Topeka High School senior Alexis Tibbits may always remember standing on the porch of her house on April 18 and opening her mail. But in case the memory ever fades, she can thank her brother for recording it.
The moments captured on video by 14-year-old Elijah Barron show his older sister finding out she received a coveted Gates Millennium Scholarship — an achievement that ensures she can afford the undergraduate and graduate schools of her choice as she follows her dream of becoming a physician.
"Today is the day. Today is the day," her father, Abraham Barron, can be heard saying on the 1 minute 45 second video, as he stands outside the family home with a sealed envelope, waiting for his 17-year-old daughter to get home from school.
Barron figured the package that arrived that day, bulging with its contents, was too thick to be a rejection letter. He was right. The video shows Tibbits arriving, ripping it open and sharing hugs and tears of joy with her father. Directly afterward, she and her father drove to her mother's workplace to share the news.
"I couldn't believe it," Tibbits said this week, recalling the day. "It's crazy."
Her brother shared that sentiment.
"I was just overwhelmed," said Elijah, a Robinson Middle School student. "I was so happy for my sister."
Nationwide, 53,000 students applied for this year's Gates Millennium Scholarships, but only 1,000 received them. Recipients have strong track records not only academically but also as leaders and volunteers in their communities.
The awards support students from lower-income families and have the special quality of adjusting to meet the needs of the student and cost of the school. Winners can use their scholarships at any accredited public or private college or university in the country. The Gates award covers tuition, housing and other costs that aren't already being met by aid such as college grants. Moreover, the scholarships can be renewed for up to 10 years to cover graduate studies in the fields of public health, computer science, education, library science, mathematics, science or engineering.
Rena Barron, Tibbits' mother, describes feeling relief at knowing her daughter, who will be the first person in her family to attend college, will be able to pursue her goals without becoming saddled with debt.
"There's been so many times that we've just worried about how to provide for her, to be able to meet her dreams," Barron said. "When she was a little girl — she was probably, maybe 5 — she said she wanted to be a general practitioner because she said she wanted to take care of everybody."
Abraham Barron agrees.
"With that being removed — that burden being lifted — wow," he said. "The doors are open."
Tibbits, who grew up in Topeka, plans to attend the University of Kansas next fall and may stay there or transfer to another school later. She plans to complement her pre-medical coursework with studies in Spanish.
"I just think it will help me be able to serve more people," she explained. "I'm interested in going on mission trips to Third World countries or places that need health care."
Diane Morgan, a Topeka High English teacher, described Tibbits as "probably the hardest-working student I've ever had."
Morgan taught Tibbits last year in advanced placement English and this year in AVID, a program that helps students — often from minority or low-income families — to prepare for college. She watched Tibbits complete application after application this year for resources to cover the cost of higher education, all while taking a heavy load of difficult classes at school.
"That tells you what a hard worker she is," Morgan said. "She's taken that very seriously."
Rena Barron says seeing Tibbits head to college as a Gates scholar is meaningful, too, because she is a descendant of Shirley Hodison, a plaintiff in the landmark Brown v. Board case on equal access to education.
"It holds a lot of meaning to me, just kind of seeing what my grandmother was a part of and what she fought for, and now seeing it come to fruit in my own family," she said.
Barron works in health care, and her husband works in food preparation.
The Gates program was launched with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and supports students who are African-American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian-American, Pacific Islander or Hispanic. It is administered by the United Negro College Fund in collaboration with the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund.
Aaron Koker, a family friend, lauded Tibbits for putting in years of hard work, and her parents for setting an example of determination, love, mutual support and encouragement. Abraham Barron became blind 13 years ago. Rena Barron took extra jobs to help the family make ends meet.
"To know the Barrons is to know perseverance, hard work and, most of all, overcoming challenges that life throws you and making the best of it," Koker said.
"Abraham and Rena never discouraged Lexi's dreams," he added, "despite not knowing how they could afford such an education."
Source: Video captures Topeka teen's joy upon receiving golden ticket to college of her choice
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