The Gates Scholarship (TGS) is a highly selective, last-dollar scholarship for outstanding, minority, high school seniors from low-income households. Each year, the scholarship is awarded to exceptional student leaders, with the intent of helping them realize their maximum potential.

Out of the over 34,000 applicants from across the country, 300 recipients are awarded TGS. Among those recipients is Pittsburg High School Senior Dominik Bach.

“Dominik Bach is one of the most driven students I've had the pleasure of knowing in my 24 years as an educator,” PHS Principal Kelynn Heardt said. “He has earned this honor because of his work ethic and his passionate pursuit of his goals. I have no doubt Dom will continue to be successful in his post-secondary education. We are so very proud of him!”

In the fall, Bach will be attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he received a full scholarship.

“MIT has been a dream of mine since the 7th grade. It is so surreal that this goal that I have been working so hard to achieve is finally here,” Bach Said. “Even though I received a full scholarship from MIT, TGS is still very beneficial.”

Bach will travel to Arizona to attend The Gates Summer Institute in June.

“TGS and attending the Summer Institute will open doors to meeting like-minded people,” Bach said. “I am looking forward to being able to network with people that are in the industry I am working towards.”

At MIT, Bach will be studying computation and cognition with a  dual degree in business analytics.

“I want to leave the Gates Summer Institute with people knowing my name and face,” Bach said. “Someday I want to Develop brain interface technology and further advance that technology and I know the people attending the Summer Institute will be connections that can help me achieve those goals.”

For the last year and a half, Bach has been working with large language models to generate individualized curriculum for K-12 students. He largely credits his entrepreneurship from this project as something that set him apart from other applicants to TGS and MIT. You can read more about that project here. 

“Surreal is the only word that can describe how it feels to not only get into MIT, but also receive TGS,” Bach said. “I am so excited for how many doors these opportunities will open.”