Bobbi Ja-Nay Lowery, a senior from F.L. Schlagle High School, has been named a 2013 recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship.
She is one of only 1,000 students selected nationwide for the scholarship (including only four students in the state of Kansas), and is the first Schlagle student to receive this award.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program was established in 1999 to provide outstanding low-income minority students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline they choose.
The goal of the program is to promote academic excellence by providing thousands of outstanding students, who have significant financial need, the opportunity to reach their full potential. According to the Gates Foundation, “more than 54,000 students applied this year, making this year’s the largest and most competitive group of candidates in the program’s history”.
Lowery credits her success to her aunt and uncle, Beverly and John Davenport, Sr., her mother, Janette Lowery, Bill Sappington, a friend of the family, Amber Mobley, her SWAG coach, and all of the faculty and staff of F.L. Schlagle High School along with a host of other friends and family.
“When I received notification in the mail I was shocked, overwhelmed and surprised. Still, to this day, I actually can’t believe it. I’m like, ‘I did that?”
Bobbi has been actively involved in school, serving as president of the Student Council and the Pep Club.
She also was a National Honor Society member; worked as the newspaper and yearbook editor; was manager for girls’ soccer, basketball, and volleyball; and was a member of the Homecoming committee, the Black History Month committee, the Robotics Club, and the Link Crew mentoring program.
As a member of the Youth Entrepreneur organization, Bobbi was a first place regional winner during her junior year, when she created her own business plan for the business “Come-Back-Corn”, homemade caramel popcorn without kernels.
She received a prize of $1,000 in venture capital funds.
Bobbi was recognized by the University of Kansas’ honors program for being currently ranked fifth in her senior class. She was also recognized by Schlagle’s National Honor Society for earning at least a 3.5 grade point average.
Lowery has been accepted to the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the Fall, where she will study to become a nurse.
