10-05-2025
Jennifer Gates Has a 'Deeper Appreciation' for Mom Melinda After Becoming a Mother Herself (Exclusive)
Jennifer Gates tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that she has a "deeper appreciation" for mom Melinda French Gates after becoming a mother herself
"If I can be a quarter of as good of a mom as she was, I will feel like I've done a good job," Jennifer says
Jennifer shares two daughters, Leila and Mia, with husband Nayel NassarJennifer Gates is able to admire mom Melinda French Gates from an entirely new perspective after becoming a mother herself.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Jennifer, 29 — who graduated last May from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — says that, as a mom and a pediatric resident, she has a new appreciation for "all that went into her raising us."
"I'm getting to see firsthand just how challenging and rewarding it can be to raise a child, particularly in this current climate, where parents often don't have the supports that they need, and just realizing how many things she was balancing and juggling when she raised us," she continues of mom Melinda, 60.
"Obviously, I have a lot on my plate as well, but I have a deeper appreciation for her as a mom," adds Jennifer.
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Melinda shares daughter Jennifer — as well as son Rory, 25, and daughter Phoebe, 22 — with ex-husband Bill Gates. The pair divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.
Jennifer became a mom for the first time in March 2023, when she and her husband Nayel Nassar welcomed their first child, daughter Leila, 2. The couple, who wed in October 2021, became parents again when Jennifer gave birth to daughter Mia in October 2024.
According to Jennifer, mom Melinda is a wonderful grandmother to her two grandchildren. "She is just such a generous, loving person, that getting to see her throw all that love and generosity that she gave to me towards my children is the most special thing in the world," she says.
Adds Jennifer: "If I can be a quarter of as good of a mom as she was, I will feel like I've done a good job."
In her recently released memoir, The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward, Melinda wrote about the decision to quit her job at Microsoft, where she had worked for more than nine years in product management and marketing.
Reflecting on how her choice to be a working mom differs from what Melinda chose, Jennifer tells PEOPLE, "I had my mom the whole time encouraging me, just stay the path. ... [When I was in medical school], it felt like the most amazing journey of my lifetime ... and, for some people, there comes a point at which their career is far enough along, or they have to make the choice to wait."
"We are in this position where we knew that we could afford what we needed to start a family, and I felt like, 'Okay, I'm ready to become a mom,' but I also still have this calling and this feeling that I want to become a board-certified pediatrician," Jennifer continues.
"It has not been easy, but I have a great amount of support around me that makes it possible for me to go to the hospital and know that my kids are loved, they're well taken care of, and that truly means the world to me," she adds. "And I'm grateful to be pursuing both. It's certainly a different path than the one my mom took, but she has been nothing but supportive of me following my dreams and becoming a mom at the same time."
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Currently, Jennifer says being in residency is "great" but also "hard," explaining, "I have so much respect for everyone in healthcare, but residency is a very particularly grueling training."
"I truly love getting to serve the patients at our hospital and community clinic, getting to learn about all of the disease processes and treatment modalities that we have to best serve children and prevent disease, and also learning what the things are that are allowing them to receive care in the hospital, and what things are making it challenging for them to attend their appointments or receive care or have good health at home," she adds.
Jennifer says she is also excited about the idea that she will be "someone who will hopefully have the opportunity to give back with my time and career."
"I want to become the best pediatrician possible and really know how to treat patients with respect and dignity with the best medical science, and then eventually, hopefully, expand that to helping best serve children and their families," she continues.
Read the original article on People
