Asheville leadership academy student named finalist for Gates scholarship

Full announcement from the city of Asheville:

ASHEVILLE – The City of Asheville announced today that a City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy (CAYLA) student has been named a finalist for the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Brianna Rock, a senior at Asheville High School, will find out in April if she is one of 1,000 students nationwide awarded the “good-through-graduation” college scholarship.

In addition to CAYLA, Brianna is also an active member of National Honor Society, Triple S (Sisters Striving to Succeed) and FYI (For Your Information). Last fall, Brianna was one of only eight students selected from Buncombe County to participate in the Minority Medical Mentoring Program, which enabled her to intern each afternoon at a variety of physician’s offices. Through her involvement with the CAYLA, Brianna has volunteered regularly at the ABCCM Women and Children’s Shelter, MANNA FoodBank, and other nonprofit organizations. She has been accepted to the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill as well as Berea College in Kentucky. Brianna plans to pursue a career in medicine. She is the daughter of Jennifer Garcia-Rock and Timothy Rock, Sr.

The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is the country’s largest scholarship program and awards full-ride college scholarships to an annual cohort of 1,000 students. The scholarships can be used to pursue degrees in any undergraduate major at the accredited college or university of the recipients’ choice. Established in 1999 with the goal of developing the next generation of America’s leaders, the Gates Millennium Scholars Program is funded by a $1.6 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program provides recipients with leadership training, mentoring, and academic and social support as well as financial support. The Program is known for its recipients’ high graduation rates–a six-year rate of 90 percent (45 percent higher than the national graduation rates for all students) and comparable to the rates for students from high-income families.