Tanner Henry, a Kapa‘a High School senior, was planning on staying home following graduation. That was until Tax Day when he was notified he was one of the Gates Millennium Scholars for the GMS Class of 2013. “I was just
Tanner Henry, a Kapa‘a High School senior, was planning on staying home following graduation.
That was until Tax Day when he was notified he was one of the Gates Millennium Scholars for the GMS Class of 2013.
“I was just planning on staying on Kaua‘i and taking classes at the Kaua‘i Community College while funding it through student loans,” Henry said, overjoyed to be one of the 1,000 recipients to be awarded a scholarship out of more than 54,000 students who applied, nationwide.
“As a Gates Millennium Scholar, GMS funds are available for you to attend any United States-located accredited college, or university of your choice,” said Joo Young Lee, director of GMS Asian and Pacific Island American Scholarship Fund, in his congratulatory letter.
If Henry decides to pursue graduate studies in the fields of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health, or science, the eligibility for GMS fellowship funding for education may continue through the master’s and doctoral levels.
With the awarding of the GMS, Henry said he decided on enrolling at the University of San Diego in electrical engineering.
“I’ve overcome many obstacles,” Henry said. “My native Hawaiian father incarcerated for drugs, my mother is overcoming cervical cancer and receives social services assistance while trying to support my other brothers and sisters.”
Henry said he is just surviving each day and considers himself homeless because he is staying at his mother’s friends’ home and works at Brick Oven Pizza in the evenings for monies and food.
He said in August 2012, his high school friend, Reeve Dawbarn, told his mom, Aunty Kanai, about what Henry was going through.
“When Aunty Kanani heard about me, she said she would ask Aunty Lei Sullivan to help me,” Henry said. “When Aunty Lei met me and heard my story, her eyes got big and the first thing she asked me was, ‘Do you want to go to Harvard, or MIT? You are definitely a potential Bill Gates Scholar.’”
Following his conversation with Sullivan, Henry said it has been nonstop working with both Sullivan and his high school counselor Salynn Gonsalves in taking tests and getting all of the required paperwork to complete applications for schools and all of the other scholarships he was eligible for.
“While doing all of this post-high school work, my Kapa‘a High School Boys Soccer Team took first place during the 2013 Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association, Boys Division II,” said Henry, who was named to the HHSAA Division II All-Tournament team for defensive player.
“He scored a goal in every game of the state tournament,” said Mark Sassone, a Kapa‘a soccer coach.
“My most unforgettable moment with Tanner was during a game against Kaua‘i High, and as a team captain, he showed up late. For whatever the reason, he showed up almost an hour late, and team captains are never late. They need to set examples.”
Sassone said when Henry showed up, he went straight to Sassone and pulled off his “captain” armband, saying, “I’m not good enough to be your captain. I was late” to which Sassone replied, “Captains aren’t determined by one hour of one day.”
Following on the success of the Warrior soccer program, Henry continued to participate in the Kapa‘a boys volleyball team as a key middle blocker and utility player. He also finished second in the boys high jump event during the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation track and field championships.
“With the help of the community people who took time to help me apply for college and scholarships, I got accepted into many of the universities I applied to,” Henry said. “Life is good, and you have to believe in your dreams. I could not have done any of this without the help of my community and school. Kapa‘a High School prepared me for college and people like Aunty Lei and Aunty Salynn insured I continued on with my education. Mahalo, Kaua‘i!”
Established in 1999 to assist students from low income families, the scholarship program is funded by a $1.6 billion grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In 2010, Alana Wilson of Hanapepe, a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, Kapalama campus, was selected as a GMS scholarship recipient.
Henry said he hopes other students become inspired “to go for it.”
Henry will be graduating on May 17.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
