For The Reporter:

Renton High School senior Dulce Ventura has been named a 2018 Gates Scholar. Dulce is one of only 300 high school students — out of nearly 30,000 applicants nationwide — to win the award.

Dulce received the award based on her academic achievement, community service and leadership abilities. As part of the award, she will be granted a full-ride college scholarship funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to pursue a biology degree, with a minor in Latin American studies, at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.

Dulce credits her family’s love and commitment for her success. She also credits her faith, and her Mexican heritage for grounding her in the belief that diversity will help change the world around her.

“If I could make a change in this world, I would want people to perceive diversity in a positive light,” said Dulce. “I wish people would see the beauty of diversity, in its majestic vibrancy of color. I would like them to feel the richness and the different textures of diversity.”

Dulce also credits teachers at Renton High for her success, specifically language arts teacher LeeAnne Soule, social studies teacher Michael King and culinary arts teacher Lauren Hasson. These teachers and others, along with the school’s International Baccalaureate program, helped acclimate Dulce to college-level work while also showcasing to colleges the quality of education that she and other Renton High students receive.