The Gates Millennium Scholars Program is a $1 billion initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to promote academic excellence and increase the number of underrepresented students enrolling in and completing undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the goal of the Foundation is to give students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to pursue their academic and career goals without the financial barriers that make it difficult for them to attend and succeed in college.

Gates Millennium Scholars are chosen for their academic excellence and their promise to assume roles as leaders in their professions and in the community. We are honored that these scholars have chosen to pursue their educational goals at Arizona State University.

The ASU Gates Millennium Scholars have officially formed an ASU Gates Millennium Scholars Organization (GMSO)

The first Meet and Greet was March 3, 2008. Future meetings will be announced here. For more information, please contact Debra Crusoe, debra.crusoe@asu.edu or Jennifer Cason, jennifer.cason@asu.edu.

Gates Millennium Scholars and Co-Chairs Monica Joe and Kenneth Shurley, and Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Bitsie are to be commended for taking the initiative to form and register the GMSO through the ASU Student Organization and Resource Center (SORC). As Faculty Advisor to GMSO, I would like to thank Monica, Kenneth and Kevin for establishing one of the first GMS student organizations in the country. Congratulations on taking on this significant responsibility and I look forward to GMSO's future plans and endeavors.

Dr. Andrew N. Webber
Associate Vice Provost, Graduate College
Professor, School of Life Sciences

Kenneth Shurley is a doctoral student in Educational Technology with ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton College of Education. Kenneth is Navajo, raised in Window Rock, Arizona. In addition to his Gates Millennium Scholarship, he also received the Navajo Nation’s Chief Manuelito Scholarship, and recently completed a one-year internship at the ASU’s College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation as a Research Aide.

“After I attain my Ph. D. degree, I plan to return back to the Navajo Nation to assist and educate the Navajo people on educational technology applications to support learning,” says Kenneth. “The mixture of education and technology is still quite innovative to the Navajo people. My goal is to use my degree to ease the transition between the two and to show the Navajo people the sky’s the limit when it comes to technology and education.”

Roxanne Yazzie, a Navajo from Ganado, Arizona, is pursuing a Masters of Science in Technology at ASU’s Polytechnic Campus. After high school, Roxanne joined the Navy for three years and was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. She continues in the Navy Reserves, and has served 11 years both active and reserve time. In addition to being a Gates Millennium Scholar, she also received the Navajo Nation Scholarship, Ganado Scholarship, the National Science Foundation Scholarship, and the Josiah N. Moore Leadership award in 2004.

“I am planning on continuing towards my doctorate,” says Roxanne. “I want to gain work experience and knowledge to contribute back to the Native American community on the Navajo reservation. I would like to eventually start a summer program for middle schoolers to teach them webpage design and advanced education skills.”

From left to right:
Lindsay Belone, Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Maria Pettigrew, Nursing, College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation
Marianna Martin, Nursing, College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation