| | TWO GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARS FEATURED DURING
UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS® PRESENTED BY TARGET
Two Gates Millennium Scholars will appear among award-winning singers, actors, and media personalities during the national broadcast of the 33rd UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS® Present by Target. Angel Byrd (GMS ’00) and Eric Marks, Jr. (GMS ’09) will be featured among the 10 students profiled in the UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS® Presented by Target broadcast which will air in major markets on Saturday, January 28th and January 29th and on BET Networks at 11 p.m. EST/PST and 10 p.m. CST on Sunday, January 29th. For a complete list of stations and additional information, visit www.AnEveningofStars.org.
Angel Byrd, a Gates Millennium Scholar of the inaugural class, is completing the Ph.D./M.D. program at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University. This year, Angel also received the UNCF/Merck Graduate Science Dissertation Fellowship. The future Dr. Byrd intends to one day study childhood obesity as a pediatric endocrinologist. She believes the funding she has received from UNCF scholarship programs will help make her goal a reality.
“I am so blessed to have been financially supported which has provided the opportunity to attain the most knowledge and training that I can,” said Angel. “It is very breathtaking to know that so many people have invested in me financially, provided a number of opportunities, mentorship and have played a role in molding me into the person and physician scientist that I am striving to become.”
Eric Marks, Jr. is a sophomore at Tuskegee University, a UNCF member institution, and is majoring in aerospace engineering. A GMS Class of 2009 Scholar, Eric was completing an internship at Boeing Company, the world’s largest aerospace company, when he was approached with the honor of being featured.
“I was excited for the chance to show others how pivotal education really is, and how important it is to give back and serve our communities. The essence of UNCF is seeing potential where others see hopelessness; seeing the intelligence and ambition of low-income students and providing them with a bridge to education and success,” said Eric.
“UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS® is instrumental in raising awareness of the importance of education, UNCF scholarships and how donations can make a difference in helping students get their college degrees.”
The new UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS® Presented By Target will be a musical variety show punctuated with short video segments spotlighting Angel and Eric and other UNCF Scholarship recipients who have benefitted from programs like the UNCF Social Entrepreneurship Program, The Campaign For Emergency Student Aid Program and many more. UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS® highlights the importance of “Educating Our Future” and shares some of the student success stories of the 60,000 students whose education UNCF supports every year. The show which celebrates the best in entertainment and education was taped before a live audience on Sunday, August 14, 2011 at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, California.
About GMS
The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program, funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was established in 1999 to provide outstanding low income 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 they choose. Continuing Gates Scholars may request funding for a graduate degree program in one of the following discipline areas: computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science. The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence by providing thousands of outstanding students, who have significant financial need, the opportunity to reach their full potential.
About UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS®
UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS®, formerly the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars®, first aired in 1979, and since that time has become one of the longest running and most successful televised events in U.S. history. Over its 32-year history, UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS® has raised more than $200 million that has helped hundreds of thousands of students attend college and graduate. In recent years, UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS® has featured a Who’s Who of remarkable talent, including Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Chaka Khan, Ne-Yo, Nancy Wilson, Beyonce, Anita Baker, Jill Scott, Whoopi Goldberg, Fantasia, Joss Stone, Jennifer Hudson, Michael Bolton, Natalie Cole, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Hall and Oates, Ziggy Marley, Maroon 5, and scores of others. UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS® received NAACP Image Awards for its 2006 tribute to Stevie Wonder, its 2008 tribute to Smokey Robinson and its 2010 tribute to Lionel Richie. Learn more about UNCF AN EVENING OF STARS® at www.UNCF.org/aeos/.
About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. UNCF supports education through scholarships and other programs, by supporting its 38 member colleges and universities, and by advocating for the importance of minority education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 21 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. The UNCF logo features the torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at www.UNCF.org.
|