Brittany Zephier chose SDSU after receiving the Gates Millenium Scholarship, giving her the option of going to any university for free.
Brittany Zephier doesn’t have to worry about tuition.
While many college students receive a myriad of loans and scholarships in order to pay for the ever-increasing cost of tuition, Brittany Zephier, a freshman business economics major from Sioux Falls, has a Gates Millennium Scholarship that covers everything and more.
Zephier’s Native American descent allowed her to receive one of 1,000 Gates Millennium Scholarships, which targets minority students and covers the costs associated with attending any qualifying university in the United States.
The Gates Millennium Scholars organization received 23,000 applications for the scholarship in 2011. Zephier was the only applicant from South Dakota to receive the scholarship, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Another benefit of the scholarship is an all-expense-paid trip to California for a gathering of all the scholarship recipients. At this gathering, attendees will listen to Bill Gates and other prominent speakers.
Getting the scholarship wasn’t easy. Before graduating from Washington High School in Sioux Falls, Zephier spent months applying for the scholarship. Zephier said she submitted nine 7,800-word essays, among other references, nominations and background information in order to receive five years of paid-in-full college education.
Acquiring the extraordinary scholarship did not affect Zepheir’s choice of universities, though. She had already begun looking at SDSU for her freshman year. The friendly SDSU staff impacted Zephier positively over the course of her application process.
With that in mind, her familiarity with the campus, coupled with a number of her friends going to SDSU, persuaded Zephier to attend SDSU over USD and the University of Minnesota. “The people (at SDSU) are all super nice and easy to talk to,” she said.
Zephier had previously thought of transferring to UCLA after her first year at SDSU. However, because of the people in the business community and the closeness of home, she has decided to finish her degree at SDSU.
Obtaining the competitive scholarship required references and nominations by teachers and community members. Bruce Rekstad, Native American studies teacher at WHS, was highly supportive of Zephier and had been one of the teachers to suggest that she apply for the scholarship.
“She is a person of great integrity,” Rekstad said.
As part of a program for high school Native Americans, Rekstad mentored Zephier through high school. In that capacity, Rekstad spent a large amount of time getting to know Zephier. Rekstad spoke highly of her, saying that she was deserving of the scholarship and would use it well.
Zephier joins a small community of past scholarship recipients at SDSU. Lindsey Birdsall, a second-year pharmacy student from Ipswich, S.D., received the scholarship in 2008 and is also of Native American ancestry. Receiving the scholarship is more than receiving money; each student becomes a part of a network and support system, Birdsall said.
“I was very blessed to receive the scholarship,” she said.
Hearing the tales of young entrepreneurs, family members and teachers inspired Zephier to aim for the stars and achieve more in life. Once finished at SDSU, she wants to get a Master of Business Administration degree. From there, she said, “I want to own my own business or run my own. As far as what kind yet, I really don’t know.”
Correction: Brittany Zephier was one of 27 Gates Millenium Scholarship recipients from South Dakota. The original story reported that she was the state’s only recipient.
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There are many more Gates Millennium Scholarship recipients from South Dakota attending SDSU. Most of these recipients come from West River and the reservations particularly. There should be a retraction in the next Collegian fixing the mistake saying that Brittany was the only Gates Scholar since Lindsey.
The scholarship is also not a “full-ride” for all students. It is based on the FAFSA and the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) portion of it. Not all students who receive the scholarship have an EFC where their family’s are not expected to contribute any money to the student.
Hello, my name is Valeriah Vasek and I am a Gates Milennium Scholarship recipient and also a senior at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. I am also a Native American Peer Mentor at the American Indian Cultural and Education Center here on campus. I am writing to inform you that you did not write the correct information in your article about Brittany Zephier. SDSU received plenty of Gates Scholar recipients since 2008 and we also have a GMS group on campus. There were actually 27 recipients from South Dakota alone in 2011, so just to let you know, Brittany Zephier was not the only one. Our staff at the American Indian Education and Cultural Center and the members of SDSU Native American Club would appreciate if you would put the correct information in your article.
Congratulation on being born. Here’s your money.
Are you really proud of getting a scholarship for _doing_ nothing? Sure, it’s nice, but where’s the reward of _earning_.
But hey. It’s not taxpayer money, its Mr. Gates’, so he’s free to spend it however he wants, but i wish people were awarded for merit and achievement,
Do you realize what a scholarship is? This scholarship is based on merit and achievement of high school students. If you ever attempted to get a scholarship you would know that they do not just pick a random student to give it to.
This scholarship requires nine essays along with having to be nominated by people in the community or school. Extra-curricular activities are also taken into account, such as community service and leadership capacities. A student must also have had a 3.3 GPA in high school to be considered for the scholarship.
Maybe do a little research before just saying ignorant comments next time?
The Scholarship is not GIVEN to anyone. Like Brittany, many other people put in al lot of time and effort into the scholarship. The Gates Millennium Scholarship is an investment! They looks for students who show a passion for changing thier communities and show the characteristics of a leader.
You give her too much credit. They were nine 7,800 character essays, not nine 7,800 word essays. But anyway, congratulations to Brittany.