Lake Washington Technical College (LWTC) Gateway to College program students David Tran and Ariana Loreto were invited guests at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Annual Meeting on May 18.

Accompanying them was LWTC’s Dean of High School Programs, Kim Infinger, and Bernadette DeVito from the Gateway to College National Network. The meeting served as a showcase for several Gates grantees, including the Gateway to College National Network.

Tran and Loreto were the only students invited to the event and spent the evening meeting Foundation leadership and learning more about efforts that the Gates Foundation supports to improve lives around the world including funding organizations who work to develop vaccines to eradicate diseases, combat HIV/AIDS, and decrease infant mortality rates.

“David and Ariana represent students who value the opportunity for a second chance that Gateway to College provides and have blossomed in the program,” said Infinger. “We were treated as honored guests and were seated in the VIP area two rows from Mrs. and Mrs. Gates and Bill Gates Sr.”

“It was an awesome experience. I had no idea it was going to be so big,” said Tran. “Ariana and I were excited to represent Gateway to College programs throughout the country. It was an honor for us to be there.”

The Gateway to College program is for 16-20 year-olds who have either dropped out or on the verge of dropping out of high school and are interested in returning to school to complete graduation requirements. Students simultaneously accumulate high school and college credits, earning their high school diploma while progressing toward a certificate, diploma, or associate degree. Students selected to participate in the Gateway to College Academy receive a scholarship for tuition and books.