is the first finalist ever from Pasadena High School, according to school records.

 “Melia is a wonderful example of what PUSD is all about.  Other kids will see her and want to emulate her success.”

Students including the five PUSD finalists will be notified of whether they have been selected starting in mid-April.

The Gates Scholarship net financial value is approximately $250,000. The Gates Millinieum Scholarship covers all tuition, meals, dorms, registration, technology fees, and other expenses for a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and the first two years of a Doctorate degree.  

If named a winner, Asucan will join the company of past PUSD graduates Claudia Lima-Rocha and Breana Powell, former John Muir High School students who were designated as Gates Millennium Scholars in 2009.

To learn more about the Gates Millennium Scholarship, visit www.gmsp.org

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