Latavia Swafford, a MacArthur High School senior and participant in the Lone Star College-North Harris Upward Bound program, has been named a 2008 Gates Millennium Scholar (GMS). The prestigious GMS program awards a renewable undergraduate scholarship to recipients. Swafford will attend Texas A&M University at College Station in the fall, with a major in psychology and a minor in a natural science in preparation for medical school; Swafford plans to become a psychiatrist.

The Gates Millennium Scholars program, established in 1999, was initially funded by a 1 billion dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for outstanding minority students with significant financial need to reach their highest potential.

Upward Bound is a college preparation program and part of the TRIO programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education for high school students. LSC-North Harris has offered the Upward Bound program to Aldine ISD high school students since 1999. For more information on the LSC-North Harris Upward Bound program, contact Erin Sheldahl at 281.618.5746.

For additional information on the Gates Millennium Scholars program, visit http://www.gmsp.org/

Lone Star College System consists of five colleges, including CyFair, Kingwood, Montgomery, North Harris, and Tomball, six centers and Lone Star College-University Center. It is the largest college system in the Houston area, and third largest community college district in Texas. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.

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