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http://www.omniture.com --> Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend May 11, 2006 Rogue River High School senior Angela Viens will attend Chapman University in the fall on a full scholarship provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell) MILLENNIUM TEEN By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — Thanks to her own hard work, loving nudges from her grandmother and Bill Gates' cash, Angela Viens' future is dawning as bright as the sunrise in the school mural she's painting. "I knew my whole life had changed right then," says the 17-year-old Rogue River High School senior, recalling the moment she read her acceptance as Jackson County's first recipient of a Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship, which covers tuition to any school or schools of her choice in the United States. Seventeen other Oregon students this year also received the scholarship that pays for foreign studies and graduate school, as well as associated expenses for housing, tutoring and books. Her father, Bruce Viens, slipped the notification into her car while she was at track practice, she says. "I had to read it twice," Angela says. "I jumped, screamed and ran around the track with my little sister, Alyssa." It was Viens' grandmother, Rose Viens, who first told Angela she could be one of the 1,000 students selected annually to receive the scholarship specifically designed for minority students. "I didn't think I could do this, honestly," Angela says. "But she urged me on." Rose Viens had a short answer for her granddaughter's qualms. "I told her, 'Somebody wins these. You can do it,'" she says. The selection criteria focuses on academic performance, community service and potential to lead — all qualities inherent in the hard-working, kind-hearted, soft-spoken, artistically inclined student, says Angela's principal and guidance counselor. "She's quiet and polite," says Dave Orr. "She could get lost in a crowd really easily — until you give her a task. Then she has an inner drive to do it and do it right." Angela's 3.79 grade point average places her eighth of 94 in her class ranking. "She's not the valedictorian," says Orr. "Sometimes those who have to work a little harder to get the A's and B's are the ones who are more apt to be the leaders." Active in soccer and track, Angela played her freshman year on the boys golf team before the teen found someone willing to coach a girls' team, says Orr. A member of the National Honor Society, Angela participates in leadership classes and volunteers at the middle school, says Rhonda Baumann, guidance counselor and academic adviser. "She's painted a mural at the high school, volunteers in the cafeteria and is a set designer at the middle school," says Baumann. Angela credits her teachers for preparing her scholastically, and Baumann with guiding her through 44 college applications, including the three months she spent filling out nine essays and 25 short questionnaires required by the Gates committee. "I've had a lot of help," Angela says. Angela now helps fellow students weave their way through the sometimes overwhelming college application process, says Baumann. "Some kids would be saying, 'I'm set' and be gone," says Baumann. "But Angela is helping other kids fill out their applications." Angela plans to study graphic design at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., this fall. But she may ultimately change her major — and possibly even her school, she says. Application deadlines for the coming year have passed, she says. But the Gates' school pass opens so many doors, she will continue exploring possibilities, Angela says. "I might study zoology," she says. "Or I might pursue my passion for the arts." Angela is eager to talk with fellow scholarship winners at Gates conferences, where "they encourage you to become a leader for the future," she says. Angela's supporters have no doubt Gates' money will be well spent. "To invest in Angela is to get a high return," says Baumann. "She'll take it, and use it, and make this world a better place." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers Southern Oregon Loans California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy