Sequoyah High School Gates scholars take courses at NSU

Tahlequah, Okla. — Six Gates Scholars at Sequoyah High School were able to get a jump on their college careers at Northeastern State University this spring.

SHS seniors Casey Arnall, Cori Butcher, Tara Comingdeer, Summer Sanders, class valedictorian Laurin Keen and salutatorian Martha Hardbarger took dual credit courses which included standard first aid and rescue, personal health, fundamentals of oral communication, American federal government and freshman composition II.

Freshman comp II was a popular choice for concurrent enrollment. NSU offers the course on the Sequoyah campus to all English honor students taking English IV. Other classes were attended at the university.

To be eligible for concurrent enrollment at NSU, students must have a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average and be ranked in the top half of their class or score at least a 20 on the ACT.

“If they are eligible, they can pretty much take any freshman level course,” said Jason Jessie, director of NSU’s First Year Experience. “However we encourage them to take certain classes such as general education requirements, or if they choose not to attend NSU they need to take courses which will transfer – English and algebra for example.”

Since the Gates program was established in 2000, more than 100 recipients have attended NSU, more than 30 are currently enrolled and a Gates student organization functions on campus. Of the six SHS seniors, Arnall will continue his studies at NSU this fall.

Sequoyah High School has produced 44 Gates scholars since the program’s creation.

The Gates Millennium Scholars program was established in 1999 with a $1 billion grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help minority students with education expenses. Gates scholars are high school seniors who qualify based on academic performance, demonstrated leadership and financial need.

Each year 1,000 students are selected to receive the scholarships, which they can apply to all academic expenses at the colleges or universities of their choice.

“Gates is one of the most generous and supportive scholarships, and it is available to students from entering freshmen through the doctorate degree as long as they maintain their eligibility and keep progressing,” said Dr. Phyllis Fife, director of the Center for Tribal Studies, which supports recruitment of American Indian students to NSU. “Few needs-based scholarships follow through to the doctorate level.”

For more information about the Gates Millennium Scholarship Program visit www.gmsp.org.