Adinsson Goris, of Hempstead, awarded prestigious Gates Scholarship

Adinsson Goris has cracked the college scholarship code.

The 17-year-old aspiring computer programmer from Hempstead Village is among this year’s recipients of the coveted Gates Scholarship, which covers the cost of any tuition, room, board, books and other expenses not covered by financial aid.

The 12th grader is “a go-getter,” said Principal Travis Holloway, of Academy Charter High School in Hempstead, where Goris maintains a nearly 4.05 GPA and has been active with the swim and lacrosse teams and student government, in addition to serving as an informal tutor for other students.

“He's a phenomenal student, very determined,” Holloway said. “He put in the work, he put in the effort. And you know, this is just evidence that our work and what we do and our consistency really matters, and I'm just happy that he sees the fruit, if you will, of his labor.”

The scholarship goes to "outstanding" students of color whose families’ income falls below Pell grant limits, according to the Gates Foundation, which funds the awards. The Pell grant income limit for a family with two parents and two children is about $76,000 this year, federal figures show.

The Gates Foundation told the school 48,000 students applied for the scholarship this year and 750 were selected, Holloway said. The foundation, established by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, did not respond to questions Tuesday.

Goris said he plans to major in computer science at New York University. The scholarship can also help fund summer internships and a semester abroad, and will offer networking opportunities, he said.

“Just knowing that I won't have to worry about any, like, financial struggles … really gives me a sense of relief,” he said. “It helps me eliminate barriers.”

Goris said he learned he had scored the scholarship when he opened an email from the foundation at school, accompanied by his college counselors. They were all “jumping up and down,” he recalled.

Goris said his parents have always challenged him to keep his grades up and given him everything he needs for his education. His father, Jose Goris, is a quality inspector at a pharmaceutical products manufacturing company in Westbury, and his mother, Micaela Rosario, is a cashier at a supermarket in Hempstead, Goris said. His sister Jossanny, 20, a 2022 graduate of Academy Charter, is studying psychology at Cornell University, Goris said.

He said his parents “definitely had a very strong role in just making me be focused on my studies and using the power of knowledge, education, in order to be successful in the States.”

The teen said he has been interested in technology ever since he was 10 years old. He has been struck by the “digital divide” between the United States and his family’s native Dominican Republic, where schools and medical offices have much less access to technology, he said.

He hasn’t yet settled on an exact career path, he said, but “I definitely want to find a career that lets me … use technology to help bring communities together.”

By Maura McDermott

maura.mcdermott@newsday.commauramcdermott

Maura McDermott covers education. Since joining Newsday in 2012, she also has worked on the investigations team and covered real estate and the business of health care.