Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Awards 60 Community College Students a National Transfer Scholarship to Attend Four-Year Institutions

Lansdowne, VA — The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation today named 60 high-achieving community college students as recipients of the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The highly competitive national scholarship aims for Scholars to complete their undergraduate educations with as little debt as possible. The award, which is last dollar funding after all institutional aid, can be as much as $55,000 a year.

This year, overall undergraduate enrollment has remained comparable to last year’s numbers. However, for the first time in several years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, community college enrollment has increased by 2% nationwide.

“There are so many bright and persistent community college students in our nation who we know will thrive at four-year institutions if they can find a way to transfer without being weighed down by a heavy financial burden,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “We are excited to welcome yet another cohort of Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars to our community after learning about them through their applications and seeing their unbound potential.”

Along with financial support, new Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars will receive comprehensive educational advising to guide them through the process of transitioning to a four-year college and preparing for their careers. Scholars will additionally receive opportunities for internships, study abroad, and graduate school funding, as well as connection to a thriving network of more than 3,000 Cooke Scholars and Alumni.

This year, more than 1,700 students from 448 community colleges applied to receive the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The Foundation evaluated each submission based on students’ academic ability and achievement, financial need, persistence, and leadership.

A list of the 2023 Cooke Transfer Scholars, including their community colleges, is below.

Alabama

Edwin Jarquin – Snead State Community College

Arizona

Teresa Billick – Pima Community College
Robert Serrano – Central Arizona College

California

Warda Ali – American River College
Eliette Bustos Barocio – Los Medanos College
An Ha – Mount San Antonio College
Nia Roberson-French – Berkeley City College
Tiffany San – Ohlone College
Cecily Sewell – Los Angeles Valley College
Hayat Sherif – MiraCosta College
Grecia Paola Siono Gutierrez – College of the Desert
Michael Stine III – Mount San Antonio College
Li Wan – Berkeley City College

Florida

Carlen Arevalo – Miami Dade College
Javier Gil – Miami Dade College
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri – Hillsborough Community College
Kayla Ribeiro – Miami Dade College
Jean Saintgeorges – Broward College
Nathalie Saladrigas – Miami Dade College

Georgia

Julian Umana-Bernal – Georgia Perimeter College
Paula Gil – Georgia Perimeter College
Kseniya Harrington – Georgia Perimeter College

Idaho

Gabriel Clark – College of Eastern Idaho

Illinois

Rencie Horst – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Dominika Panek – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Selvin Tobar – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College

Iowa

Oscar Madong – North Iowa Area Community College

Maryland

Israah Ansari – Howard Community College
Normand Bayigamba – Montgomery College
Joseph Linsenmeyer – Community College of Baltimore County
Luiz Mata Lopez – Montgomery College

Massachusetts

Pascale Percy – Northern Essex Community College

Mississippi

Jared Mathews – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Anna Valenzuela – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

Nebraska

Maya Huirong Wilson – Western Nebraska Community College

New Jersey

Liam Boyle – Raritan Valley Community College
Rene Bulnes Moreno – Bergen Community College
Juni Ilyas – Union County College
Carine Medellus – Union County College

New York

Fatima Bah – City University of New York: Hostos Community College
Fox Birdtail – Jamestown Community College
Liilan Boldiis – Broome Community College
Zeff Carriero – Westchester Community College
Min Young Kim – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Rubi Larancuent – City University of New York: Bronx Community College
Eisha Sarmad – Rockland Community College

North Carolina

Hannah Lowman – Coastal Carolina Community College

Oklahoma

Kelly Parsley – Tulsa Community College

Oregon

Brandi Swiderski – Clatsop Community College

Pennsylvania

Jasmine Jones – Harrisburg Area Community College

Texas

Madeleine Cornejo Carrillo – North Lake College
Sergio Iraheta – Lone Star College System
Rachel Schnakenberg – Lone Star College System
Amber Traylor – Austin Community College

Virginia

Will Liu – Germanna Community College
Stefania Piciorea – Northern Virginia Community College

Washington

Jamie Mai – Seattle Central College

Wisconsin

Honorine Ilboudo – Madison Area Technical College
Todala Mone – Madison Area Technical College

 

One additional Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship recipient has opted out of media release.

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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 $250 million in scholarships to nearly 3,200 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $125 million in grants to organizations that serve such students.  www.jkcf.org

Media Contact: Julia Florence, media@jkcf.org