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Melinda Gates By World Economic Forum – Wikimedia

10 Amazing Facts About Melinda Gates

Melinda Ann French Gates is an American businesswoman, an author, and a global advocate for women and girls. She is a professional computer scientist and philanthropist.

Melinda is the ex-wife of Microsoft corporation co-founder Bill Henry Gates. She is the co-founder of the charitable Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

In 2015 she established her own company, Pivotal Ventures. This company aims to ensure equal rights and social progress for everybody in the United States. It identifies, helps develop, and implements innovative solutions to problems affecting women and families.

Forbes has ranked her severally among the World鈥檚 Most Powerful Women.

1. Melinda Grew Up in Texas

Melinda Ann French was born on 15th August 1964 in Dallas, Texas. She is the second-born child of her parents Raymond Joseph French and his wife Elaine Agnes Amerland.

She has an older sister and two younger brothers. Her father was an aerospace engineer working for NASA on the Apollo space program. Mr. French would frequently take his children with him to work and Melinda remembers witnessing countless rocket launches.

Her first book鈥檚 title 鈥楾he Moment of Lift鈥� was inspired by these experiences.

2. Melinda is Catholic

A Roman Catholic Church
Photo by Luke Tanis on

Melinda was raised catholic and still is. Growing up, she attended St. Monica Catholic School where she always topped her class.

She then proceeded to Ursuline Academy of Dallas, a Catholic college preparatory school for girls. Here she was introduced to computers by her teacher Mrs. Susan Bauer who advocated teaching computer science to the girls.

In her book, she acknowledges the conflict between her personal beliefs and those of her church. She disagrees with the order created by men and professed by the church that hurts and oppresses women but says that the church has taught her to share what she has and show compassion to those in need and suffering. In the end, she has managed to find a common ground between the two.

3. She鈥檚 a Duke Graduate

President Barack Obama and Melinda Gates talk with students while visiting a classroom at TechBoston Academy. Photo by Lawrence Jackson-

In 1982 she graduated as valedictorian from Ursuline Academy of Dallas and proceeded to North Carolina鈥檚 Duke University. In 1986 she graduated with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer science and economics.

The following year she earned her master鈥檚 degree in business administration at Dukes Fuqua School of Business. While at the university she was tutoring children in mathematics and computer programming.

4. Melinda Began Her Career at Microsoft

After graduation in 1987, the young computer scientist got her first job at Microsoft as a product marketing manager. Here she was responsible for the development of multimedia products that included Cinemania, Encarta, Word, and Publisher among others.

While working at Microsoft, she met Bill Gates at a Manhattan PC trade show and the two started dating. In the early 1990s she was appointed as general manager, a position she held until she left the company in 1996 to focus on the Gates Foundation and her kids.

5. She Co-Founded Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Bill and Melinda Gates during their visit to the Oslo Opera House in June 2009 by Kjetil Ree –

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) came to life in the year 2000. It combined three foundations of the Gates family namely: William H. Gates Foundation (started by Melinda, Bill, and his father in 1994), Gates Library Foundation, and Gates Learning Foundation.

The new organization- based in Seattle, Washington- Is among the largest charitable organizations in the world. BMGF’s goals are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the world and expand educational opportunities and access to information technology. Melinda has received several awards due to he good work at the foundation.

6. Melinda is a Mother of Three

Melinda met Bill in 1987, dated him then later married him. Together they got three children, two daughters, and a son.

Their eldest child is Jennifer Katharine Gates. She was born on 26th April 1996. Jennifer studied medicine at Stanford University. She鈥檚 married to an Egyptian Nayel Nassar.

The second child is their only son Rory John Gates. He was born on 23rd May 1999.  Rory studied computer software engineering at Duke University like his mum. He loves poetry.

The youngest child is Phoebe Adele Gates. She was born on 14th September 2002. She attends Stanford University. She鈥檚 a bookworm with a talent for ballet.

7. She’s written a Book about Empowering Women

For most of her life, Melinda has been on a journey to find solutions for people with urgent needs all over the world. Her experiences on this journey inspired her memoir.

鈥淗ow can we summon a moment of lift for human beings- and especially for women? Because when you lift women, you lift humanity.鈥� The book is titled 鈥楾he Moment of Lift- How Empowering Women Changes the World鈥� and was published in 2019.

8. Melinda’s Many Awards and Honors

President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Margaret H. Hamilton. Melinda Gates received a medal during the ceremony in the White House. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson) –

Melinda and Bill Gates have jointly been honored many times because of their foundation. In 2002 they received an award for 鈥楪reatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged鈥� by Jefferson Awards. Again in 2005, the Times named them 鈥楶ersons of the Year鈥�. 

President Obama awarded them the 鈥楶residential Medal of Freedom鈥� in 2016. These are just a few of the many other awards and honors from all parts of the world.

9. Melinda and Bill Gates Divorced in 2021

After 27 years of marriage, the couple decided to end their marriage. Over the years, they had raised three children and built a foundation but they no longer believed they could grow together as a couple anymore. They continue to co-chair the foundation and work together. Melinda in an interview said that they are friendly but not friends.

10. She is a Powerful Woman in her Own Right

Melinda Gates, speaking at the London Summit on Family Planning. Photo DFID – UK Department for International Development –

Melinda Gates is Powerful and influential. She remains to be one of the world鈥檚 wealthiest people despite her separation from Bill Gates. Judging by the awards, honorary degrees, and doctorates, the computer scientist is not just Bill Gates鈥� ex-wife but so much more.