Renton High student a 2011 Gates Millennium Scholar

Published 11:17 am Thursday, June 23, 2011

Taking the hard classes and inspiration from teachers paid off for Renton High School’s Rakib Mirza, as he has been named a 2011 Gates Millennium Scholar.

The senior is one of only 1,000 high school and college students worldwide to receive the honor.

This is the second year that a senior at Renton High School has won the prestigious award. Last year, Lindsay Dacuan received the scholar award.

“In terms of why we have been so successful, I think part of the reason is the focus we place on it and the fact that last year’s Gates Millennium Scholar came back to support this year’s students with the application process,” said Principal Damien Pattenaude.

Mirza is among other Millennium Scholars from Harvard, Yale, Cornell and other colleges and universities, as well as high schools across the country. The scholarship entitles him to a full-ride college and graduate school scholarship funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mirza has decided to double major in computer science and electrical engineering at the University of Washington. He said teachers were instrumental in helping him receive the award and preparing him for success in school.

“Renton High teachers in my chemistry, physics and biology classes always challenged me,” Mirza said in a district release. “They are available between classes and, if I finish an assignment early, they provide more challenging work.”

Mirza remembered a science class where his teacher James Gold presented the class a real-world problem that was both complex and eye-opening. It was a special moment of clarity for Mirza and helped him envision a direction for his life beyond school.

He said it was in that moment that he realized he wanted to study science.

Mirza was selected for the award from nearly 21,000 college and high school applicants worldwide and evaluated on academic achievement, community service, and leadership potential. The senior excels in school while also taking on a full course load at Bellevue College. Mirza  served on Renton High’s environmental club “Green Team” as well as the Speech and Debate Team. He also created an after-school math club for students studying Algebra 3 and 4.

Mirza starts classes at UW in the fall.