A Strathmore High School Senior was awarded with one of the most prestigious scholarships in the nation.
Nayeli Prado is a 17 year old senior. Prado was recently awarded with The Gates Scholarship.
The Gates Scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who are pell-eligible, a U.S. citizen or
permanent resident, and have a cumulative G.P.A. of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. It's a highly selective,
last-dollar scholarship for high school seniors from low-income households. Additionally, the
student awarded must plan to enroll full-time, in a four-year degree program, at a U.S. accredited,
not-for-profit, private or public college or university.
When asked about the process to apply for this scholarship, Prado explained how there were many different rounds she had to go through. She first had to answer questions about herself like where she was from and what school she attended. She then had to write a personal essay, and as the final step she had to do an interview over Zoom.
Prado found out in April she was awarded this scholarship. Prado was ecstatic to hear the news she was awarded this scholarship. “I was definitely excited because it takes off the financial burden of going to college,” stated Prado. This scholarship will cover everything that FASFA will not. Prado will attend UCLA in the fall and the Gates Scholarship in effect will work as a full-ride scholarship so all of Prado's cost to attend college will be covered.
When asked why she was attending UCLA Prado stated it was between that school and UC Santa Barbara, sharing how she liked the location and campus of UC Santa Barbara but UCLA has more of the networking and internship opportunities. She stated how she feels as though it may be easier to find
jobs straight out of college if she were to go to UCLA, compared to any other campus.
Prado will major in Sociology with plans to eventually study law, sharing how the law path will open up different opportunities and career paths.
Prado is excited to start a new venture in her life as she prepares for the big city. “I would say I'm definitely a little nervous, but more excited just because it's a whole new experience. We definitely live somewhere secluded and really small, so living somewhere diverse and so much bigger is definitely something I'm really excited for,” she said.
Prado said she's extremely grateful for this opportunity. She added she can’t wait to finish her senior year and start college life.