Tri-Cities High School senior Lydia Mathis just received the exciting news that she has been selected as a Gates Millennium Scholar (GMS). She is one of 1,000 extraordinary young people who will receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any U.S. based, accredited college or university of their choice.
Lydia, who has been involved with FF programs, since the 5th grade, was overjoyed to learn of her selection. “I prayed day and night,” she says.
In addition to Lydia’s excellent academics—she has a 4.0 grade point average—she met the GMS program’s requirement to demonstrate leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities. During high school, her activities have included volunteer tutoring, National Honor Society and writing for VOX Teen Communications is a nonprofit youth-development organization located in downtown Atlanta.
While Lydia was interested in a number of colleges—including University of Georgia, Georgia State University and Miles College—she ultimately chose Agnes Scott College. She plans to major in English and work toward a goal of becoming an English professor.
In addition to the scholarship, the GMS program offers “Academic Empowerment” services to encourage academic excellence; mentoring services for academic and personal development; and an online resource center that provides internship, fellowship and scholarship information.
We are so proud of Lydia!