San Diego nonprofit Reality Changers has announced that Preuss School senior and Reality Changers graduate Tatiana Jones was awarded the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship, which covers full tuition costs from undergraduate to doctorate or medical degrees for minority students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects. The award is granted to only 1,000 students across the United States each year. “Being a Gates Millennium Scholar has showed me that there are no limits to what I can accomplish in life as a minority,” says Jones. “I am so blessed to have received this honor and can now put my parents’ hearts at ease knowing I will be able to fulfill my dreams of furthering my education with no financial burden.”
Jones will attend Syracuse University this fall to study forensic science. She started FANCY (Focused and Naturally Confident Youth), a student organization at Preuss designed to uplift, motivate and inspire young women. Jones and her peers identify and discuss teen issues such as self-esteem, depression, body and body image. “FANCY at Preuss became the gateway to future women leaders and spread hope and direction from one culture to another,” says Jones. “I hope that women of color can be proud of who they are.”
This award brings Reality Changers to the $100 million mark in generating scholarship money for local high school seniors who will be the first in their families to attend college. Three hundred students this year alone have earned $25 million in scholarships.