Vol. 20, No. 9

Jan. 18, 2001

Several students named Gates Millennium Scholars

Several University of Delaware students have received recognition as Gates Millennium Scholars. Created in 1999 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Millennium Scholars program is a 20-year plan that provides 1,000 scholarships annually to high-achieving minority students with demonstrated leadership qualities and financial need.

The program is administrated by the United Negro College Fund in partnership with the American Indian College Fund, Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the Organization of Chinese Americans who represent the Asian Pacific community.

Recipients are expected to maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, and students pursuing advanced degrees in math, science, engineering, education and library science will receive continued financial support for postgraduate studies.?

The following UD students are among some 1,000 students honored nationally to be Gates Millennium Scholars.

Naomi Bristol

Naomi Bristol, EG 2004, a computer engineering freshman, and graduate of Neptune, N.J., High School, near Asbury Park, learned about the opportunity from her aunt, Theresa Lewis, and immediately got all the information she needed off the web.

To qualify for the Gates Millennium Scholars program, applicants are required to obtain a letter of recommendation along with a nomination from a member of their high school faculty.

"One of my biggest supporters was Lorna Bonner, a physics teacher at Neptune High who nominated me for the scholarship," Bristol said. "She helped me by doing this and by making physics a fun subject."

While the Gates Millennium Scholars program rewards outstanding academic performances, there is also a strong emphasis on the continued development of leadership skills gained through involvement in community service activities.

"When I was in high school, I worked as a volunteer at a local hospital, and I also volunteered at a daycare center," Bristol said. "I still enjoy doing this."

While in high school, Bristol also enjoyed history and ROTC, along with running in 400- and 800-meter races.

"I like ROTC because it gives you a sense of discipline, and it gets you involved in a lot of good activities," Bristol said. "I also enjoyed boot camp, drill meets and being on the rifle team."

For Bristol, the biggest adjustment in going from high school to college was learning time management skills that enabled her to achieve a successful balance between academic and extracurricular activities.

"Being in the RISE (Resources to Insure Successful Engineers) program during the summer made the transition easier," Bristol said. "When I came back to UD this fall, I knew where everything was."?

At UD, her favorite classes include "Introduction to Computer Science," "Fundamentals of Digital Logic" and "Introduction to Microeconomics."

Although she was accepted at Drexel, the University of Maryland at College Park and Virginia Tech, coming to UD made perfect sense to Bristol, who has shifted her focus from software engineering to network design.

"For me, it made sense cost wise to come to the University," Bristol said. "I like the Newark community and the size of the University. It was a good choice."

Seema Dattani

Seema Dattani, AS 2002, a junior biology major in the Medical Scholars Program, credits her parents, Bipin and Bharti Dattani, for encouraging her to reach her academic goals.

A graduate of Newark High School, where her favorite subject was chemistry, Dattani lists child development, philosophical perspectives of medicine and communication as being among her favorite UD classes.

Dattani has done volunteer work in hospitals both at home and abroad as well as helping out at a nursing home, library and elementary school.

"I worked as a volunteer in India at two different maternity hospitals during the summers of 1998 and 2000," Dattani said. "It was a very different experience compared to the volunteer work I did here."

When not involved in academic activities Dattani enjoys travelling and just hanging out with family and friends.

Sean Smith

Sean Smith, HNS 2002, who attended Monro-Woodbury Senior High School in Central Valley, N.Y., heard about the Gates Millennium Scholarships through the Center for Black Culture at the University.

He credits his success academically to the inspiration and encouragement received from his mother, his high school guidance counselor, Rosine Perlman, and Richard Fang, his UD adviser.

While academic activities as a nutritional sciences major keep him busy, Sean still finds time to help others at home and in the Newark community.

"I help with the Parent Teacher Association Basketball League when I am at home on break from UD," Smith said. "I am also in Kappa Omicron Nu (KON), and we are having a food drive to support people in the local area."

Outside of class, Smith enjoys staying in shape through running and weight training, and watching his favorite football team, the New York Giants, on Sundays.

Sherri Lindamarie Freeman

Sherri Lindamarie Freeman, AG 2002, a graduate of St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington, heard about the scholarship opportunity from one of her high school teachers, and she also received a notice through the mail.

An animal science major at UD, Freeman likes all science classes, and credits her success to the many people who have helped her along the way.

"There are too many people here at UD and at home to mention each one by name," Freeman said. "I definitely like to thank my family, especially my father, J.B. Freeman."

Favorite activities outside the classroom for Freeman include dancing and hanging out with family and friends.

Jack Good

Jack Good, AS 2004, of Delmar, found out about the availability of the Gates Millennium Scholarships through his guidance counselor at Delmar High School, where his favorite subjects were Spanish, Japanese and government.

He also credits his parents, Paul and Gloria Good, grandparents, teachers, counselors and administrators including his high school principal, for helping him with his academic endeavors.

As a volunteer at the Shue-Medill School, in Newark, Good helps students in a seventh grade math class learn to solve problems on their own.

"I sit in the back of the room and they come to me when they have problems so that the teacher, Mr. Jefferson, gets a break from all their questions," Good said. "Its fun and I have made friends with quite a few of the students."

Favorite classes at UD include Japanese and "What's in a Word," an honors colloquium taught by Clyde Moneyhun, while favorite activities include reading for leisure, listening to all kinds of music and learning HTML and JavaScript with the goal of creating a decent web page.

–Jerry Rhodes