Building Power and Uplifting Communities.

Scholars Equity Network seeks to activate a network of leaders who refuse to leave barriers in place for the next generation.

We know this because we've lived it. Some of us received opportunities that changed our trajectories—scholarships that opened doors, networks that expanded possibilities, resources that let us focus on building rather than just surviving. And we refused to treat that as the finish line.

Scholars Equity Network exists because making it through broken systems doesn't fix those systems. The next talented person still faces the same barriers we did. At SEN we believe true success is measured not by what we achieve but what we enable others to accomplish.

Today, we are a culturally diverse network of scholars & professionals.

Talent is universal, opportunity is not.

Twenty-six years ago, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invested $1.6 billion to establish the Gates Millennium Scholars Program. By investing in brilliant students who'd been overlooked by traditional systems, the foundation tapped into a reservoir of potential that had always existed but rarely received resources.

From 2000 to 2016, 20,000 low-income, minority students received full scholarships for undergraduate and select graduate programs.

Today, Gates Millennium Scholars are health professionals, engineers, educators, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and community organizers. We're making impact in every field, in every corner of the country, and beyond.

Our Story

GMS Legacy | Video Produced by William D. Caballero (GMS Alum).

This unprecedented network of 20,000+ scholars cannot go to waste. That’s why SEN Exists.

And we're not keeping it to ourselves.

We’re expanding our network and impact. The same communities that produced 20,000+ Gates Millennium Scholars are still producing brilliant leaders who deserve support. The next generation still faces under-resourced schools, limited access to mentorship and professional networks, and systems that weren't built to recognize their potential. Systems change doesn't happen when we succeed individually—it happens when we invest that success back into the communities that shaped us.

That's why SEN welcomes non-GMS scholars, community organizers, supporters, and allies who share our commitment to equity and access. We're bringing in the communities we came from. We're activating leaders who have the same vision, talent, and determination we do.

This network's power isn't in exclusivity—it's in what we build together. Twenty thousand scholars is a remarkable foundation. But the movement we're seeking to create? It’s bigger.

Founded by GMS Alumni Association in 2020, Scholars Equity Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit built on the following mission:

Scholars Equity Network provides professional and personal development, civic engagement, and economic empowerment opportunities to scholars from underserved communities to be personally, professionally, and financially positioned to give back to the communities they come from.

Our Mission

Civic Engagement

We prepare leaders to transform systems from the inside and participate fully in our democracy. This means serving on nonprofit boards and government commissions, running for office, shaping policy, organizing in communities, and ensuring our voices are heard where decisions get made. It also means the fundamentals: voting, volunteering, showing up for the issues that matter.

Economic Empowerment

We provide direct resources to Changemakers through our Pay It Forward Accelerator, funding projects that help create pathways in underserved communities.

Our programming also focuses on wealth building and entrepreneurship.

We seek to build a network where economic knowledge and opportunity flow to the communities that need them most.

Personal & Professional Development

Through regional gatherings and programming, we create spaces and opportunities where our network can advance their careers, develop leadership skills, and connect across sectors.

Individual success becomes collective power when we share what we've learned and bring others with us. Our goal is simple: we want every member of this network to have the tools and connections to lead wherever they choose.