YES student named Dell Scholar

By MARK DIBELLA

Fernando Luna, a senior at the YES Prep North Central Campus on Aldine-Westfield Rd., was awarded the 2010 Dell Scholarship! This is an incredible achievement for Luna and all of the people who have helped him get to where he is today.

Over 5,300 applications were submitted and from there 924 semifinalists were named.

Of the 924 selected semifinalists, 810 submitted required follow-up materials to be eligible for scoring by the committee.

From the 810 revied (14 of which were from YES Prep), 300 were selected (2 from the Southeast Campus and 1 from the North Central Campus).

Overall, 5.7% of applicants received the Dell Scholarship.

Luna’s award includes $20,000 for educational expenses that he can use at his own discretion over the course of the next 6 years.

Can it cover undergraduate tuition and fees? Of course. A summer study-abroad program in Italy. Definitely. Can he use the money to pursue a Master’s in mechanical engineering? Yes! The coolest thing about this scholarship is the freedom Luna will have to spend it how and when he wants to, which is extremely unusual for a college scholarship.

The scholarship also includes a brand new Dell laptop for Luna to take to college.

During the month of April, YES Prep North Central seniors will be visiting several of the colleges they were admitted to for next fall.

Here is a current list of the colleges the students will be visiting (or have already visited): Claremont McKenna College, Barnard College, Providence College, Dartmouth College, University of Notre Dame, Oberlin College, Santa Clara University, Connecticut College, Boston University, Manhattanville College, Rice University, and Washington & Jefferson College.