Ramon A. Martinez III was one of three graduating students of Paramount High School in Paramount, Calif., awarded a Gates Millennium Scholarship, among 1,000 students nationwide. Martinez, a 17-year-old Adventist student, was the class valedictorian of Paramount’s class of 2007. The prestigious scholarship will fund up to 10 years of education for high-achieving minority students who are U.S. citizens.

In addition to his busy study program at school, “Ramon is an active youth in our church,” reported Jennifer Koh, Bellflower/Lakewood church secretary, “He gives Bible studies to the juniors preparing for baptism and helps out with Pathfinders. He also is a junior deacon. He is a special young man!”

“Ramon and his family truly are lights on the campus,” affirmed Paramount High's Assistant Principal Gwen Yates, a member of the Ephesus church. “Ramon is the second valedictorian from his family in the Paramount High School — his cousin Rebecca Arras, also a member of the Bellflower church, was valedictorian at the school in 1996. Other cousins in Ramon’s extended family are shining examples of what it means to be in the world and not of the world; to be the head and not the tail.”

Parental guidance and church involvement have played major roles in the family. “I have told my family, ‘We are all geniuses by birth, but we become slackers by choice,'’’ said Gloria Martinez, Ramon’s mother. “When Ramon was applying for the scholarship, I prayed, ‘Lord, please send somebody to give him wisdom and the money he needs to go to college. When I learned that he had won the Gates Scholarship which will cover the costs that federal aid and other grants do not cover, I asked, ‘Lord, are you sending me Bill Gates?!’

“My friend said, ‘Gloria, when you ask God, He answers with the highest source on earth!’ I have always believed that if we ask for God’s help, we will receive it.”

Ramon left for the University of California at Berkeley in August. “Not having to worry about how I’m going to pay my school expenses is really cool,” he said. “I’m covered as long as I study hard. My emphasis will be on math and physics, but I will explore my options. I know it will be hard as a Christian in a large public university. In public elementary school, some students challenged me on a religious basis, asking why I couldn’t do some things on Friday nights.” Relatives living near the campus had already scouted the area for Adventist churches, promising to help Ramon get to services.

For FAQs about Gates Millennium Scholarships, visit gmsp.org.