Partnership with the Gates Scholarship Program teaches students how to become ACS CAN advocates

Chau Dang had just graduated with a master’s in physics from the University of Oklahoma, but, even with her advanced degree, she was struggling back at home in Seattle to find a job.  

Chau had attended college and graduate school on a prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship, an academic scholarship program founded by Bill and Melinda Gates that offers minority students a full-ride to the school of their choice. But after graduating, Chau realized the program didn’t have a good alumni network that could help mentor and support current and past Gates students like herself. So she joined other Gates alumni to create an alumni network in which a big component would be to give back through volunteerism.  

“I knew Bill Gates often asks how Gates Scholars are giving back.” said Chau. “I realized we should have a platform that could become something we could present to Bill and Melinda Gates.”

Chau and fellow Gates alumni started researching various causes that Gates students and alumni could engage with as volunteers. They looked at various issues like heart disease, literacy and homelessness, but they ultimately landed on cancer and the American Cancer Society.

After initially reaching out to ACS, Chau and her fellow Gates alumni realized that the best fit for Gates students would be the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and cancer advocacy.

Cancer disproportionately affects minority communities, yet so often the policymakers in Washington, DC and in state houses aren’t hearing from people in those communities.

“Being politically educated is a huge luxury that a lot of people don’t have. But our Gates Scholars have the power, the voice and the energy to get these policies on the table so that their communities back home and future generations can take advantage of it,” said Chau.

Through the partnership, ACS CAN started a new program to bring six current Gates Scholars to Washington, D.C., to attend Leadership Summit & Lobby Day each year. At Lobby Day, the students gain professional training, learn about the political process and go to Capitol Hill with the other ACS CAN volunteers to speak to their members of Congress about issues affecting cancer patient and survivors.

“ACS CAN has taught our students so much,” said Chau. “They get to learn about the legislative process and how the government works. It is truly a lifechanging experience for them.”

After helping establish the ACS CAN partnership with the Gates Scholarship Program, Chau served a two-year term on the American Cancer Society Board of Directors.

Today, Chau lives in the Bay Area with her husband and new baby and works for NVIDIA doing strategy and product development for artificial intelligence applications. She still serves on the Governance Committee for the ACS Board and ACS’s National Advisory Council on Health Equity.

This September, six more Gates Scholars will come to Washington, D.C., to attend Leadership Summit & Lobby Day and learn to become ACS CAN advocates.

Since its founding, the Gates Scholarship Program has paid for more than 20,000 students to attend college and has awarded more than $614 million in education costs.