MCS Senior Brent Matthew Ortizo is a Gates Scholar

The Gates Scholarship program recently informed Mount Carmel School senior Brent Matthew Ortizo that he was selected to join The Gates Scholarship Class of 2023.

The Gates Scholarship (TGS) has contributed to the success of many students in the NMI and has helped further the educational and professional goals of its scholars. The program aims to provide a full-ride scholarship to “outstanding, minority, high school seniors from low-income households.” Students selected for this scholarship exemplify academic achievement, service, and commitment to excellence.

Mount Carmel School President Frances T. Taimanao said, “We are extremely proud and happy for Brent. He has worked so hard to reach this achievement. Brent has always dedicated himself to his school work, community service, and the extracurricular activities he is passionate about. His selection as a Gates Scholar is just the beginning for all Brent can accomplish.”

Ortizo shared his own excitement saying, “Attaining the Gates Scholarship was almost a dream for me with only 1.4% of its applicants receiving the scholarship at the end—an acceptance rate lower than that of various prestigious scholarships and colleges. Who knew that out of all of the thousands of deserving and well-qualified applicants of the Gates Scholarship that I would be part of that 1.4% to receive it? I feel extremely honored, humbled, and grateful to be named a Gates Scholar from the CNMI and have the future of my education secured.”

The Gates Scholarship is a major privilege for many other NMI students who have been awarded. When asked what aspects of his application helped him stand out from the rest, Ortizo shared, “One particular topic that really challenged my creativity and writing skills was reimagining myself as a selected person of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in the year 2042 while explaining my legacy and impact that granted me such a title. Such a topic allowed me to become a visionary of the future aligned with my passions and goals to hopefully one day develop an efficient and sustainable way for quantum computers to become a normalized reality amidst our current technology.”

For Ortizo, gaining the Gates Scholarship is also an opportunity to represent the CNMI stating, “Being able to represent my community in the CNMI as one of its many hardworking scholars at a national level as a Gates Scholar is not something that I have expected as a student, but it is something worth pursuing with great passion and dedication. Being named a Gates Scholar helps to provide me a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a positive impact and give back to my community while also achieving my academic and career goals.”

At this time, Ortizo is preparing for life after high school and is dedicated to the pursuit of a degree in technology, “Growing up, I have always had a passion for science and mathematics. Influenced by my brothers and father’s love for technology, I wished to one day work with computers, programs, and various sorts of advanced technology that remain on the horizon of humanity’s technological progress. As of now, I desire to study computer science along with some classmates of mine. However, I do have interests in biomedical engineering.”

While representing the CNMI is an honor to Ortizo, he also aims to give back. “I owe a tremendous amount to my own community here in the CNMI as along with my family, friends, teachers, and several other people, my home definitely played a vital role in allowing me to come this far as the person I am today. I wish to one day give back to my own community by helping students in the near future navigate their own path to success, nurturing and growing STEM literacy within the CNMI, and potentially furthering the CNMI’s technological infrastructure.”

Looking back on his first through twelfth-grade experience at Mount Carmel School Ortizo shared MCS played a significant role in his life and the present achievements he has reached.

“My soon-to-be alma mater, Mount Carmel School, has played a significant role in my life. As a student who attended kindergarten at Sister Remedios and has so far spent twelve consecutive years at Mount Carmel School, I have been able to not only pursue an excellent standard of education but embody my school’s mission of ‘educating the whole person to see with Christ’s eyes.’ Without the great educators, leaders, and role models I have witnessed lead, succeed, and helped several students like myself grow at Mount Carmel School for twelve years, I would not be able to become the student I am today as a lifelong learner. I believe that character, a strong sense of integrity, and humility go a long way toward being a high academic achiever, and Mount Carmel School undoubtedly has helped to encourage and grow these values within me. While working alongside dedicated teachers and other talented students, I have been able to find and develop my passion for STEM. I am ever so grateful to my Mount Carmel School family, so much so I consider it as my second family.”

For more information about Mount Carmel School and its college preparatory curriculum, visit www.mountcarmelsaipan.com.

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