60 Community College Students Awarded Transfer Scholarships to Attend Four-Year Institutions
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announces its 2024 selection of outstanding community college students for competitive transfer scholarship
A group of last year’s Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars pose together at the annual Scholars Weekend conference in 2023.
Lansdowne, VA — Today, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has announced the selection of 60 community college students as recipients of the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. This highly competitive award allows students to complete their undergraduate degrees at four-year institutions with minimal financial burden.
According to Community College Research Center research, transfer pathways from community colleges are a significant contributor to enrollment and diversity at four-year institutions. However, a lack of scholarship opportunities for transfer students, as well as other obstacles like losing credits during the transfer process, continue to keep bachelor’s degree completion rates low.
“Community college students remain far too underrepresented at our nation’s top institutions, despite clear research demonstrating their success once they arrive. Our scholarship is one way we aim to ensure that high-achieving students have the opportunity to complete their degree where they want, regardless of their financial background,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Cooke Foundation.
One objective of the scholarship is to give Scholars the opportunity to graduate with as little debt as possible. The award, which is last dollar funding after all other institutional aid, can provide as much as $55,000 a year. In addition to the financial support, Cooke Transfer Scholars receive comprehensive educational advising – guidance that is crucial for navigating their transition to four-year colleges and planning their career paths. Cooke Scholars also benefit from access to internship opportunities, study abroad and graduate school funding, as well as a dynamic network of over 3,000 Cooke Scholars and Alumni.
This year’s application saw nearly 1,700 applications from over 380 community colleges. Applicants were evaluated on their academic prowess, financial need, and leadership qualities. A complete list of the 2024 Cooke Transfer Scholars and their respective community colleges is below.
Arizona
Matthew Collins – Mesa Community College
Daniela Escalante – Cochise College
Maya Lee – Phoenix College
California
Joseph Awad – Mount San Jacinto College
Husna Ayoubi – San Diego Mesa College
Celina Lourdes Buncayo – Skyline College
Marilyn Chavez – West Los Angeles College
Evi de Bois – Feather River College
Kevin Duenas Ortiz – Long Beach City College
Sierra Elbert – Sierra College
Princess Johanna Eusantos – Skyline College
Thet Mon Kyaw – Skyline College
Oscar Lopez – West Los Angeles College
Jose Ocampo Gomez – Los Angeles City College
Thu Phung – Orange Coast College
Gavin Pirtle – Los Medanos College
McCay Ruddick – Cabrillo College
Caris Sandino – Mount San Jacinto College
Theint Theint Thu – American River College
Diego Victoria – Irvine Valley College
Colorado
Vatey Ouy – Front Range Community College
Connecticut
Carla Galaise – Northwestern Connecticut Community College
Florida
Velourde Borgella – Miami Dade College
Maria Cardenas – Miami Dade College
Javi Cunat – Miami Dade College
Larry Fordham – Miami Dade College
Georgia
Min Khant Zaw – Perimeter College
Illinois
Yehuda Goldbloom – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Juan Munoz – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Krishon Pinkins – Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago
Iowa
Nikita McNamee – Marshalltown Community College
Maryland
Gamauri Spencer – Community College of Baltimore County
Michigan
Tara Huskey – Grand Rapids Community College
Soliman Touelh – Henry Ford College
Mississippi
Frederick Cook – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
William Paulk – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Ashleigh Pierce – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
New Jersey
Ricardo Santana – Bergen Community College
Nima Sedghi – Middlesex County College
New Mexico
Tessa Folks – Southeast New Mexico College
New York
Joseph Gonzalez – Suffolk County Community College
Dan Lin – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Carolina Mendoza – Westchester Community College
North Carolina
Monisha Pirela – Central Piedmont Community College
Oregon
Kris Reid – Clatsop Community College
Pennsylvania
Marie Victoire Alexis – Lehigh Carbon Community College
David Emdin – Community College of Philadelphia
My Ly – Montgomery County Community College
Tennessee
Leo Phillips – Northeast State Community College
Texas
Avwerosuoghene Etaghene – Houston Community College System
Tam Ho – Tarrant County College
Jersey Johnson – Collin County Community College District
Alexis Lopez – Lone Star College System
Virginia
Catherine Ercilla – Northern Virginia Community College
Judy Marouf – Northern Virginia Community College
Michael Mason – Richard Bland College
Daniel Son – Brightpoint Community College
Washington
Yosef Birri – South Seattle College
Wisconsin
Grace Zongo – Madison Area Technical College
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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 almost $282 million in scholarships to more than 3,300 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $133 million in grants to organizations that serve such students.www.jkcf.org
Media Contact: Julia Florence, media@jkcf.org