Three seniors at Central High School in Macon have each been awarded a $250,000 scholarship from the Gates Millennium Scholars program.

Kenya Andrews, Christine Okaro and Ashley Washington recently learned they were among this year's scholarship winners.

The Gates Millennium Scholars program is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and covers undergraduate education expenses for 1,000 students from minority backgrounds with financial need. Scholarship recipients must have a minimum 3.3 grade point average and participate in community service and extracurricular activities.

School counselor Dorothy Krakow said she was dizzy when she learned three of her students had won the scholarships.

Tags: Macon, scholarships, Gates Foundation, college scholarship program, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation