459 Semifinalists Named For Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Transformative Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship
A group of last year’s Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars pose together at the annual Scholars Weekend conference in 2023.
Lansdowne, Virginia – Today, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation named 459 community college students as semifinalists for its highly competitive Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. This scholarship aims to help community college students who have demonstrated exceptional academic ability, leadership, and service transfer to top four-year institutions and avoid student debt. The award, which is last dollar funding after all institutional aid, can provide as much as $55,000 per year for two to three years to complete a bachelor’s degree at any accredited four-year undergraduate institution in the U.S.
This year’s 459 semifinalists were chosen from a pool of more than 1,600 applicants, and attend 194 community colleges in 37 states, plus Washington, DC, and the Northern Mariana Islands. This comes at a time when only about a third of students starting in community colleges transfer to four-year schools, and only 16% earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. The Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship represents a unique opportunity, providing crucial support for transfer students to overcome these barriers and successfully attain their bachelor’s degrees.
“In light of the challenges that hinder many community college students from achieving their goal of earning a bachelor’s degree, our Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship makes the journey more achievable and helps to eliminate the threat of student debt,” said Seppy Basili, Executive Director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “The exceptional pool of talent among this year’s chosen semifinalists from community colleges showcases the vast potential within these institutions and we look forward to learning more about these students during the final stage of our application review.”
The Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship offers unparalleled support to community college students. In addition to the generous financial support, selected Cooke Transfer Scholars will receive educational advising from the Foundation’s Deans of Scholar Support to guide them through the process of transitioning to a four-year school and preparing for their future careers. They will also have access to internship opportunities, study abroad experiences, graduate school funding, and the invaluable connection to a robust network of more than 3,100 fellow Cooke Scholars and Alumni.
The finalists for the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship will be announced in May.
A list of this year’s Cooke Transfer Scholar semifinalists and their respective community colleges is below. To learn more about the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, visit the website here.
Alabama
Ashley Grantham – Chattahoochee Valley Community College
Zahria Hoskey – George C. Wallace Community College at Dothan
Adrianna Ingram – Calhoun Community College
Marlene Lopez Franco – Snead State Community College
Pedro Padron – Bevill State Community College
Arizona
Michelle Angulo-Flores – Glendale Community College
Matthew Collins – Mesa Community College
Nick Davis – Pima Community College
Daniela Escalante Mtz – Cochise College
Maya Lee – Phoenix College
Jeremiah Lopez – Glendale Community College
Marcel Lopez – Phoenix College
Evelyn Rivera Elias – Phoenix College
Arkansas
Naomi Mendoza – Pulaski Technical College
California
Pearl Agramon – East Los Angeles College
Ana Aguilera Liera – Southwestern College
Fadhil Al Salihi – MiraCosta College
Devi Amarsaikhan – Foothill College
Khant Nyar Aung – De Anza College
Joseph Awad – Mount San Jacinto College
Husna Ayoubi – San Diego Mesa College
Gulnazik Bakhramova – College of San Mateo
Luis Barbosa – Irvine Valley College
Gohar Boroyan – Glendale Community College
Celina Lourdes Buncayo – Skyline College
Maria Castillo Gomez – MiraCosta College
Megan Ceragioli – MiraCosta College
Ramia Chaudhary – Chaffey College
Marilyn Chavez – West Los Angeles College
Scott Cohen – Solano Community College
Abiodun Collins – Citrus College
Vicky Cordova – Diablo Valley College
Arman Daghbashyan – De Anza College
John DAiello – Orange Coast College
Evi de Bois – Feather River College
Clarivel De Santiago Ureno – College of the Canyons
Kevin Duenas Ortiz – Long Beach City College
Sierra Elbert – Sierra College
Princess Johanna Eusantos – Skyline College
Abigail Falkowski – College of the Desert
Aisjah Forte – Contra Costa College
Sabrina Garcia – Cypress College
Marlene Gomez-Sarate – Diablo Valley College
Lorena Gomez-Suarez – Mount San Antonio College
Frankee Granados – El Camino College
Joey Gray – Sacramento City College
Pintack Gualotuna – El Camino College
Andrew Guzman – Mount San Antonio College
Sosie Haboian – Glendale Community College
Kennedy Hayashi – El Camino College
Emily Hidalgo – El Camino College
Mikala Hutchinson – MiraCosta College
Thet Mon Kyaw – Skyline College
Nick Lazaris – San Diego City College
Joney LeSon – Long Beach City College
Hanyin Liang – East Los Angeles College
Oscar Lopez – West Los Angeles College
Mariam Malik – Ohlone College
Isaac Manzo – Chaffey College
Paola Mayoral Jimenez – Cerritos College
Scott McCloskey – Saddleback College
Charles McCoy – Diablo Valley College
Kimberly Mejia Alvarado – College of Marin
Orion Mena – Mount San Jacinto College
Jesse Miramontes – East Los Angeles College
Ala Mokhtabad Amrei – Diablo Valley College
Leilani Morales – College of Marin
James Nguyen – San Diego Miramar College
Amy Nguyen – Mount San Antonio College
Shariq Nsubuga – Diablo Valley College
Jose Ocampo Gomez – Los Angeles City College
Mia Ogebee – Santa Monica College
JJ Paez – Orange Coast College
Namod Pallek Kankanamge – San Diego Miramar College
Ellaine Peralta – Long Beach City College
Grace Perez – San Diego City College
Leidy Perez Hernandez – College of Marin
Maia Pham – Orange Coast College
Harlan Phillips – Bakersfield College
Thu Phung – Orange Coast College
Kayla Pineda – College of Marin
Gavin Pirtle – Los Medanos College
David Rivera – Southwestern College
Miguel Rodriguez – College of the Desert
McCay Ruddick – Cabrillo College
Caris Sandino – Mount San Jacinto College
Sara Satouf – Victor Valley College
Akira Schwartz – College of the Sequoias
Brody Scott – Butte College
Yongzi See – Orange Coast College
Chloe Serrano – Fullerton College
Ryan Shen – Mount San Antonio College
Syuan Yu Siao – Santa Monica College
Elriana Styles – Los Medanos College
Silmi Sultaan Ali Khowaja – De Anza College
Starr Swanson – Los Angeles City College
Eman Tavassoli – Santa Ana College
Fikiremariam Tefera – East Los Angeles College
Ryan Daniel Teng – Long Beach City College
May Kyi Phyu Thinn – Irvine Valley College
Meghan Thompson – Los Medanos College
Theint Theint Thu – American River College
Brian Tong – Citrus College
Alex Urzua – Golden West College
Christian Ussery – Long Beach City College
Evi Van Amburgh – Fullerton College
Diego Victoria – Irvine Valley College
Shreya Vikram – Deep Springs College
Santiago Villasenor-Martinez – Southwestern College
Chloe Williams – Southwestern College
Yutong Xie – College of San Mateo
Yuxiang Zhu – Citrus College
Colorado
Faith Christen – Front Range Community College
Alexis Marcial – Red Rocks Community College
Vatey Ouy – Front Range Community College
Mir Mohammad Zikrya Quraishi – Community College of Aurora
Ella Trbovich – Red Rocks Community College
Connecticut
Carla Galaise – Northwestern Connecticut Community College
Karen Celine Luci – Manchester Community College
Ephraim Mosher – Middlesex Community College
District of Columbia
Tyrone Freely – University of the District of Columbia Community College
Florida
Michaella Achille – Florida Southwestern State College
Tala Alqadi – Valencia College
Wyatt Anderson – Palm Beach State College
Velourde Borgella – Miami Dade College
Richard Braxton – Hillsborough Community College
Juan Buitrago Martinez – Miami Dade College
Veronica Calzadilla Sosa – Miami Dade College
Aliana Canizares – Miami Dade College
Maria Cardenas – Miami Dade College
Ny Crowelle – Valencia College
Javi Cunat – Miami Dade College
Aschlyne Elezerir – Valencia College
Sam Espinosa – Miami Dade College
Karyna Fedorova – State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota
Nikki Ffrench – Valencia College
Eddie Fordham – Miami Dade College
Jesus Galarza – Miami Dade College
Gabriel Gamez Ortega – Miami Dade College
Natalie Gelman – Miami Dade College
Veronique-Isabel Godoy-Llanten – Hillsborough Community College
Jayelyn Guy – Tallahassee Community College
Patricia Hernandez Torquemada – Valencia College
Cing Huai – Miami Dade College
Sonya Marie Johnson – Valencia College
Teon Mcfarlane – Valencia College
Adriana Morales Molina – Seminole State College of Florida
Mayra Moreno – Miami Dade College
Yann Nassa – Tallahassee Community College
Juan Penagos Marquez – Hillsborough Community College
Maya Richards – Valencia College
Arquimedes Rivero – Miami Dade College
Khouri Robinson Jr. – Miami Dade College
Nazarena Romero – Broward College
Coen Ross – Seminole State College
Gabriela Simon – Miami Dade College
Zainab Sohail – Valencia College
Joshua Song – Seminole State College of Florida
Helen Tarrau Benavides – Miami Dade College
Heidy Umana Ramos – Miami Dade College
Maria Vasini – Broward College
Pavis Whitley – Valencia College
Georgia
Haneen Ahmed – Georgia Perimeter College
Rafaela Berry – Georgia Perimeter College
Shalom Ejiwunmi – Georgia Perimeter College
Prevail Olusegun-Joseph – Georgia Perimeter College
Sofia Saavedra Bonilla – Georgia Perimeter College
Kulsum Saber – Georgia Perimeter College
Rakeb Tesfassellasie – Georgia Perimeter College
Min Khant Zaw – Georgia Perimeter College
Idaho
Lucia Munoz – North Idaho College
Illinois
Zhanylai Adambekova – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Zainab Bolarinwa – Prairie State College
Praise Daniels – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Christina Feldermann – MacCormac College
Anjolie Finnelly – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Essence Gatheright – City Colleges of Chicago: Kennedy-King College
Yehuda Goldbloom – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Alondra Gonzalez Quintana – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Shae Hanley – College of DuPage
Cosmin Iancu – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Laura Kim – Prairie State College
Anna Le – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Luis Medina – College of DuPage
Daria Merkulova – College of Lake County
Adam Moine – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Juan Munoz – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Brenda Najjuma – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Elizabeth Onofre – Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago
Krishon Pinkins – Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago
Maybelle Sanchez – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Almoatasim Shahbain – College of DuPage
Julie Soliman – Harper College
Asma Yawari – College of DuPage
Indiana
Dakota McLaughlin – Ivy Tech Community College: Columbus
Iowa
Nikita McNamee – Marshalltown Community College
Kansas
Megan Ratzlaff – Hutchinson Community College
Kentucky
Jonah Buckley – Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Maine
Katahdin Javner – Eastern Maine Community College
Maryland
Adeniwa Ajuwon – Howard Community College
Vladimir Alvarado – Montgomery College
Calista Brigham – Howard Community College
Maria Cardona Gomez – Carroll Community College
Ezichi Chimezie – Prince George’s Community College
Kyle Clarke Echeverria – Community College of Baltimore County
Leah Cowden – Hagerstown Community College
Druscilla Darkwa – Harford Community College
Joanee Dias – Montgomery College
Vi Doan – Montgomery College
Monica Escalante Escobar – Montgomery College
Samiya Farhin – Montgomery College
Felicia Folly – Montgomery College
Lisen Gottvall – Community College of Baltimore County
Samara Husain – Montgomery College
David Jones – Harford Community College
Stacy Jones – Community College of Baltimore County
Hope Long – Harford Community College
Maulika Masson – Montgomery College
Cassie McQuay – Frederick Community College
Daisy Navarro – Prince George’s Community College
Goodness Nnebedum – Harford Community College
Rebecca Overton – Howard Community College
Jimmy Perdomo Pineda – Montgomery College
Tehya Poole – Hagerstown Community College
Karla Revelo Hernandez – Montgomery College
Christina Sherwood – Frederick Community College
Gamauri Spencer – Community College of Baltimore County
Massachusetts
Stephanie Berardi – Middlesex Community College
Maya Blanco – Bunker Hill Community College
Benjamin Keil – Holyoke Community College
Jacob Kris – Holyoke Community College
My Kim Trinh – Bunker Hill Community College
Michigan
Amna Ben Abdelkader – Oakland Community College
Bree Biang – Grand Rapids Community College
Ana Garcia-Osorio – Washtenaw Community College
Tara Huskey – Grand Rapids Community College
Carmen Samaniego – Washtenaw Community College
Nicholas Thomasma – Grand Rapids Community College
Soliman Touelh – Henry Ford Community College
Nicholas Weston – Southwestern Michigan College
Abigale Youmans – Glen Oaks Community College
Minnesota
Laila Abdirahim – Century College
Brian Kayega – Century College
Natnael Mamo – Normandale Community College
Mississippi
Frederick Cook – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Allison Gobuzzi – Pearl River Community College
Madelynne Goodson – East Mississippi Community College
Breland Graves – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Takahashi Kiyoshi – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Damien Koon – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Veronika Landry – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
William Paulk – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Ashleigh Pierce – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Caleb Raulerson – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Missouri
Yeron Deressa – St. Louis Community College
Nevada
Viviana Lopez – College of Southern Nevada
New Jersey
Mario Alvarado – Union College of Union County
Mark Anifowose – Essex County College
Safia Ansari – Middlesex County College
Sophia Argenziano – Union College of Union County
Adriana Fung – Middlesex County College
David Galarza – Hudson County Community College
Zulemy Gomez-Londono – Union College of Union County
Denise Gonzalez-Cruz – Brookdale Community College
Evan Greenbaum – Bergen Community College
Bailey Gummel – Mercer County Community College
Idaliz Herrera – Middlesex County College
Lynne Kim – Bergen Community College
Ted Kozak – Middlesex County College
Paula Mayorga Gilser – Hudson County Community College
Amelia Melendez – Mercer County Community College
Esther Okie – Essex County College
Precious Opaola – Union College of Union County
Crystal Paulino – Middlesex County College
Kaylie Quezada – Bergen Community College
Nicole Resende – Union College of Union County
Ricardo Santana – Bergen Community College
Elizabeth Schnur – Bergen Community College
Nima Sedghi – Middlesex County College
Myrvens Sylvestre – Union College of Union County
Camila Villavizar Gomez – Mercer County Community College
Nathalie Wijaya – Mercer County Community College
Chevaughn Williams – Passaic County Community College
Shiwa Yangzom – Bergen Community College
New Mexico
Tessa Folks – Southeast New Mexico College
New York
Mateo Andino – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Isabela Bandeira – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Maysa Bayramova – Jamestown Community College
Joely Castillo – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Anthony Chimbay – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Jaime Diaz Granados Almanza – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Jeraldine Diyarza Flores – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Thomas Doczy – Suffolk County Community College
Shantal Edwards – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Alex Espitia-Casallas – Onondaga Community College
Kaya Fader – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Sabrina Franco – Suffolk County Community College
Jonathan Galdamez Paguay – Rockland Community College
Antonett Gardner – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Katarzyna Gawin – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Lawrance Gomes – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Jennifer Gomez Mancia – Suffolk County Community College
Joseph Gonzalez – Suffolk County Community College
Alicia Greco – Westchester Community College
Sumaya Jashim – City University of New York: Kingsborough Community College
Melanie Jerez Cruz – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Shakya Jeudy – Suffolk County Community College
Shayla Jimenez – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Anamelia Jourdain – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Shekinah Glory Kantono – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Rion Kojima – Genesee Community College
Francis Koroma – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Jasmin Lecadre – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Michael Liddy – Columbia-Greene Community College
Dan Lin – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Anna Liu – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Carolina Martins Soares de Oliveira – Westchester Community College
Carolina Mendoza – Westchester Community College
Nawel Messaoudi – City University of New York: Kingsborough Community College
Eduarda Moreira – Westchester Community College
Chaw Nandar – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Donna Newton – Bard Microcollege at the Brooklyn Public Library
Angelina Ojeda – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Reuben Petit-Noel – City University of New York: Kingsborough Community College
Vaughn Robinson – Westchester Community College
Jessica Sabau – Westchester Community College
Yen Yi Shak – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Amena Shamia – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Md Siddique – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Zacahry Teeter – Suffolk County Community College
Mikhail Walters – Suffolk County Community College
Minghao Zhang – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
North Carolina
Grace Abraham – Wake Technical Community College
Jesse Burnette – Southwestern Community College
Ronnie Cason – Mitchell Community College
Gabrielle Francis Hall – Forsyth Technical Community College
Jeremy Tristan Galang – Pitt Community College
Grace Laskowsky – Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Madison Nordmiller – Cape Fear Community College
Monisha Pirela – Central Piedmont Community College
Holly Truong – Gaston College
Northern Mariana Islands
Jay You – Northern Marianas College
Ohio
Libby Downes – Owens Community College: Toledo
Muktharatullah Kamal – Muili – Columbus State Community College
Ayodele Onoyungbo – Cuyahoga Community College
Oklahoma
Heather Greene – Tulsa Community College
Aijie Manalansan – Northeastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College
Elijah Wooden – Northeastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College
Oregon
Asher Finch – Clatsop Community College
Kezia Mckenzie – Lane Community College
Kris Reid – Clatsop Community College
MJ Santos – Lane Community College
Finn Shattuck – Portland Community College
Pennsylvania
Marie Victoire Alexis – Lehigh Carbon Community College
David Emdin – Community College of Philadelphia
Chiamaka Ifiegbu – Montgomery County Community College
Jose Infante – Lehigh Carbon Community College
Eric Kim – Northampton Community College
My Ly – Montgomery County Community College
Brianna Mann – Harrisburg Area Community College
Aryan Pasyar – Community College of Philadelphia
Tony Schultz – Montgomery County Community College
Tennessee
Elizabeth Lawrence – Nashville State Community College
Leo Phillips – Northeast State Community College
Alexis Smith – Dyersburg State Community College
Texas
Lilay Abadi – South Plains College
Olamilekan Akinlusi – North Central Texas College
Alana Aristimuno Millan – Lone Star College System
Leah Ayache – Lone Star College System
Oluwafolajimi Bolusteve – Lone Star College System
Anaya Booker – Tarrant County College
Michelle Calderon – Northeast Texas Community College
Camila Cobos – Lone Star College System
Terrie Cook – Lone Star College System
Gwendolyn Crain – Lone Star College System
Jeffrey Davila – Northeast Lakeview College
Nathalie Del Olmo – Lone Star College System
Avwerosuoghene Etaghene – Houston Community College System
Miguel Flores Lopez – Lone Star College System
Mark Garcia – Lone Star College System
Valeria Guzman – Eastfield College
Makayla Hall – Houston Community College System
Mohammad Hamza Faisal Hameed – Houston Community College System
Tam Ho – Tarrant County College
Nathan Hogan – Tyler Junior College
Jersey Johnson – Collin County Community College District
Alexis Lopez – Lone Star College System
Nomvuyo Makhathini – North Lake College
Eliana Martinez – North Lake College
Mikaila Meintjes – Grayson College
Thandoluhle Moya – El Centro College
Marshall Lee Mullins – Lone Star College System
Ligio Muthemba – Mountain View College
Temiloluwa Ogunleye – Collin County Community College District
Funminiyi Oluwaniyi – North Lake College
Raquel Paz Bergia – Lone Star College System
Leticia Pereira Laranjeira – North Lake College
Neida Perez – Northeast Texas Community College
David Perla Corea – Lone Star College System
Rahmatullah Saliu – Tarrant County College
Madellynn Smith – Northeast Texas Community College
Guiliana Sodaro – Lone Star College System
Kami Taylor – North Central Texas College
Nguwasen Tor – Houston Community College System
Esbeidy Torres Ibarra – Lone Star College System
Arianna Villarreal – Richland College
Camila Villarreal Cortinas – Lone Star College System
Anastasia Walker – Lone Star College System
Marianny Zavala Escalona – Lone Star College System
Utah
Selbi Ernepesova – Snow College
Virginia
Tariq Aldalou – Northern Virginia Community College
Catherine Ercilla – Northern Virginia Community College
Manuella Escobar – J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Yanci Flores Ramos – Northern Virginia Community College
Brionne Harper – Germanna Community College
Jordan Harris – Laurel Ridge Community College
Annabel Honeycutt – Blue Ridge Community College
Ana Hurtado Fuertes – Wytheville Community College
Amera Jan – Northern Virginia Community College
Amirreza Makarem – Northern Virginia Community College
Judy Marouf – Northern Virginia Community College
Philip Martin – Northern Virginia Community College
Michael Mason – Richard Bland College
Kylie McCoy – Richard Bland College
Jasmine Mendoza – Northern Virginia Community College
Jordan O’Dell – Germanna Community College
Sydney Patton – Laurel Ridge Community College
Hannah Puskar – Virginia Western Community College
Ethan Solomon – Germanna Community College
Daniel Son – Brightpoint Community College
Ayma Syeda – Northern Virginia Community College
Abigail Thomas – Northern Virginia Community College
Syed Huzaifa Tahir Zaidi – Northern Virginia Community College
Washington
Yosef Birri – South Seattle College
Megan Ellison – Pierce College
Shiori Nakayama – Cascadia Community College
Kim Nguyen – Green River Community College
Tongasoa Jefferson Julianot Rakotomalala – Spokane Falls Community College
Wisconsin
Sidbewendein Bouda – Milwaukee Area Technical College
Rasmata Kabre – Madison Area Technical College
Shin Thant Maung Maung – Madison Area Technical College
Tobu Mone – Madison Area Technical College
Barkwende Nikiema – Madison Area Technical College
Soumaila Sawadogo – Milwaukee Area Technical College
Theo Shulman – Madison Area Technical College
Abdou Zongo – Milwaukee Area Technical College
Grace Zongo – Madison Area Technical College
Wyoming
Farangiz Halmuradova – Northwest College
Thirteen additional Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholar Semifinalists did not opt into publicity.
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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, career pathway counseling 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