LIHU‘E — The first from Kaua‘i to ever receive a scholarship from the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, Alana Wilson of Hanapepe is one of a 1,000 students who will earn her undergraduate degree absolutely free of charge, according to a
LIHU‘E — The first from Kaua‘i to ever receive a scholarship from the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, Alana Wilson of Hanapepe is one of a 1,000 students who will earn her undergraduate degree absolutely free of charge, according to a recent press release.
“It’s a great relief to know I’ll be able to go to school without worrying about finances,” she said.
Graduating from The Kamehameha Schools at Kapalama on O‘ahu next month and attending Smith College in Northampton, Mass. this fall, Wilson was chosen from 20,500 applicants, according to an e-mail from her mother, Cherie Wilson.
Established to assist students from low-income families, the scholarship program began in 1999 and is “funded by a $1.6-billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” says the release.
High academic standards and community involvement are just two of the many factors which qualified Alana Wilson for the scholarship, Cherie Wilson said.
But, Alana Wilson wasn’t always so motivated to succeed, her mother said.
After losing her father when she was only 8 years old, Alana Wilson struggled academically during her first year at Kamehameha, Cherie Wilson said. It wasn’t until her sophomore year that she excelled to the top 10 percent of students in her class.
“I saw the effects of what my life could have been like,” Alana Wilson said. “Education was the only way I could change my future.”
And her scholarly persistence paid off because eight essays and a handful of recommendations later, as a Gates Millennium scholar, Alana Wilson also has the chance to receive funding for a graduate degree should she choose to further her education, according to the release.
Planning to major in psychology, Alana Wilson said she is considering a career in medicine, especially after recently attending the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine — a trip sponsored by Kaua‘i doctors.
Prior to the forum, Alana Wilson had considered cardiology, but since the “medical field has such an array of options,” it is “hard to decipher” what her precise occupation will be at this point, she said.
And the reason Alana Wilson chose to attend an all-girl, private college?
To “cut out distractions” and “concentrate hard,” she said.
The “opportunities and experiences” are what Wilson said she is looking forward to the most about college.
“I love education and learning,” she said, adding that she is extremely thankful to Kamehameha for “educating me well and helping me get out” of a negative situation at home.
She said she is also thankful to her family because, without them, “I don’t think I’d be the person I am today.”
“I’m very, very proud of her,” Cherie Wilson said. “She’s driven.”
Alana Wilson succeeded where many others would have failed, she said.
“She’s overcome so much,” Cherie Wilson said.
When asked what sort of advice she might have for struggling youth who might find themselves in similar positions, Alana Wilson said, “Education is power.”
• Coco Zickos, business and environmental writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com.
