A Lac du Flambeau tribal member and senior at Lakeland Union High School has been awarded a unique scholarship opportunity and plans to work toward a chemical engineering degree at UW-Madison this fall.
18 year old Kendra Edwards recently was notified after a rigorous process that she was funded with a Gates Millennium Scholars grant. The program is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The program is established for students who are American Indian-Alaska Native, African American, Asian American -Pacific Islander or Hispanic American. Kendra has a 3.8 grade point average.
Kendra says at first she didn't think she would qualify....
".....I really didn't think I would get it. It's a really distinguished scholarship. I met two recipients of the scholarship and I figured I should give it a shot and I wasn't too sure I was going to go. I didn't think I would make it as far as I did...."
Kendra says besides having her 3.8 grade point average, she had to meet some challenging requirements...
".....I wrote eight essays, there was a lot of work to be put into it and there were final requirements. To advance to the next stage you had to get certification that (she) was a (Lac du Flambeau) tribal member, I had to get certification of that...."
53,000 students applied for the grant, with 1,000 awards given nationally. Kendra Edwards was one of three students in Wisconsin to get the award. More than 90 percent of the students in the program graduate from college, nearly double the national rate for students of color.
