This week Dominique Nicole James became the first ever Bryan Adams High School student to be awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to 1,000 students nationwide each year and will provide for her entire tuition at any university in which she is accepted

 

“I set myself up to be prepared in case I didn’t get it so I was totally surprised when I learned that I had been awarded the scholarship,” she said.

Dominique is involved in multiple extracurricular activities at BA including the Bryan Adams Belles Drill Team Captain, Academic Decathlon, Destination Imagination and National Honor Society.

“I like to stay busy, if I’m not then I get easily bored,” she said.

Academically, after four years at Bryan Adams, she is number 1 in her class. Dominique is popular both with her peers and her instructors, especially those that teach Advanced Placement classes. Currently she is enrolled in five AP classes.

“She is dedicated to doing her very best. She’s a leader, very smart and likes to find out the “why” to problems,” said Mary Ella Aufill, AP Statistics teacher. “She is so well rounded. The full package student.”

The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program, funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was established in 1999 to provide outstanding African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline area of interest. The application process requires eight written essays, a minimum of 3.3 GPA as well as U.S. citizenship.

Dominique sees herself as just a typical high school student. She has a part time job at the skating rink and volunteers monthly in the Dallas Arboretum. She has a very busy schedule but she manages to make time for friends and family while staying stay focused on her goals.

“I like going to pep rallies, having fun with my friends and making memories,” she said.    She was accepted into multiple colleges but decided on the University of Rochester in New York. She wants to study in Biomedical Engineering, and hopes to achieve her Masters’ degree in this field.

Although Dominique has accomplished some exceptional achievements she know she could not have done it without the help many of her family, friends and teachers.

“Throughout my school years my parents have always encouraged me as my teachers continually challenged me,” she said. “I owe them a lot of thanks as well as Ms. Igeh for helping me with my college applications and the whole Gates Scholarship process.”