3 South Cobb High Students Are Gates Millennium Scholars

Out of 54,000 applicants nationwide, three South Cobb High School students have been selected to receive the Gates Millennium Scholarship.

Brittany Davis, Halimo Hassen and Nnennia Mazagwu are among the 1,000 winners, Gates Millennium Scholars Program spokeswoman Mary Williams said this morning.

An official announcement isn't expected until next week, but students and their schools have been notified of their wins.

South Cobb High principal Ashley Hosey posted the news on his Twitter account and blog.

"South Cobb has had 10 award winners in the past four years," he wrote on his blog.

The UNCF Gates Millennium Scholars Program is funded by a $1.6 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and is open to African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American and Hispanic American students with a demonstrated record of scholastic achievement, leadership and community service.

The amount of the scholarship varies, and is based on financial need, the cost of tuition, fees, books and living expenses for the 2013-2014 academic year, as well as the availability of grants and other scholarships reported on the financial aid award letter.

"The program is known for its recipients' high graduation rates – a six-year rate of 90 percent (45 percent higher than the national graduation rates for all students) and comparable to the rates for students from high-income families," Williams said in a news release announcing last year's winners.

While Davis and Mazagwu are undecided between schools such as Columbia, Duke, Emory and the University of Kentucky, Hassen will attend Dartmouth in the fall, Hosey said.