Scholarship winner cries into burger when he finds out

The Gallup McKinley County Schools Board of Education started their recent meeting by taking time to recognize the only Gates Millennium Scholar from GMCS this past school year.

Granite Louis, a senior from Navajo Pine, was commended for being given the award at the board’s May 20 meeting.

“This is a significant accomplishment,” Hyatt said during the meeting. “Very few students receive this scholarship.”

The Gates Millenium Scholarship is a full-ride scholarship that will apply to both undergraduate and graduate studies, Hyatt said.

“We’re excited for him and grateful we have students like this who excel in the system, and achieve more than we prepare them for,” he added.

During his recognition speech, Louis said the scholarship process began in the fall, with a general application, and then a second application that required an essay, followed by an online interview.

He recalled how he was travelling with the school baseball team in Thoreau when he got the email saying he was named one of the Gates Millenium recipients.

“We were at Wendy’s [when I heard], and we were crying into our burgers,” he said. “It was good news to hear.”

By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent