CI seniors Ivan Covarrubias and Alicia Kuwata have both been awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship.

The Gates Millennium Scholarship was founded by Bill Gates in 1999. This scholarship gives the winner a full ride through any college of their choosing in the U.S., up to graduate school. It also offers leadership opportunities, mentoring, and academic and financial support. But how does one get the Gates Millennium Scholarship?

Both Kuwata and Covarrubias had to write eight essays on various topics and need letters of recommendation for the scholarship.

Channel Islands has had two other students who received the Gates Millennium Scholarship as well, Martin Hernandez and Rebecca Hernandez. Martin is attending Stanford University, while Rebecca attends the University of California, Berkeley.

With every scholarship and college essay, comes the need for letters of recommendations. Alicia Kuwata asked for letters from her chemistry teacher that she had last year, Mr. Lucas, and one from her Upward Bound counselor, Cuauhtemoc Solorio.

Solorio wrote in his letter of recommendation about how Kuwata is the ideal student and person, saying that she is very bright and a very meaningful person. He highlighted Kuwata’s ability to be a natural leader, her intellect, and her ability to perform to her full potential.

In his letter, Mr. Lucas wrote and about Kuwata being a top notch student that “epitomizes” one for the Gates Millennium Scholarship and was truly deserving.

“Alicia was one of my most memorable students in my AP Chemistry class and I felt that she’d be an excellent candidate for the Gates Millennium Scholarship, so I was pleased to write the nomination letter,” said Mr. Lucas.

Kuwata will be attending University of California, Los Angeles and is planning on majoring in biology.

Covarrubias had his letters of recommendation written by Mrs. Adrian and Mrs. Coria, his counselor.

“Ivan is an exceptional young man and I am truly blessed to have worked with him and glad he joined Mock Trial in his freshman year,” said Mrs. Adrian.

In her letter of recommendation for Ivan, Mrs. Adrian wrote about his academic strengths, his abilities to take criticism, leadership roles, and to roll up his sleeves when needed.

Mrs. Adrian also said that Ivan was always willing to help others with the mentality of, “If one person doesn’t get this then none of us will.”

Covarrubias will be going to the University of Pennsylvania (not Penn State) to earn a major in microbiology.