Editing Melinda French Gates (section)

==Early life and education==
Melinda Ann French was born on August 15, 1964, in [[Dallas]], Texas.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|date=October 23, 2011|title=Office romance: how Bill met Melinda|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/office-romance-how-bill-met-melinda-855292.html|work=The Independent|language=en|access-date=May 24, 2021|archive-date=May 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524221717/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/office-romance-how-bill-met-melinda-855292.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=March 15, 2018 |title=Melinda Gates biography |url=https://www.biography.com/people/melinda-gates-507408 |access-date=May 24, 2021 |website=biography.com |publisher=A&E Television Networks |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327161235/https://www.biography.com/people/melinda-gates-507408 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Paul |date=November 25, 2006 |title=A woman of substance |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/nov/26/theobserver |access-date=May 24, 2021 |website=[[The Guardian]] |quote=Melinda Ann French was born in Dallas on 15 August 1964. |archive-date=August 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807233846/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/nov/26/theobserver |url-status=live }}</ref> She is the second of four children born to Raymond Joseph French Jr., an [[aerospace engineer]], and Elaine Agnes Amerland, a [[homemaker]]. She has an older sister and two younger brothers.<ref>{{cite web |url-status=live |url=https://money.cnn.com/2008/01/04/news/newsmakers/gates.fortune/index2.htm |title=Melinda Gates goes public |pp=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501013308/http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/04/news/newsmakers/gates.fortune/index2.htm |archive-date=May 1, 2012 |date= January 7, 2008 |first1=Patricia |last1=Sellers |website=CNN Money }}</ref>

French, a [[Catholic]], attended St. Monica Catholic School, where she was the [[valedictorian]] of her class.<ref name="Catholic 2">{{Cite book |last=Jeanne M. Lesinski |url=https://archive.org/details/billgatesentrepr0000lesi |title=Bill Gates: Entrepreneur and Philanthropist |publisher=Twenty First Century Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-58013-570-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/billgatesentrepr0000lesi/page/61 61] |quote=Melinda, a devout Catholic, wanted a religious wedding |access-date=March 10, 2011 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="Catholic 1">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vo2ZAAAAIAAJ&q=Melinda+Gates+roman+catholic |title=Business Week, Issues 3649–3652 |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]] |year=1999 |quote=Raised a Roman Catholic and educated at a girls' Catholic high school, Ursaline Academy in Dallas, Melinda was encouraged to pursue her love of science |access-date=March 10, 2011 |archive-date=September 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912183838/https://books.google.com/books?id=vo2ZAAAAIAAJ&q=Melinda+Gates+roman+catholic |url-status=live }}</ref> At age 14, French was introduced to the [[Apple II]] by her father and Mrs. Bauer, a school teacher who advocated teaching computer science at the all-girls school.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gates|first=Melinda |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1097579369|title=The Moment of Lift : How Empowering Women Changes the World|date=2021|publisher=Flatiron Books |isbn=978-1-250-25772-7|oclc=1097579369|access-date=March 12, 2021|archive-date=September 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912183839/https://www.worldcat.org/title/moment-of-lift-how-empowering-women-changes-the-world/oclc/1097579369|url-status=live}}</ref> It was from this experience she developed her interest in computer games and the [[BASIC]] programming language.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 27, 2008 |title=Office romance: how Bill met Melinda |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/office-romance-how-bill-met-melinda-855292.html |access-date=March 13, 2019 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=September 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929034825/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/office-romance-how-bill-met-melinda-855292.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

French graduated as valedictorian from [[Ursuline Academy of Dallas]] in 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ursuline Receives Additional $2 Million Grant; Science, Math, Technology Building Task Force is Formed |url=https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2007/05/Ursuline-Receives-Additional-2-Million-Grant-Science-Math-Technology-Building-Task-Force-is-Formed |access-date=September 22, 2017 |website=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |archive-date=September 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923003303/https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2007/05/Ursuline-Receives-Additional-2-Million-Grant-Science-Math-Technology-Building-Task-Force-is-Formed |url-status=live }}</ref> She earned a [[bachelor's degree]] in [[computer science]] and [[economics]] from [[Duke University]] in 1986 and an [[Master of Business Administration|MBA]] from Duke's [[Fuqua School of Business]] in 1987.<ref name="StangeOyster2013">{{Cite book |last1=Mary Zeiss Stange |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_BTKCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT386 |title=The Multimedia Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World |last2=Carol K. Oyster |last3=Jane E. Sloan |date=January 9, 2013 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-1-4522-7037-1 |pages=386– |access-date=March 24, 2018 |archive-date=September 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912144343/https://books.google.com/books?id=_BTKCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT386 |url-status=live }}</ref> At Duke, French was a member of the [[Kappa Alpha Theta]] sorority, Beta Rho Chapter.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 1, 2017 |title=The incredible life of Melinda Gates — one of the world's richest and most powerful women |url=https://www.businessinsider.nl/life-of-melinda-gates-2016-3/ |access-date=March 24, 2018 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325045442/https://www.businessinsider.nl/life-of-melinda-gates-2016-3/ |url-status=live }}</ref>