Better known by his nickname "Skip," Ivery regularly utilizes the technological innovations that Gates is credited with enhancing over the last 30 years. The aforementioned computer file details Ivery's many impressive achievements and abilities that turned the heads of the 2000 selection committee for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Ivery's resume made him a solid choice to receive scholarship money from the newly created Gates Millennium Scholars Program. The program is an effort to "expand access to higher education for students who reflect the diverse society in which we live," according to a web site for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It seeks minority students who exhibit "academic promise, unmet financial need and demonstrated leadership," and offers them the financial tools to succeed.
As a prep student, Ivery showed plenty of leadership. He earned multiple letters in football and track, worked after-school jobs, participated in community service projects, and maintained a 4.0 grade point average that earned him Valedictorian honors. His athletic prowess brought interest from Wittenberg football coaches, while his academic achievements earned him financial assistance from the university as well. He receives a relatively small amount of assistance from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation each year due to the scholarship he earned from Wittenberg.
Since arriving on Wittenberg's campus last fall, Ivery has successfully managed the transition from high school to college, and he continues to live up to the lofty standards he set for himself at Groveport-Madison High School. Academically, he scored a 3.583 grade point average to qualify for the Dean's List in his first semester. He saw action as a back-up wide receiver with the 12-1 North Coast Athletic Conference champion Tiger football team last fall. And he was the only Wittenberg athlete to win an individual title at the North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Indoor Track & Field Championships March 2-4 as he captured the 55-meter hurdles crown.
"My goals (when he came to Wittenberg) were to get acclimated to college life," Ivery said. "I wanted to help the football team win, and I wanted to make a smooth transition in the classroom, too.
"It has worked out really well. We had a great season. I have learned a lot and done well in my classes. I knew if I worked hard, it would all work out." Ivery said his selection of Wittenberg was based upon two factors. He wanted a school with a winning football program and a solid educational curriculum, both of which Wittenberg offered. He said patrons at the restaurant where he formerly worked in Columbus were extremely impressed when he used to informed them of his plans after high school.
"The real reason I came here was because it is such a good school," said Ivery, who is the son of Jeannette and Harold Ivery, Sr. of Columbus. "You could see people's eyes get wider when I would mention that I was going to school at Wittenberg University."
His goals for the future aren't much different than the ones he had when he entered Wittenberg. Ivery says he is interested in either law school or running a business after he completes his college education, and in the meantime he wants to continue excelling in the classroom and on the field. He expects to maintain his "A" grade point average, and he says the football program is on the road to a national championship in the next three years.
Big plans for such a young man. Just the sort of young person Bill and Melinda Gates must have had in mind when they created the Millennium Scholars Program. Definitely the sort of young person that Wittenberg University prides itself in cultivating.
