This story is part of The Daily Herald’s annual look at promising local high school graduates.

LYNNWOOD — Lelo Gemtessa wondered: What are my chances?

The Meadowdale High School student was up against 53,000 applicants. Just 1,000 nationally would be chosen for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, funded by the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation.

Among other requirements, she had to write eight essays.

“At first, I almost didn’t do it,” she said. “It was a lot of work.”

It came at a time when she was applying to colleges and juggling school assignments. “I thought way too many people are applying.”

In March, she was selected as a finalist. And the following month, she was informed she had been chosen as a Millennium Scholar. She is one of 12 Washington students and the only student from Snohomish County.

Gemtessa, 18, plans to pursue a degree in biochemistry or biology at the University of Washington. She hopes to become a doctor.

The financial aid that she will receive will allow Gemtessa to get an undergraduate degree without taking out loans to pay for her education.

It’s a program that provides more than financial assistance. Millennium Scholars also attend conferences and participate in mentorship programs that can provide help to students through college and graduate school.

Gemtessa and her family immigrated from Ethiopia and she enrolled at Alderwood Middle School in 2010. There were first-year adjustments to a new culture and language, but she spent just one year in a class for students learning English as a second language.

“Everything was different,” she said. “I know a lot of people in Ethiopia, my friends and family are all there. Ethiopia was like a community… Here you have to find your own friends and where you fit in. That was kind of hard for me.”

She has taken rigorous class loads since her freshman year, including college-level Advanced Placement courses in calculus, chemistry, government and U.S. history, earning a cumulative GPA of 3.87.

Gemtessa said the biggest influences in her life have been her family, especially her parents. African parents can be very strict with their sons and daughters, she said, and her parents set high expectations.

“I feel like because they believe in me so much, I want to achieve so much more.”

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.