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Shown
is Prospect native Tiffany Locklear and Microsoft founder
and philanthropist, Bill Gates. Locklear and a select few
scholars were invited to dine with Bill and Melinda Gates
at a scholarship event held in Seattle, Wash., on April 24.
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PEMBROKE Tiffany Locklear embarked on her educational journey
in 2003 after being awarded the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship.
Taking full advantage of that opportunity, Locklear received
her undergraduate and graduates degrees from The University of North
Carolina at Pembroke and a doctorate degree from The University
of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Last month, the Prospect resident who is now a member of the
faculty at UNCP received an invitation to meet the founders of the
scholarship that transformed her life.
On April 24, Locklear and a select few scholars dined with Bill
and Melinda Gates during a scholarship event in Seattle, Wash.
"To actually meet Bill and Melinda Gates was beyond a humbling
experience," she said. "To thank them personally and share my story
is indescribable."
Out of 20,000 scholars, 30 were selected to attend the event
at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center. The Gates
Millennium Scholars program, established in 1999, is a $1.6 billion
initiative funded by a grant from the foundation.
Locklear received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree
in Elementary Education from UNCP. She completed an add-on administration
licensure and a doctorate in Educational Leadership: Curriculum
and Instruction from the UNC-Wilmington.
She taught in the Public Schools of Robeson County and served
as an assistant principal before joining UNCP faculty as a lecturer
in the School of Education in January.
She also serves as a university supervisor for student interns.
She is married to Terry Locklear, an instructional designer with
UNCP's Online and Distance Education Office.
A member of the Lumbee Tribe, she wants to inspire American
Indian youth.
"If I can come from the rural community of Prospect to dining
with Bill Gates and sharing my story with Bill and Melinda, other
American Indian youth can, too," Locklear said.
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