Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates might be one of the world's most well-known billionaires, but a new generation of Gates is coming up. Bill and Melinda Gates' oldest daughter, Jennifer, is following in her parents' ambitious — and altruistic — footsteps.
The 21-year-old is currently a student at Stanford University, which is rated no. 5 in US News & World Report's Best Colleges rankings in the National University category. She's slated to graduate this year, according to her Instagram bio. (Eve Jobs, 19, daughter of Steve Jobs, is a schoolmate.)
On Instagram, Gates shares snaps of her seemingly adventurous life. There's a photo of her sky-diving.
And another shot of her alongside CBS's " The Big Bang Theory" star Kaley Cuoco.
Plus, there's a plethora of posts featuring her fluffy white and grey pup, Earl.
But there's much more to Gates than her interesting social life.
Gates, an equestrian, told Horse Network she's studying human biology at Stanford, and specifically has an interest in children. In 2016, she revealed to Sidelines that she planned to pursue either a master's degree in public health or social work, or attend medical school.
"I just took a class about children, youth, and the law, so we learned about the juvenile justice system, the foster care system, and all the issues surrounding that. I'm really interested in children's well-being, especially here in the United States. I find that fascinating," Gates told the Horse Network.
It's something she undoubtedly learned from her parents, whose charity, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has a mission of improving the quality of life of people around the world. The foundation has donated a reported $2.9 billion in cash and 700 million Microsoft shares to charitable causes. In particular, it has given almost $3 billion to help eliminate polio by 2020, and has also made significant donations towards fighting other diseases like Alzheimer's and HIV/AIDS.
Gates' equestrian accolades
Gates is also accomplished when it comes to her passion for horses. Gates began riding at the age of 6, according to her bio on the Evergate Stables site.
"No one else in my family competes, but they love being around my horses and riding occasionally for pleasure when we're on vacation," Gates told Sidelines in 2016.
Gates won first place in November at the $100,000 USEF U25 National Championship competition in Lexington, Kentucky, as well as first place in September in the U.S. Open $25,000 Hollow Creek Farm Under 25 Grand Prix in New York City.
In January, she posted a group photo captioned, "Beyond honored to receive the U.S. Equestrian Team's Lionel Geurrand-Hermes Trophy for 2018. Thank you to my whole support team, both those pictured here and there in spirit." In the photo her parents, Bill and Melinda, stand proudly by her side.
Bill Gates purchased an entire street in Wellington, Florida — known as "the equestrian capital in the world" — in 2016 for $37 million. Steve Jobs' widow, Laurene Powell Jobs, whose daughter Eve is an equestrian, bought a ranch for $15.3 million right across the street, the Miami Herald reports.
Bill Gates and down-to-earth parenting
While Bill Gates boasts a massive net worth of $90 billion, according to Forbes, he's revealed that his children — Jennifer Gates and her younger siblings Rory, 18, and Phoebe, 15 — won't be inheriting the bulk of his fortune.
In 2010, Bill Gates and his billionaire buddy Warren Buffett founded The Giving Pledge, a movement in which the mega-rich commit to donating at least half their wealth to charitable causes during their lifetime.
Bill and Melinda are giving each child a reported $10 million, according to a 2014 Washington Post article.
And Bill Gates has another down-to-earth parenting preference: limiting his children's screen-time. In 2007, Reuters reported Bill and Melinda set a limit for their kids of 45 minutes a day of total screen-time for games and an hour a day on weekends, in addition to whatever screen-time was needed for homework. In April, Bill Gates also told the Mirror his kids weren't given cell phones until they were in their teens.
"We don't have cell phones at the table when we are having a meal, we didn't give our kids cell phones until they were 14 and they complained other kids got them earlier," Bill Gates said.
And, when it comes to tech, like most 20-somethings, Jennifer Gates doesn't exactly turn to her dad for advice, despite his history. When asked by the Horse Network who fixes her computer, Gates says she tries to do it herself.
"I like to be pretty hands on," Gates said. "Someone will help me sometimes. My dad is not that person. (Laughs) He's not actually all that great at it."
Don't miss: Meet Eve Jobs, Steve Jobs' 19-year-old daughter
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