Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Recognizes Outstanding Achievement of Recent College Graduates, Announcing $6 Million in Funding for Graduate Programs
Foundation awards 78 Cooke Graduate Scholarships and names recipient of this year’s International Award
Today, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports high-achieving students with financial need, announced the recipients of the 2019 Cooke Graduate Scholarship and the Cooke International Award. Through these scholarships and the award, the Foundation will award up to $6.1 million in scholarship funding to 78 students who have recently begun graduate programs at some of the most selective institutions in the U.S. and the U.K.
“We know that graduate degrees can have a profound impact on an individual’s lifetime earnings. Unfortunately, graduate school is often beyond the reach of many students with financial need,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Cooke Foundation. “With the Cooke International Award and Cooke Graduate Scholarship, the Foundation is expanding this opportunity to students who will contribute significantly to their chosen fields.”
These awards are only open to previous recipients of the Cooke College Scholarship Program and the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Cooke Scholars are eligible to apply within three years of completing their undergraduate degrees. Micon Garvilles, the recipient of the 2019 Cooke International Award, will receive up to $85,000 per year for up to four years of study at the University of Oxford. Each of the 2019 Cooke Graduate Scholarship recipients will be eligible to receive up to $75,000 total for up to four years.
Micon Garvilles earned her associate’s degree from Kapi’olani Community College before transferring to the Rochester Institute of Technology as a Cooke Scholar. As a biotechnology and molecular bioscience and biomedical science double major, Micon worked on a research team studying the vesicular stomatitis virus. After graduating, she worked at a biotechnology company, first as a specialist in a DNA lab and later as an associate scientist.
“The motivation to deepen my studies in pharmacology was inspired by having met patients both in my work and community service, who were given hope through the positive impacts of research and medicine,” Micon says of her plans to earn an M.Sc. in Pharmacology. She plans to attend medical school after she completes her studies at Oxford.
This year’s cohort of Cooke Graduate Scholars are pursuing postgraduate degrees to achieve ambitious career goals in fields such as medicine and law.
At the University of Oklahoma, Daniella Royer majored in economics and math, with minors in Arabic and political science. Among her many honors, Daniella was named to the Society of Fellows by the Institute of American Constitutional Heritage. She also interned with the Institute of Religion and Democracy in Washington, DC. An avid musician, Daniella served as the assistant principal violist with the University of Oklahoma’s Civic Orchestra. Daniella is multilingual and used her fluency in Arabic to assist refugees in Cairo, Egypt in 2018. She is attending Georgetown University Law School this fall.
Shawn Zamani is a recent graduate of the University of South Florida, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in public health. His deep commitment to epidemiology has encouraged Shawn to pursue opportunities in cancer research and HIV and sexual health counseling. He served as the director of public health at the USF Health BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic, and as an Amgen Scholar, Shawn interned at the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health where he conducted independent research on esophageal cancer epidemiology. Shawn is pursuing his Ph.D. in epidemiology at the University of Cambridge, where he is also a Gates Cambridge Scholar.
A full list of the 2019 Cooke Graduate Scholars and Cooke International Award recipients, their undergraduate and graduate institutions, and hometowns can be found below:
Cooke International Award recipient:
Micon Garvilles
Undergraduate Institution: Rochester Institute of Technology
Graduate Institution: Oxford University
Hometown: Manila, Philippines
Cooke Graduate Scholars:
Muaz Abrar
Undergraduate Institution: Southern Methodist University
Graduate Institution: Southern Methodist University
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Juan Joel Albrecht
Undergraduate Institution: Cornell University
Graduate Institution: Cornell University
Hometown: Miami Lakes, Florida
Thaer Arafat
Undergraduate Institution: University of Michigan
Graduate Institution: University of Michigan
Hometown: Dearborn, Michigan
Tiffany Avalos-Lopez
Undergraduate Institution: Houston Baptist University
Graduate Institution: University of North Texas
Hometown: Cypress, Texas
Erika Banuelos
Undergraduate Institution: Brown University
Graduate Institution: Columbia University
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Eric Baxley
Undergraduate Institution: University of South Carolina
Graduate Institution: University of South Carolina, Columbia
Hometown: Gaston, South Carolina
Malak Benkhadra
Undergraduate Institution: University of Miami
Graduate Institution: University of Miami
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Alex Frances Sophia Buranday
Undergraduate Institution: University of San Diego
Graduate Institution: University of Arizona
Hometown: Nogales, Arizona
Amanda Burcroff
Undergraduate Institution: University of Michigan
Graduate Institution: University of Cambridge
Hometown: Beverly Hills, Michigan
Alice Burla
Undergraduate Institution: Musik Akademie Basel
Graduate Institution: Musik Akademie Basel
Hometown: Hastins-On-Hudson, New York
Stephani Calderon
Undergraduate Institution: University of Texas, Austin
Graduate Institution: Deferred
Hometown: Mount Pleasant, Texas
Iris Carbonel Estepan
Undergraduate Institution: New York University
Graduate Institution: Columbia University
Hometown: Brighton, Massachusetts
Sagar Chapagain
Undergraduate Institution: Cornell University
Graduate Institution: University of Nebraska
Hometown: Glen Burnie, Maryland
Siven Chinniah
Undergraduate Institution: Temple University
Graduate Institution: Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
Hometown: Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
John Cliburn
Undergraduate Institution: Vanderbilt University
Graduate Institution: University of Rochester
Hometown: Cloverport, Kentucky
Valentina d’Empaire
Undergraduate Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Graduate Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Hometown: Doral, Florida
Marshelle Davis
Undergraduate Institution: University of Miami
Graduate Institution: University of Miami
Hometown: Delray Beach, Florida
Gabriel Delabra
Undergraduate Institution: Haverford College
Graduate Institution: New York University
Hometown: Countryside, Illinois
Gina Edwards
Undergraduate Institution: Mary Baldwin University
Graduate Institution: Mary Baldwin College
Hometown: Charlottesville, Virginia
Brittany Fischer
Undergraduate Institution: University of Florida
Graduate Institution: University of Florida
Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
An Garagiola Bernier
Undergraduate Institution: Hamline University
Graduate Institution: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Hometown: Hugo, Minnesota
Joscelyn Garcia
Undergraduate Institution: Tufts University
Graduate Institution: Deferred
Hometown: Aurora, Illinois
Dawit Gebre
Undergraduate Institution: Stanford University
Graduate Institution: Stanford University
Hometown: Lithonia, Georgia
Daniel Gebrezgiabhier
Undergraduate Institution: University of Michigan
Graduate Institution: University of California, Berkeley
Hometown: Adi Keyh, Eritrea
Julia Gensheimer
Undergraduate Institution: Emory University
Graduate Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Hometown: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Ojaswee Giri
Undergraduate Institution: Southern Methodist University
Graduate Institution: Southern Methodist University
Hometown: Hurst, Texas
Alejandro Gomez
Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Berkeley
Graduate Institution: University of California, San Diego
Hometown: Salinas, California
Luria Greene
Undergraduate Institution: Cornell University
Graduate Institution: Cornell University
Hometown: Hampton, Virginia
Lucia Gwarada
Undergraduate Institution: California State University, Sacramento
Graduate Institution: Deferred
Hometown: Sacramento, California
Makayla Haussler
Undergraduate Institution: Yale University
Graduate Institution: University College Dublin
Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska
Tashrima Hossain
Undergraduate Institution: Stanford University
Graduate Institution: Deferred
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Simon Huynh
Undergraduate Institution: Pennsylvania State University
Graduate Institution: Brandeis University
Hometown: Hagerstown, Maryland
Therande Jashari
Undergraduate Institution: Columbia University
Graduate Institution: Cornell University
Hometown: Garfield, New Jersey
Lee Jeon
Undergraduate Institution: The Juilliard School
Graduate Institution: Deferred
Hometown: Elkridge, Maryland
Matthew Jernstedt
Undergraduate Institution: Arizona State University
Graduate Institution: Georgetown University
Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona
Duckenson Joseph
Undergraduate Institution: University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign
Graduate Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Robert Kancans
Undergraduate Institution: University of Southern California
Graduate Institution: University of Southern California
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Manisha Khatri
Undergraduate Institution: The Culinary Institute of America
Graduate Institution: George Mason University
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia
Juliet Kim
Undergraduate Institution: Harvard College
Graduate Institution: New York University
Hometown: Bronx, New York
Victor LaBozzetta
Undergraduate Institution: University of Rochester
Graduate Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Hometown: Selden, New York
Logan Lawrence
Undergraduate Institution: Rice University
Graduate Institution: University of California, San Diego
Hometown: Arlington, Texas
Thaimae Le
Undergraduate Institution: Arizona State University
Graduate Institution: Northern Arizona University
Hometown: San Diego, California
Reg Ledesma
Undergraduate Institution: University of Maryland
Graduate Institution: Duke University
Hometown: Cockeysville, Maryland
Latifah Maasarani
Undergraduate Institution: University of Central Florida
Graduate Institution: Duke University
Hometown: Winter Springs, Florida
Wellington Mackey
Undergraduate Institution: Yale University
Graduate Institution: Yale University
Hometown: Peekskill, New York
Ravyn Malatesta
Undergraduate Institution: Lewis & Clark College
Graduate Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology
Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland
Viviana Andazola Marquez
Undergraduate Institution: Yale University
Graduate Institution: New York University
Hometown: Thornton, Colorado
Moriah Mason
Undergraduate Institution: University of Texas, Arlington
Graduate Institution: Deferred
Hometown: Wylie, Texas
Katarzyna Maziarz
Undergraduate Institution: Mount Holyoke College
Graduate Institution: Texas A&M University
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Andrew McCrae
Undergraduate Institution: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Graduate Institution: Winston-Salem State University
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
Myles McMurchy
Undergraduate Institution: Dartmouth College
Graduate Institution: New York University
Hometown: Gonzales, Louisiana
Sofia Medina-Pardo
Undergraduate Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Graduate Institution: Rutgers University
Hometown: Cuenca, Ecuador
Farhan Mohiuddin
Undergraduate Institution: University of Houston
Graduate Institution: University of Houston
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Jennifer Myers
Undergraduate Institution: Thomas Jefferson University
Graduate Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Hometown: Turnersville, New Jersey
Gabriella Nicholas
Undergraduate Institution: University of Florida
Graduate Institution: Northwestern University
Hometown: Longwood, Florida
Trinh Nguyen
Undergraduate Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Graduate Institution: Deferred
Hometown: Germantown, Maryland
Soobin Oh
Undergraduate Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology
Graduate Institution: Deferred
Hometown: Sugar Hill, Georgia
Nada Omer
Undergraduate Institution: University of Illinois at Chicago
Graduate Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology
Hometown: Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Vince Phan
Undergraduate Institution: Columbia University
Graduate Institution: Deferred
Hometown: Dorchester, Massachusetts
Andreas Robertson
Undergraduate Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology
Graduate Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology
Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland
Jesus Rodriguez
Undergraduate Institution: Georgetown University
Graduate Institution: Georgetown University
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Daniella Royer
Undergraduate Institution: University of Oklahoma
Graduate Institution: Georgetown University
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Silvia Salamone
Undergraduate Institution: Stony Brook University
Graduate Institution: Harvard University
Hometown: Partinico, Sicily, Italy
Rodrigo Salcido
Undergraduate Institution: Baylor University
Graduate Institution: Deferred
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Paul Serrato
Undergraduate Institution: Stanford University
Graduate Institution: Stanford University
Hometown: Winder, Georgia
Ursula Simonoski
Undergraduate Institution: California Polytechnic University
Graduate Institution: University of California, Riverside
Hometown: Lima, Peru
Madison Staves
Undergraduate Institution: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Graduate Institution: Midwestern University
Hometown: Gastonia, North Carolina
Fatouma Tall
Undergraduate Institution: Grand Valley State University
Graduate Institution: Boston University
Hometown: Niamey, Niger
Katie Taylor
Undergraduate Institution: Duke University
Graduate Institution: University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa
Hometown: Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pa Chia Thao
Undergraduate Institution: Mount Holyoke College
Graduate Institution: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Tho Tran
Undergraduate Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Graduate Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Hometown: Annandale, Virginia
Juan Valdes
Undergraduate Institution: Amherst College
Graduate Institution: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Hometown: Miami, Massachusetts
MingJun Wilson
Undergraduate Institution: Princeton University
Graduate Institution: Duke University
Hometown: Johnson City, Tennessee
Minna Wybrecht
Undergraduate Institution: University of Michigan
Graduate Institution: University of Michigan
Hometown: Ypsilanti, Michigan
Mehrdad Yazdanibiouki
Undergraduate Institution: University of California, San Diego
Graduate Institution: San Diego State University
Hometown: San Diego, California
Shawn Zamani
Undergraduate Institution: University of South Florida
Graduate Institution: University of Cambridge
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Natalie Zatz
Undergraduate Institution: Yale University
Graduate Institution: Cornell University
Hometown: Vero Beach, Florida
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The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Since 2000, the Foundation has awarded over $200 million in scholarships to over 2,600 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $110 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. www.jkcf.org
Media Contact: Amber Styles, 571-442-0772, media@jkcf.org