Marian Catholic Senior Awarded Gates Millenium Scholarship

—from Marian Catholic High School

After attending several different grammar schools Janie Neal, a University Park resident, had her eyes set on Marian Catholic when it came to making the decision of her high school education. Although no one from her junior high would join her, Marian had all the opportunities and options she was looking for in a high school, including swimming, extracurricular clubs, and a number AP classes. With all of these options, Janie felt Marian Catholic would give her the best opportunity to succeed throughout her educational career. That could not have been more accurate when Janie was rewarded as a recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship this past year.

Janie’s family has been a huge influence throughout her schooling years, especially her mother. It wasn’t easy for Janie’s mother to put her through 12 years of private schooling but her mother always made it very clear that her education is the most important thing she could give Janie. As soon as her educational life began Janie was continuously rewarded and supported with great strength through all the struggles she faced. “My family has been an irreplaceable part of my education.” Janie specified.

With all of her involvement Janie hasn’t let her busy schedule hold her back from her goals. After enrolling at Marian Catholic in 2011, Janie became an Illinois State Scholar, scored a 31 on her ACT, and 2030 on her SAT. “It was very hard to manage my schedule. With playing two sports, working 15 hours a week and still having to come home and do hours of homework, my free time and social time was definitely reduced.” Janie explained.

Of all the awards and scholarships presented to Janie, the Gates Millennium Scholarship is the most significant. This scholarship, funded by Bill & Melinda Gates, offers a good-through-graduation scholarship to 1,000 brilliant students. With over 57,000 applicants, Janie has been selected as one of the recipients. She will be taking her talents to Pomona College in Claremont, California, in the fall where she plans to enter the Computer Science program.

For the Gates Scholarship, the preliminary process is no walk in the park. The participants are required to submit eight essays along with several letters of recommendation that includes her achievements and community involvements. Recommendations from Marian Catholic faculty and staff came high. Janie chose Marian Principal Mr. Steve Tortorello as her recommender.

The goal of The Gates Millennium Scholarship is to promote academic excellence while providing an opportunity for outstanding minority students to reach their highest potential. Without a doubt Janie will represent herself, her family, and the Marian Catholic community to the highest level of her ability.