Melissa Bailey Photo
Hillhouse High School senior Shaylah McQueen stuck with school and community service despite getting pregnant and confronting “haters” in the halls. She excelled. That perseverance has paid off — in the form of a paid-up ticket to college.
McQueen (pictured) has won a Gates Millenium Scholarship. The Gates Foundation chooses 1,000 students nationwide out of 24,000 applicants. The scholarship will pay for McQueen’s tuition at Wilson College in Pennsylvania — where she’ll be able to live with her son in a dorm set aside for single moms and their children.
McQueen wants to become a teacher. She has gotten practice working with school kids; she’s been volunteering at Wexler/Grant K‑8 school this year to help in its “turnaround” efforts. Click here to read a recent story about her work there. She has also volunteered at the Peabody Museum, New Haven Reads, and the Special Olympics.