LANSDOWNE, VIRGINIA (OCTOBER 30, 2025) – The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation proudly marks its 25th anniversary, celebrating a legacy of advancing educational excellence and opportunity for high-achieving students with financial need across the United States.

Since its founding in 2000, the Foundation has awarded $332 million in scholarships to nearly 3,900 individuals, accompanied by comprehensive educational advising, career counseling, and other support — and invested $144 million in grants to organizations that also work to expand access for high-achieving students with financial need. Through this sustained investment, the Foundation has become one of the nation’s leading voices in promoting equity in education.

“For a quarter century, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has believed that talent is universal, but opportunity is not,” said Executive Director Giuseppe Basili. “Our Scholars prove every day that when provided the right support and resources, remarkable young people from all backgrounds can achieve at the highest levels. This milestone is both a celebration and a renewed call to ensure that potential never goes unrealized because of financial barriers.”

Throughout its anniversary year, the Foundation is highlighting stories from Cooke Scholars and Alumni whose achievements span disciplines and continents — from groundbreaking scientific research to community leadership, education, and the arts. These stories exemplify the transformative impact of the Foundation’s scholarships, academic advising, and enrichment opportunities.

Today, many Cooke Scholars are first-generation leaders in their fields, demonstrating the power of investing in both talent and need. Even more remarkable is how these Scholars have become an intergenerational community with the first Scholars now mentoring today’s students, and often hiring them, extending and amplifying the cycle of opportunity.

Cooke Scholars are leaders in their classrooms, on their campuses, and in their chosen professions. Whether they joined as members of the Jack Kent Cooke community in middle school as a Young Scholar, after high school as a College Scholar, from community college as a Transfer Scholar, or as a Graduate Scholar pursuing their final degree, each Cooke Scholar is a part of a legacy that grows stronger with every Scholar’s step forward.

As part of the commemoration, the Foundation recently hosted a 25th Anniversary Celebration, welcoming Scholars, partners, educators, and supporters to reflect on the Foundation’s legacy and its continued commitment to creating pathways to success for future generations. The event at the International Spy Museum was hosted by Cooke Scholar Alumnus Peter Dugan, a classical and jazz pianist who hosts NPR’s From the Top. John Kent Cooke Sr., a member of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Board of Directors and son of the Foundation’s namesake, shared a message welcoming attendees to the celebration. The evening showcased the Foundation’s impact over its first quarter century through videos, musical and dance performances, and a ceremony honoring a group of Alumni who were among the first to offer internship opportunities to Scholars through the Cooke Career Network. In addition to the celebration in Washington D.C., hundreds of Cooke Scholars and Alums joined regional parties across the country and in Europe.

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About the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. The Foundation supports students from middle school through graduate studies by offering generous scholarships, comprehensive advising, and grants to impactful organizations. For more information, visit www.jkcf.org.

Media Contact: Laura Karwoski, media@jkcf.org.

The post Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Celebrates 25 Years of Empowering Exceptional Students first appeared on Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

Some of the 2024 Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars pose at Scholars Weekend in summer 2024.

LANSDOWNE, VIRGINIA (MAY 13, 2025) – Today, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has announced the selection of 90 community college students as recipients of the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The award will enable these Scholars to complete their bachelor’s degrees at four-year institutions with a significantly reduced financial burden.

The 2025 cohort marks one of the largest in the Foundation’s 25-year history, reinforcing its continued commitment to creating debt-free pathways to higher education for high-achieving students with financial need.

“This year’s cohort reflects the remarkable talent and determination thriving in community colleges nationwide,” said Giuseppe “Seppy” Basili, Executive Director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “As we mark 25 years of impact, we remain committed to amplifying the successes of these students and opening doors to the opportunities they deserve.”

While nearly 80% of community college students aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree, only 16% reach that goal within six years. The Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, which makes this goal more attainable for selected students, provides last-dollar funding of up to $55,000 per year for up to three years and eases the financial burden of completing a four-year degree. Beyond funding, Scholars receive personalized advising to guide their academic and professional journeys. Scholars also gain access to a nationwide network of more than 3,400 Cooke Scholars and Alumni, along with opportunities for internships, study abroad, and graduate school support – ensuring they have every tool needed to thrive beyond community college.

This year’s selection process drew more than 1,600 applications from community colleges across the nation. The 90 new Scholars were selected from a semifinalist pool of 467 students. Applicants were evaluated based on their academic achievement, unmet financial need, persistence, and leadership qualities.

A complete list of the 2025 Cooke Transfer Scholar finalists and their respective community colleges is available below. To learn more about the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, visit the website here.

Alabama

Dylan Schloerb – Bevill State Community College
Vianney Verdin Maldonado – Wallace State Community College at Hanceville

Arizona

Jennifer Alvarado – Phoenix College
Jesse Lopez Martin – Phoenix College
Malyssa Shaw – Pima Community College

California

Soraya Amin – American River College
Daniel Begel – College of the Canyons
Kaylie Brehm – Antelope Valley College
Carissa Coane – Glendale Community College
Taron Hakobyan – Glendale Community College
Alexander Herman – West Valley College
Moe Sithu Maung Maung Lay – De Anza College
Benjamin Lee – Cerritos College
Sharlize Lemus Terron – Cerritos College
Megan Lohans – Mount San Antonio College
Rue Moe – Skyline College
Prisma Santiago – East Los Angeles College
Amir Erfan Shahla – College of the Canyons
Arthur Veloso Nepomuceno da Silva – Skyline College
Charles Wilson – West Los Angeles College

Colorado

Mosab Abdalla – Community College of Denver

Connecticut

Wania Fatima – Housatonic Community College
Jahlani Ustanny – Capital Community College

Delaware

Jeremiah Waid – Delaware Technical Community College

Florida

Daniela Fonseca – Miami Dade College
Claudia Gomez – Miami Dade College
Victor Michel Gonzalez – Miami Dade College
Kevin Romero – Broward College
Maite Roque Franco – Miami Dade College
Bryan Rowland – Santa Fe College
Daniel Yantani Coto – Miami Dade College
Yelyzaveta Yurchevska – St. Petersburg College

Georgia

Paloma Hodje – Perimeter College at Georgia State University
Rakeb Tesfassellasie – Perimeter College at Georgia State University

Illinois

Benny Acar – City Colleges of Chicago: Harry S Truman College
Aini Asim – Harper College
Farshid Azarvash – Triton College
Jiheon Kang – Oakton Community College
Suzi Ngafo Kengne – City Colleges of Chicago: Harry S Truman College
Juan Romero – Prairie State College

Indiana

Britney Khan – Ivy Technology Community College: Bloomington

Kentucky

Marissa Graham – Somerset Community College

Maryland

Kyle Clarke Echeverria – Community College of Baltimore County
Danae Flores-Tene – Montgomery College
Nour Miswadeh – Community College of Baltimore County
Rodin Ruiz – Montgomery College

Michigan

Ahmad Habbas – Washtenaw Community College
Jean Marie Mbalanda – Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Cortney Rinehart – Henry Ford Community College
Skyler Umney – Schoolcraft College

Minnesota

Pattarapol Muepae – Saint Paul College

Mississippi

Naomi Williamson – Pearl River Community College

Nevada

Kristen Gibson – College of Southern Nevada

New Jersey

Odudu Ekpenyong – Union College of Union County
Joseph Frazier – Mercer County Community College

New Mexico

Clarisse Coelho – New Mexico Military Institute

New York

Marco Alvarez – City University of New York: Hostos Community College
Ieesha Ansar – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Natalia Benitez Levina – The State University of New York: Rockland Community College
Dio Brown – Onondaga Community College
Tyrese Brown – The State University of New York Adirondack
Pedrocia De-Sosoo – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Udya Dewanamuni – Suffolk County Community College
Abdoulaye Diallo – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Reni Fashipe – The State University of New York: Rockland Community College
Jessica Gallegos – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Tanzeela Jahangir – City University of New York: Kingsborough Community College
Liam Lotz – City University of New York: Kingsborough Community College
Miguel Posada Perez – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Tabia Tarannum – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College

North Carolina

Cata Aldana Archila – Guilford Technical Community College
Michael King – Cape Fear Community College
Carolina Servin – Gaston College

Ohio

Heisenberg Francis – Columbus State Community College

Oklahoma

James Hayes-Robinson – Rose State College
Dynasty Poire – Rose State College

Oregon

Diego Lobato – Portland Community College

Pennsylvania

Josh Reid – Montgomery County Community College
Kamal Rhodes – Community College of Philadelphia
Olivia Schade – Community College of Philadelphia

Tennessee

Kate Casell – Northeast State Technical Community College
Shanna Holt – Northeast State Technical Community College

Texas

Mang Cin – Dallas College: Richland Campus
Jaquelyn Galvan – Lone Star College System
Jada-Kai Johnson – Lone Star College System
Yoseline Mendoza – Lone Star College System
Jonathan Rodriguez – Lone Star College System

Washington

Khanh Pham – South Puget Sound Community College
Matias Saenz – Seattle Central College

Wisconsin

Teegawende Segrado – Madison Area Technical College

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About The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation 

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 $304 million in scholarships to more than 3,400 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising, career pathway counseling and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $136 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. www.jkcf.org 

The post 90 Community College Students Awarded Transfer Scholarships to Attend Four-Year Institutions first appeared on Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

LANSDOWNE, VIRGINIA (APRIL 8, 2025) – The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation today announced that 70 high school seniors, ten more than last year’s cohort of Scholars, have been awarded the Cooke College Scholarship. The Cooke College Scholarship, which is last-dollar funding after all institutional aid, provides Scholars with up to $55,000 per year to pursue a bachelor’s degree at any accredited undergraduate institution. This award aims to help students who have demonstrated exceptional academic ability, leadership, and persistence avoid student debt.

“As we celebrate 25 years of work as a Foundation, we are proud to expand our commitment by supporting 70 students this year,” said Seppy Basili, Executive Director of the Cooke Foundation. “This increase reflects not only the quality of applications we received, but also our response to the growing financial barriers facing talented students with financial need.”

The expansion aligns with broader trends in college applicants. According to recent Common App data, first-year applicants rose four percent this admission cycle, and there was an eight percent increase among applicants from families below the median income level. While more students are pursuing higher education, financial barriers remain daunting.

In addition to substantial financial support, Cooke Scholars receive comprehensive academic coaching, graduate school and career advising, opportunities for internships and study abroad, and access to a vibrant network of fellow Scholars and Alumni. Scholars are also eligible to apply for graduate school funding after completing their undergraduate degrees.

The 2025 Cooke College Scholars come from 29 states plus the District of Columbia and American Samoa. The full list of 2025 Cooke College Scholars, including their high schools and states, can be found below.

Alaska

Habibah Bostani – West Anchorage High School

American Samoa

Daniel Lee – Pacific Horizons School

Arizona

Jan Dwayne Cacnio – Paradise Valley High School

Arkansas

Damian Biggs – Arkansas School for Mathematics and Science

California

Roundy Guerrero Garcia – Sweetwater High School
Ameen Kandathil – Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School
James Miller – Westlake High School
Jacky Orozco – Buena Park High School
Zaina Saleh – Hollywood High School

Colorado

Maria Arrece Garcia – Niwot High School

Connecticut

Julia Basseto-Oliveira – Fairfield Warde High School
Helena Chaine – Hamden Hall Country Day School
Tairan Habib – New Britain High School

Delaware

Melisa Velasquez-Zunun – Sussex Central High School

District of Columbia

Anna Khabiyev – Jackson-Reed High School

Florida

Maurits Acosta – Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School
James Beauregard – Vanguard High School
Danilo Franco – Florida Atlantic University High School
Juliana Noreus – Lely High School
McKinlee Williams – J R Arnold High School

Georgia

Amarri Robinson – John S Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School
Alex Taylor – Union Grove High School
Kairon Watkins – Paul Duke Stem High School

Idaho

Nick Mendez – Caldwell Senior High School

Illinois

Afia Adomako – Noble Academy
Lizzet Arriaga – Phoenix STEM Military Academy
Juveriya Ghouri – Chicago Mathematics and Science Academy
Eleshaday Mengiste – Northside College Preparatory High School

Indiana

Abena Antwi – John Adams High School
Aika Chikayama-Jackson – Signature School
Ray Fan – The Culver Academies

Louisiana

Zoe’ Bell – Louisiana Virtual Charter Academy
Nita Perez – Homeschooled

Maine

Fadumo Ahmed – Lewiston High School

Maryland

Leah Negash – Montgomery Blair High School

Massachusetts

Allya Rogers – Josiah Quincy Upper School

Michigan

Mst Begum – Hamtramck High School
Hala Komaiha – Crestwood High School
Juna Maxhari – Woodhaven High School

Minnesota

Bethelehem Kebede – Rosemount High School

Missouri

Lexy Cooper – Moberly Senior High School
Myka Link – Hillcrest High School
Ray Rao – Parkway North High School

New Mexico

Marwa Zameer – Albuquerque School of Excellence

New York

Jesus Barrios – Amityville Memorial High School
Eric Mach – Bronx High School of Science
Jannat Majid – Bellport Senior High School
Hisham Osman – Benjamin Cardozo High School
Sophia Tkachenko – Queens High School For the Sciences at York College
Lily Wu – Great Neck South High School

North Carolina

Nour Issa – Johnston County Career & Technical Leadership Academy
Diego Sanchez Tirado – North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Ohio

Kanyah Green – Columbus International High School

Oregon

Kiara Gonzalez – David Douglas High School

Pennsylvania

Khadicha Kosimjonova – Baldwin High School

Texas

Rene Candelaria – Idea Frontier College Preparatory
Anmol Christ – Midlothian High School
Robell Ephrem – Dulles High School
Jennyfer Estrada – YES Preparatory Public Schools: Brays Oaks
Maiah Holmes – Atascocita High School
Samyam Khatiwada – International Leadership Texas Aggieland High School
Anaise Lopez-Rodriguez – Belton High School
Sarah Nguyen – North Garland High School
Jacqueline Nunez Martinez – Harmony Science Academy: Dallas
Cruz Trejo – North Mesquite High School
Hannah Truong – YES Preparatory Schools: Southeast
Aidan Webb – Arlington Collegiate High School

Virginia

Sana Khilwatgar – Chantilly High School

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About The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

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 $304 million in scholarships to more than 3,400 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising, career pathway counseling, and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $136 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. www.jkcf.org

The post Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Awards College Scholarships to 70 High School Seniors first appeared on Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

Last year’s cohort of 2024 Cooke Transfer Scholars celebrate at the annual Scholars Weekend conference in Northern Virginia

LANSDOWNE, VIRGINIA (MARCH 6, 2025) – Today, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation named 467 community college students as semifinalists for its highly competitive Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. This transformative scholarship empowers exceptional community college students with financial need to transfer to the nation’s top four-year institutions while avoiding the burden of 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.

“Our Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship represents a lifeline for exceptional community college students to actualize their academic dreams,” said Giuseppe “Seppy” Basili, Executive Director of the Cooke Foundation. “This year’s semifinalists exemplify the extraordinary talent found within community colleges across America, and we’re excited to congratulate this group as we celebrate a quarter century of work as a Foundation.”

The 467 semifinalists were chosen from a pool of more than 1,600 applicants and attend 212 community colleges in 43 states. The rigorous selection process assesses candidates on their exceptional academic ability and achievement, demonstrated financial need, perseverance, and leadership.

The Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship provides comprehensive support that extends far beyond financial assistance, recognizing that admission and enrollment are only the beginning. This scholarship is designed to help students not only reach college but successfully navigate and complete their journey. Selected Cooke Transfer Scholars receive personalized educational advising from the Foundation’s Deans of Scholar Support, who guide them through the transition to a four-year institution and help prepare them for future careers. Scholars also gain access to transformative opportunities including internships, study abroad experiences, and graduate school funding, as well as inclusion in a thriving community of more than 3,400 fellow Cooke Scholars and Alumni who provide mentorship and networking connections throughout their academic and professional lives.

A list of this year’s Cooke Transfer Scholar semifinalists and their respective community colleges can be found below. The Foundation will announce the 2025 Undergraduate Transfer Scholars in May. To learn more about the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, visit the website here.

Alabama

Jack Burns – Faulkner State Community College
Rosemary Nicholaus Duhia – Shelton State Community College
Heather Scanlon – Columbia State Community College
Dylan Schloerb – Bevill State Community College
Vianney Verdin Maldonado – Wallace State Community College at Hanceville

Arizona

Jennifer Alvarado – Phoenix College
Alexandra Belford – Pima Community College
Alicen Carter – Paradise Valley Community College
Miguel Fragoso – Cochise College
Jesse Lopez Martin – Phoenix College
Yaneth Montoya – Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Malyssa Shaw – Pima Community College
Rebecca Ursule – Pima Community College

Arkansas

Judah Tate – Northwest Arkansas Community College

California

Joubin Afshar – Foothill College
Briana Aguilera Liera – Southwestern College
Rabia Ali – Cerritos College
Bryan Alvarado – Diablo Valley College
Celine Ama – Citrus College
Devi Amarsaikhan – Foothill College
Soraya Amin – American River College
Anthony Antohe – Fullerton College
Vanya Arakelian – Glendale Community College
Karen Aranha – Ventura College
Kyi Lei Aye – College of San Mateo
Asiya Ayoubi – San Diego Mesa College
Siddarth Baiju – Santa Monica College
Leah Balakrishnan – Las Positas College
Chloe Bassirat – Los Angeles Pierce College
Daniel Begel – College of the Canyons
Taylor Bernal – Mount San Antonio College
Blessing Beyang – Mount San Jacinto College
Kaylie Brehm – Antelope Valley College
Tristan Brennan – San Jose City College
Paula Cantu – San Diego Mesa College
Daryan Zen Carasig – Los Medanos College
Daphne Chen Yang – East Los Angeles College
Eunji Choi – Los Angeles City College
Carissa Coane – Glendale Community College
Milad Davaran – Saddleback College
Christopher Duong – Orange Coast College
Alexander Eberhard – Skyline College
Hadia El Hallou – San Diego City College
Selbi Ernepesova – Snow College
Monika Eskander – San Diego Mesa College
Joseph Fasheh – Mt. San Antonio College
Tatyana Fateyeva – College of Marin
Amely Feiler – College of Marin
Jose Gadea – Pasadena City College
Nicole Garcia Delgado – San Diego City College
Kriztel Garcilazo Hurtado – East Los Angeles College
Ta’Ron Glascoe – Los Angeles Valley College
Christian Gonzalez – Mira Costa College
Valerie Gutierrez – Los Angeles City College
Taron Hakobyan – Glendale Community College
Marlene Hannalla – College of the Canyons
Laurel Harned – Moreno Valley College
Alexander Herman – West Valley College
Jasmin Herrera-De Anda – East Los Angeles College
Me Me Hlaing Oo – Skyline College
Justin Howard – Long Beach City College
Thant Zayar Htut – Skyline College
Susana Islas – Mount San Antonio College
Farrukh Israilov – Folsom Lake College
Mercedes Jackson – Mount San Antonio College
Natalia Jaramillo Becerra – De Anza College
Vanessa Jellison – Santa Rosa Junior College
Sara Ketabi – Santiago Canyon College
Muhammad Khan – Los Angeles Pierce College
Codie Lai – Skyline College
Moe Sithu Maung Maung Lay – De Anza College
Benjamin Lee – Cerritos College
Scott Lee – Sacramento City College
Sharlize Lemus Terron – Cerritos College
Pyae Phyo Lin – Skyline College
Nicole Llerena – Los Angeles Pierce College
Megan Lohans – Mount San Antonio College
Hailey Ly – San Diego Miramar College
Zara Manesh – Los Angeles Valley College
Winnie Ann Masaoy – Glendale Community College
Salma Medina – East Los Angeles College
Orion Mena – Fullerton College
Charles Metzler – Diablo Valley College
Brandon Mills – San Diego City College
Rue Moe – Skyline College
Cheyenne Mosley – Victor Valley College
Santhusha Mudannayaka – Golden West College
Arturo Muyshondt Gutierrez – Santa Monica College
Yasaman Nassab – Irvine Valley College
Halena Neyazi – Los Medanos College
Dang Nguyen – El Camino College
Konatsu Okita – Canada College
Hector Palacios – Lake Tahoe Community College
Rhema Palencia – Skyline College
Ashley Porter – Oxnard College
Marcus Rahman – Pasadena City College
Ashley Ramirez – Cerritos College
Melvin Reeves – Los Angeles City College
Ken Reyes – Skyline College
Cosima Ritter – Los Angeles City College
Araceli Robles – Sacramento City College
Michelle Romero – San Diego City College
Aylan Rosales – West Los Angeles College
Yaretzi Rubio Martinez – San Diego City College
Yahir Salas – San Diego Miramar College
Ali Salehi – Los Angeles Harbor College
Prisma Santiago – East Los Angeles College
Amir Erfan Shahla – College of the Canyons
Deanna Shen – East Los Angeles College
Dani Silva – Mount San Antonio College
Cynthia Smith – Feather River College
Naw Shanyda Soe – Los Medanos College
Sohail Sohail – Sacramento City College
Sofia Tarazona Dominguez – Mira Costa College
Ryanne Teng – Long Beach City College
Joshua Terranova – Los Angeles Mission College
Phyu Phyu Theint – Skyline College
Jeanine Torres – West Los Angeles College
Leonardo Tovar – Hartnell College
Samuel Tuckett – Crafton Hills College
Dereck Vallin Foglio – Grossmont College
Fernanda Velasco – Irvine Valley College
Arthur Veloso Nepomuceno da Silva – Skyline College
Vanessa Vincent – Crafton Hills College
Christina Virchis – Los Angeles Pierce College
Tony Vong – Pasadena City College
Charles Wilson – West Los Angeles College
Brianna Wolf – Los Medanos College
Shahriya Xikeliya – Orange Coast College
JiaJie Yang – Citrus College
Ennyo Yasugi – Orange Coast College
Ying Zhang – Mission College
Tati Zhaven – Moreno Valley College
Alan Zheng – De Anza College

Colorado

Mosab Abdalla – Community College of Denver
Maeve Royer – Front Range Community College

Connecticut

Wania Fatima – Housatonic Community College
Jahlani Ustanny – Capital Community College

Delaware

Jeremiah Waid – Delaware Technical Community College: Stanton/Wilmington Campus

Florida

Rime Abdelmaaboud – Valencia College
Paola Aranguren – Miami Dade College
Olga Borrero – Broward College
Paola Cedeno – Palm Beach State College
Lusmat Charles – Palm Beach State College
Roberto Corona – Palm Beach State College
Oren Dajci – Florida State College at Jacksonville
Nicolas Depetris – Miami Dade College
Danelia Diaz Verdia – Miami Dade College
Victoria Ferrera Petit – Valencia College
Daniela Fonseca Leal – Miami Dade College
Victoria Garcia – Valencia College
Claudia Gomez – Miami Dade College
Ana Henriquez – Valencia College
Zoey-Ann Layne – Valencia College
Susanna Li – Miami Dade College
Paola Lopez Rojas – Miami Dade College
Geovanny Marcos-Pedro – Miami Dade College
Jasmine Mendez – Valencia College
Victor Michel Gonzalez – Miami Dade College
Felipe Augusto Nascimento Pinto – Valencia College
Carlos Paez Jerviz – Miami Dade College
Isabel Paz – Miami Dade College
Paula Pazos – Miami Dade College
Raul Rivero – Miami Dade College
Diana Rodriguez – St. Petersburg College
Kevin Romero – Broward College –
Maite Roque Franco – Miami Dade College
Bryan Rowland – Santa Fe College
Ancia Saint Jean – Valencia College
Grace Solis – Miami Dade College
Kishan Streete – Palm Beach State College
Andrea Torres – Miami Dade College
Michael Vargas – Miami Dade College
Daniel Yantani Coto – Miami Dade College
Yelyzaveta Yurchevska – St. Petersburg College
Santiago Zambrano Bermeo – Hillsborough Community College
Daniel Zambrotta – Seminole State College of Florida

Georgia

Paloma Hodje – Perimeter College at Georgia State University
Abubakar Jidda – Perimeter College at Georgia State University
Bisma Malik – Perimeter College at Georgia State University
Prosper Olusegun-Joseph – Perimeter College at Georgia State University
Rakeb Tesfassellasie – Perimeter College at Georgia State University
Soe Wai Yan – Perimeter College at Georgia State University

Idaho

Lou Munoz – North Idaho College
Valeria Rodriguez – College of Southern Idaho

Illinois

Osama Abdel Fattah – Moraine Valley Community College
Benny Acar – City Colleges of Chicago: Harry S. Truman College
Kofoworola Ajadi – Prairie State College
Mubashir Aleem – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Farshid Azarvash – Triton College
Daniel Bamidele – Prairie State College
Kayla Bentley – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Danna Bodero – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Mario Bradley – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Hugo Correa – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Glory Daniels – City Colleges of Chicago: Malcolm X College
Bruno Diaz – Harper College
Valerie Dutan Molina – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Stevie Elliot – Ozarks Technical Community College
Marbella Flores – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Dejen Gebremichael – City Colleges of Chicago: Harry S. Truman College
Cristian Guarnizo – City Colleges of Chicago: Malcolm X College
Chella Hairston – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Wengipreye Indiamaowei – Harper College
Jiheon Kang – Oakton Community College
Michael Kattner – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Erum Khan – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Annette Lee – Harper College
Osmar Mora – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Alexis Murphy – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Suzi Ngafo Kengne – City Colleges of Chicago: Harry S. Truman College
John Ogan – College of DuPage
Juan Romero – Prairie State College
Priyanka Saroya – Harper College
Phillip Sears – Prairie State College
Lorenzo Tagliapietra Schons – Carl Sandburg College
Kimberlyn Villeda – City Colleges of Chicago: Malcolm X College
Dale Wright – City Colleges of Chicago: Malcolm X College
Zoe Zhang – City Colleges of Chicago: Richard J. Daley College

Indiana

Britney Khan – Ivy Tech Community College: Bloomington
Jeff Tomasic – Ivy Tech Community College: Central Indiana

Iowa

Sevrin Brown – Scott Community College
Jose Jaurena – Des Moines Area Community College
Braylee Kimberley – Marshalltown Community College
Dorcas Mensah – Kirkwood Community College
Veronica Sure – Des Moines Area Community College

Kansas

Jevaan Govender – Neosho County Community College

Kentucky

Marissa Graham – Somerset Community College

Louisiana

Samuel George – Delgado Community College

Maine

Joseph McGlaughlin – Eastern Maine Community College

Maryland

Carlton Allen – Howard Community College
Zakiyyah Brown – Howard Community College
Kyle Clarke Echeverria – Community College of Baltimore County
Kit Davenport – Community College of Baltimore County
Danae Flores-Tene – Montgomery College
Rachel Haymes – Hagerstown Community College
Jai’Tiah Jeter – Community College of Baltimore County
Denisia Jocktane-Akagah – Montgomery College
Espina Lupili – Montgomery College
Mudiwa Mawema – Howard Community College
Marinobi Medrano – Montgomery College
Nour Miswadeh – Community College of Baltimore County
Oluwadamilola Ogunbiyi – Prince George’s Community College
Nafeesah Owodeyi – Montgomery College
Ahnora Ozor – Prince George’s Community College
Molly Rist – Community College of Baltimore County
Rodin Ruiz – Montgomery College
Rafael Sampaio Brazil – Howard Community College
Zahra Sarfraz – Montgomery College
Jannatul Tapashi – Montgomery College
Yesho Vir – Montgomery College

Massachusetts

Jalen Cortes – Holyoke Community College
Chia Hsu – Bunker Hill Community College
Jordan Little – Massasoit Community College
Max Mello – Bristol Community College
John Poland – Middlesex Community College

Michigan

Jacob Frost – Mid Michigan Community College
Ahmad Habbas – Washtenaw Community College
Maggie Jagielski – Schoolcraft College
Jean Marie Mbalanda – Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Tarangarirwa Mushonga – Grand Rapids Community College
Steven Nkurunziza – Grand Rapids Community College
Cortney Rinehart – Henry Ford Community College
Rose Rogers – Montcalm Community College
Skyler Umney – Schoolcraft College

Minnesota

Pattarapol Muepae – Saint Paul College
Moniroattana Say – Normandale Community College
Anderson Soth – Normandale Community College

Mississippi

Marissa Barajas – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Makayla Herberger – Pearl River Community College
Naomi Williamson – Pearl River Community College

Nebraska

Jessica Soler – Western Nebraska Community College

Nevada

Kristen Gibson – College of Southern Nevada

New Hampshire

Max Jovanovich – Manchester Community College

New Jersey

Faris Areiqat – Union College of Union County
Alexandra Badaway – Middlesex County College
Odudu Ekpenyong – Union College of Union County
Joseph Frazier – Mercer County Community College
Arthur Fumarola – Brookdale Community College
Lidia Khayrulina – Hudson County Community College
Laela Lawal – Essex County College
Emmanuel Lewechi – Rowan College at Burlington County
Gabriela Lopez – Essex County College
Matt Luciani – Bergen Community College
Luke Menabdishvili – Raritan Valley Community College
Amira Merino – Mercer County Community College
Michael Ogbinaka – Essex County College
Stephania Orantes Castillo – Bergen Community College
Samir Perez – Union College of Union County
Kaylie Quezada – Bergen Community College
Anna Quezada – Raritan Valley Community College
Fransheska Rodriguez – Passaic County Community College
Ryan Ruiz-Varela – Bergen Community College
Cristy Daniela Sarmiento Anaya – Passaic County Community College
Angela Mae Villaroman – Bergen Community College

New Mexico

Clarisse Coelho – New Mexico Military Institute

New York

Mahumevo Gael Godwin Akpo – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Marco Alvarez – City University of New York: Hostos Community College
Orlenny Alvarez de Leon – City University of New York: Bronx Community College
Ieesha Ansar – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Freda Asiedu – Suffolk County Community College
Anwarul Azim – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Natalia Benitez Levina – The State University of New York: Rockland Community College
Robert Biersack – Dutchess Community College
Dio (Dionysus) Brown – Onondaga Community College
Tyrese Brown – The State University of New York Adirondack
Lorena Chiribao – City University of New York: Bronx Community College
Emily Contreras Cruz – The State University of New York: Westchester Community College
Clara Dabrowski – The State University of New York: Westchester Community College
Valeria Daffarra – City University of New York: Kingsborough Community College
Pedrocia De-Sosoo – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Udya Dewanamuni – Suffolk County Community College
Abdoulaye Diallo – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Armando Encinas – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Reni Fashipe – The State University of New York: Rockland Community College
Anne Samuele Francois – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Jessica Gallegos – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Esmeralda Garcia – Suffolk County Community College
Jerome Gayman – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Lyvia Hawks – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Leah Htwe – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Shuanglin Huang – Monroe Community College
Fatimata Jagana – City University of New York: Bronx Community College
Tanzeela Jahangir – City University of New York: Kingsborough Community College
Melanie Jerez Cruz – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Jean Stephane Kakou – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Ian Kim – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Francis Koroma – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Haofeng Lin – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Htet Aung Lin – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Liam Lotz – City University of New York: Kingsborough Community College
Shani Malul – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Katherine Martinez Diaz – Suffolk County Community College
Bruce Miller – Suffolk County Community College
Toe Htin Lin Nyo – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Ford O’Neill – Suffolk County Community College
Pyae Paing – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Miguel Posada Perez – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Luis Perez-Gomez – City University of New York: Bronx Community College
Daniela Primera – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Carlos Romero Astacio – Fulton-Montgomery Community College
Kristel Saraci – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Shelby Servis – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Julianna Soares De Almeida – The State University of New York: Westchester Community College
Tabia Tarannum – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Cassie Wisniewski – Monroe Community College

North Carolina

Catalina Aldana-Archila – Guilford Technical Community College
Marjorie Carihua Vela – Central Piedmont Community College
Michael King – Cape Fear Community College
Jason Nguyen – Durham Technical Community College
Gustavo Sarmiento – Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Carolina Servin – Gaston College

Ohio

Heisenberg Francis – Columbus State Community College
Shoaib Mezher – Columbus State Community College

Oklahoma

James Hayes Robinson – Rose State College
Dynasty Poire – Rose State College
Bradlee Sanchez – Oklahoma City Community College
Jacqueline Sears – Tulsa Community College

Oregon

Jessica Bahl – Clatsop Community College
Emily Bates – Clatsop Community College
Adrian Cassidy – Portland Community College
Diego Lobato – Portland Community College
PJ Penland – Lane Community College
Yuka Sato – Lane Community College
Mirai Sato – Lane Community College

Pennsylvania

Dani Arcos Narvaez – Montgomery County Community College
Amin Bacon – Community College of Philadelphia
Angela Caldero Perez – Reading Area Community College
Shenandoah DeNardo – Lehigh Carbon Community College
Needah -e- fatema Gangji – Delaware County Community College
Gwendalyn Myers – Butler County Community College
Angie Orozco-Rasique – Community College of Philadelphia
Josh Reid – Montgomery County Community College
Kamal Rhodes – Community College of Philadelphia
Fatoumata Sacko – Community College of Philadelphia
Olivia Schade – Community College of Philadelphia
Anthony Spaziani – Northampton Community College

Rhode Island

Kelly Grace – Community College of Rhode Island

South Carolina

Angel Rockhill – Horry-Georgetown Technical College

Tennessee

Kate Casell – Northeast State Community College
Shanna Holt – Northeast State Community College
Matthew Hughes – Northeast State Community College
Charles Root – Northeast State Community College

Texas

Halel Adimnikem – Dallas College: Eastfield Campus
Rosemary Adio – Tarrant County College
Aws Alezzi – San Jacinto College
Zahra Alrekabi – Tarrant County College
Vanessajane Bayna – Northeast Texas Community College
Warda Binte Zahid – Lone Star College System
Mang Cin – Dallas College: Richland Campus
Mialexa Mariae Cruz – Lone Star College System
Alejandro Dominguez – Dallas College: Eastfield Campus
Malak Elkady – Dallas College: Richland Campus
Mari Eslora – Palo Alto College
Naomi Felder – Lone Star College System
Anel Flores Ibarra – San Antonio College
Gabriela Galue – Lone Star College System
Jaquelyn Galvan – Lone Star College System
Angela Garrity – Dallas College: North Lake Campus
Beth Glasscock – Amarillo College
Brynnen Heep – Tarrant County College
Shiva Heidari – Kilgore College
Daylen Heidt – Lone Star College System
Maria Hernandez – Lone Star College System
Khai Huynh – Dallas College: Richland Campus
Fabian Infante – Lone Star College System
Jada-Kai Johnson – Lone Star College System
Beth Lasco – Lone Star College System
Mahmoud Masoud – Lone Star College System
Yoseline Mendoza – Lone Star College System
Yasmin Moreno Rivera – Lone Star College System
Gabriela Ortiz – Lone Star College System
Georgina Palomo – Lone Star College System
Mia Pierson – Lone Star College System
Jonathan Rodriguez – Lone Star College System
Ramon Rodriguez – Lone Star College System
Martina Sarabia – Dallas College: Eastfield Campus
Precious Shedrack – Houston Community College System
Daniel Tang – Tyler Junior College
Sandra Chinyere Umezulike – Houston Community College System
Lan Vu – Dallas College: Richland Campus
Ishaq Wadhvania – Dalls College: Mountain View Campus

Utah

Faye Ademhamed – Snow College
Tawananyasha Dzenga – Salt Lake Community College

Virginia

Malak Abdelaziz – Northern Virginia Community College
Ana Conner – Richard Bland College
Najem Deban Abou Jaoude – Northern Virginia Community College
Adriana Garcia – Northern Virginia Community College
Melia Grady – Richard Bland College
Osman Khalid – Northern Virginia Community College
Ghezal Kohestani – Northern Virginia Community College
Ana Leng – Central Virginia Community College
Erick Machado – Northern Virginia Community College
Tajalla Moslih – Virginia Peninsula Community College
Angel Pino Chacon – Northern Virginia Community College
Wilmer Salcedo – Germanna Community College
Siddartha Shakya – Northern Virginia Community College
Laura Vargas – SUNY: Westchester Community College
Charlotte Zatzkin – Northern Virginia Community College

Washington

Kezia Joesoef – Green River Community College
Mazon Langford – Walla Walla Community College
Misha Patel – Walla Walla Community College
Khanh Pham – South Puget Sound Community College
Cuong Pham – South Seattle College
Matias Saenz – Seattle Central College
Arthur Weaver – South Puget Sound Community College

Wisconsin

Carlos Guzman Ramirez – Fox Valley Technical College
Denis Porgo – Madison Area Technical College
Dave Ripp – Madison Area Technical College
Teegawende Segrado – Madison Area Technical College

Wyoming

Abbie Stucki – Northwest College

* Sixteen additional Cooke Transfer Scholar Semifinalists did not opt into publicity.

About The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation 

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 $304 million in scholarships to more than 3,400 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising, career pathway counseling and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $136 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. www.jkcf.org

The post In its 25th year, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Names 467 Semifinalists for Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship first appeared on Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

The Cooke Foundation selects the newest cohort of semifinalists for their College Scholarship amidst the college affordability crisis.

LANSDOWNE, VIRGINIA (JANUARY 23, 2025) – With college affordability becoming an increasingly insurmountable hurdle for families, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s mission of supporting exceptional students with financial need has never been more critical.  According to the “Growing Gap” report on college affordability from the National College Attainment Network, only one-third of public universities are considered affordable for low-to-moderate income students. Today, the Foundation announced that 571 high school seniors have been named semifinalists for its generous Cooke College Scholarship Program.

The Cooke College Scholarship provides Scholars with the opportunity to graduate with as little debt as possible. The award, which is last dollar funding after all institutional aid, can provide as much as $55,000 per year to pursue a bachelor’s degree at any accredited undergraduate institution. This year marks a milestone for the Cooke Foundation’s scholarship programs, as the organization is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

“We’re incredibly proud of how the Cooke Scholar community has evolved in twenty-five years of community-building,” said Natalie Rodriguez Jansorn, Vice President of Scholarship Programs at the Cooke Foundation. “Congratulations to these students for thinking big about their futures and earning the distinction of becoming a Cooke College Scholarship semifinalist.”

This year’s Cooke College Scholarship semifinalists represent an exceptional cohort, selected through an even more rigorous academic standard with a new minimum unweighted GPA requirement of 3.75.

“These students have shown remarkable dedication to their academic pursuits, and we’re honored to recognize their achievements as we continue our mission of making college accessible to exceptional students with financial need,” said Seppy Basili, Executive Director of the Cooke Foundation.

Applications will be reviewed once more to choose the scholarship finalists. The 2025 Cooke College Scholarship recipients will be announced in late March.

Students applied from all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Virgin Islands — representing more than 4,200 different high schools. A list of the semifinalists can be found below.

Cooke College Scholars are selected based on exceptional academic ability and achievement, financial need, persistence, leadership, and service to others. Students must be current high school seniors. Learn more about the College Scholarship Program here and sign up to be notified when the next application opens in fall 2025.

Alabama

Arina Ellard – Fairhope High School
Ashley Grant – Jacksonville High School
Adonay Mahatsente-Tewelde – Northridge High School
Chase Miller – Muscle Shoals High School
Syrai Pledger – Ramsay High School
Rama Zuaiter – Oak Mountain High School

Alaska

Habibah Bostani – West Anchorage High School
Anna Kardashyan – South Anchorage High School

American Samoa

Daniel Lee – Pacific Horizons School

Arizona

Jan Dwayne Cacnio – Paradise Valley High School
Jad Cehajic – BASIS Peoria
Lyzbeth Lara Sandoval – Phoenix Country Day School
Victoria Navarro – Nogales High School
Christella Nyandwi – Camelback High School
Tiffany Vu – Independence High School
Kaleb Watts – Verrado High School

Arkansas

Nergis Alboshebah – Haas Hall Academy
Damian Biggs – Arkansas School for Mathematics and Science
Abbi Hedrick – Hot Springs World Class High School
Chelsea Jensen – Bryant High School
Jonah Pulliam – North Little Rock High School West Campus
Katherine Quintanilla – Arkansas School for Mathematics and Science
Yahya Younus – Little Rock Central High School

California

Mikaela Balaban – Placer High School
Ashna Bhatia – Calabasas High School
Andra Campos – Warren High School
Melissa Canchola – Warren High School
Leslie Cruz Urquilla – KIPP: San Francisco College Preparatory
Joleen Deng – Balboa High School
Marialba Diaz-Perea – North Monterey County High School
Aaron Figueroa – Santa Ynez Valley Union High School
Bode Gower – Ukiah High School
Roundy Guerrero Garcia – Sweetwater High School
Chiling Han – The Harker School
Eli Hernandez – Chula Vista Senior High School
Toa Hernandez – Sweetwater High School
Michelle Iftekhar – Rancho Cucamonga High School
Daniel Ji – North Hollywood High School
Olivia Jimenez – Pioneer High School
Brianna Jimenez – Rancho San Juan High School
Sanja Jing – Mater Dei Catholic High School
Ameen Kandathil – Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School
Joyce Kwack – Rancho Bernardo High School
Justin Lam – Alhambra High School
Isa Larios – Sweetwater High School
Victor Martinez – Nogales High School
Maddie Meléndez – Vistamar School
James Miller – Westlake High School
Nadia Mujaddidi – Miramonte High School
Uzochi Orji – Murrieta Mesa High School
Jacky Orozco – Buena Park High School
Jasper Ralph – Alexander Hamilton High School
Isabel Ramirez Lucas – San Marcos High School
Ivanna Ruiz – Olympian High School
Zaina Saleh – Hollywood High School
Fernanda Sandoval – Marco Antonio Firebaugh High School
Mohini Schaefers – Woodbridge High School
Emily Silva Celaya – Robert Fulton College Preparatory School
Daniela Tamayo – Watsonville High School
Briget Valdez-Preciado – Gonzales High School
Ashley Wilson – Stockdale High School
Matthew Wong – Mark Keppel High School

Colorado

Daisy Arambula – DSST: College View High School
Maria Arrece Garcia – Niwot High School
Ruby Atherton – William J Palmer High School
Naima Criss – Regis Jesuit High School: Girls Division
Ebise Galato – East High School
Edgardo Garcia-Escobar – DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School
Sarah Hourani – The Denver School of Science and Technology
Adonai Kidane – Vista Peak Preparatory
Sarah Mohamed Ali – DSST: Byers High School
Lucy Ochs – Fairview High School
Annie Shen – Pine Creek High School
Alan Ventura Duran – Atlas Preparatory School
Eden Yimam – Lotus School For Excellence

Connecticut

Hunter Adams – Stafford High School
Julia Basseto-Oliveira – Fairfield Warde High School
Helena Chaine – Hamden Hall Country Day School
Tairan Habib – New Britain High School
Jeremiah Olubowale – Choate Rosemary Hall
Rickelle White – Fairchild Wheeler Interdistrict Multi-Magnet Campus
Danny Zheng – Middletown High School
Jessie Zheng – Amity Regional High School

Delaware

Ashly Benavides Lagunas – Indian River High School
Melisa Velasquez-Zunun – Sussex Central High School

District of Columbia

Monica Castro Alegre – E.L. Haynes Public Charter School
Dennis Galeana Juarez – E.L. Haynes Public Charter School
Camryn Howard – School Without Walls
Anna Khabiyev – Woodrow Wilson High School
Hiba Mohammed – Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Miqueas Ramirez De La Rosa – Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Zyhan Wagner – KIPP DC Legacy College Preparatory

Florida

Maurits Acosta – Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School
Selina Bao – Seabreeze High School
James Beauregard – Vanguard High School
Bianca Cadet – College Academy at Broward College
Alondra Campos – Pahokee Middle-Senior High School
Roberto Carmona – Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School
Simran Choudhury – Freedom High School
Artemis Cruz – Jose Marti Mast 6-12 Academy
Sabrina Dong – Cape Coral High School
Sabrina Everhart – Shorecrest Preparatory School
Freddy Fernandez – Miami Coral Park Senior High School
Danilo Franco – Florida Atlantic University High School
Rebecca Giner – Santa Fe High School
Frank Gonzalez – Miami Coral Park Senior High School
Diana Guerrero – Professional and Technical High School
Brandy Gutierrez – Palmetto Ridge High School
DeJaya Hardy – Miami Norland Senior High School
Abdul Indorewala – Charles W Flanagan High School
Mariam Kazimli – School for Advanced Studies
Andy Kizer – American Heritage Schools, Broward Campus
Alain Lee – Atlantic Community High School
Daniella Lobban – College Academy at Broward College
Amari Lopez – Sarasota Military Academy
Brianna Mariscal – Evans High School
Stephany Moura – Pompano Beach High School
Juliana Noreus – Lely High School
Elizabeth Robles – Pahokee Middle-Senior High School
Silvia Rodriguez – Saint Thomas Aquinas High School
Vanessa Rodriguez – Doral Academy Charter High School
Yocelin Santiso – John I Leonard High School
Brandon Sassarone – Fort Pierce Central High School
Tyler Scarborough – Dr Phillips High School
Shenard Williams – Fort Myers High School
McKinlee Williams – J R Arnold High School
Raygan Witherspoon – Riverside High School
Brian Wolfe – Edgewood Junior Senior High School
Katelyn Zeifman – Mater Performing Arts Academy

Georgia

Alex Agbaere – Stockbridge High School
Aubrey Allen – Arabia Mountain High School
Shai Bachar – Northview High School
Alex Belizaire – KIPP Atlanta Collegiate
Evie Carnes – Troup County Comprehensive High School
Eden Goode – North Gwinnett High School
Minh Ho – Seckinger High School
Anh Ho – Collins Hill High School
Chris Lee – Innovation Academy
Andrew Lin – Lambert High School
Abigail Marley – Lanier High School
Cris Marquez – Dalton High School
Yashvi Modi – Lagrange High School
Jordan Moon – Morgan County High School
Deion Nash – Langston Hughes High School
Sophia Nguyen – Elite Scholars Academy Early College Magnet School
Santiago Ochoa – Woodstock High School
Kenny Okoye – Creekside High School
Zyani Recendiz Rodriguez – A R Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet High School
Amarri Robinson – John S Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School
Andy Serrato – Apalachee High School
Shivali Singh – Gwinnett School of Mathematics Science and Technology
Alex Taylor – Union Grove High School
Cencen Wan – Dalton High School
Kairon Watkins – Paul Duke Stem High School
Kaleb Whitlow – Marietta High School
Ihsun Yousafzai Yousafzai – Gwinnett School of Mathematics Science and Technology

Guam

Nichelle Torcelino – John F Kennedy High School

Hawaii

Jeremy Choi – Iolani School
Tasanee Cogliandro – Kihei High School
Josie Vierra-Naleieha – Kamehameha Schools: Maui Campus

Idaho

Nick Mendez – Caldwell Senior High School

Illinois

Amirah Abdul – Palatine High School
Afia Adomako – Noble Academy
Oluwanifemi Ajayi – Thornwood High School
Tiba Al Taweel – Niles North High School
Hellen Alvarez – Phoenix STEM Military Academy
Lizzet Arriaga – Phoenix Military Academy
Megara Asllani – York Community High School
Jen Au – Northside College Preparatory High School
Nandini Budithi – Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Grace Coady – Urbana High School
Ocean Gao – Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Juveriya Ghouri – Chicago Mathematics and Science Academy
Victor Hanson – Glenbard East High School
Omar Hasiba – Evanston Township High School
Julia Hosu – Yorkville High School
Michal Lampejo – Josephinum Academy
Andrey Lazovski – Naperville Central High School
Bhargavi Limbachiya – Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center
Kevin Martinez – Aurora East High School
Avery McDowell – Bennett Day School
Eleshaday Mengiste – Northside College Preparatory High School
Xalani Mitchell – Evergreen Park Community High School
Mubina Mohamud – Chicago Mathematics and Science Academy
Oluwatosin Oni – South Shore International
Angel Ovalle – Noble Street Charter School: Golder College Prep
Brianna Ross – Lindblom Math and Science Academy
Isiah Thomas – Oak Park And River Forest High School
Iyanna Tuyay – Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Robert Wigfall – Carbondale Community High School

Indiana

Abena Antwi – John Adams High School
Nadira Balasundaram – Mississinewa High School
Eris Blair – Speedway High School
Aika Chikayama-Jackson – Signature School
Ray Fan – The Culver Academies
Nicole Fant – Jasper High School
Elijah Fischer – Bloomington High School South
Ashwak Kalil – Eman Schools
Raina Maiga – Purdue Polytechnic High School
Makala Masasu – Bishop Luers High School
Angelina Wheeler – Hammond Central High School
Ryan Zheng – Center Grove High School

Iowa

Aaron Butikofer – George Washington High School
Elisabeth Lai – Hoover High School
Adonawit Meshesha – Johnston High School

Kansas

Parker Koch – Centralia High School
Chiara Ngugi – Kapaun Mount Carmel Catholic High School
Eric Zou – Blue Valley Northwest High School

Kentucky

Noor Ahmed – Male Traditional High School
Jorge Blas Bautista – Suda E Butler Traditional High School
Alan Castaneda Gonzalez – Suda E Butler Traditional High School
Jackson Smith – Barren County High School

Louisiana

Zoe’ Bell – Louisiana Virtual Charter Academy
Sndra Elabbas – Caddo Parish Magnet High School
Faith Montgomery – Caddo Parish Magnet High School
Nita Perez – Homeschooled
Kimberly Quintanilla – Chalmette High School
Imri Williams – Benjamin Franklin High School

Maine

Fadumo Ahmed – Lewiston High School

Maryland

Ruth Ayala Terrazas – Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart
Natalie Chanthavong – Meade Senior High School
Prakriti Dhamala – Towson High School
Loid Frimpong – John F Kennedy High School
Maria Garza-Holguin – North County High School
Sophia Hostetter – Horizon Mennonite School
Justin Kim – Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School
Jed Kim – Liberty High School
Jeanelle Lin – Tuscarora High School
Larissa Mwiseneza – West Nottingham Academy
Leah Negash – Montgomery Blair High School
James Obasiolu – Atholton High School
Aaliyah Quaiyum – Northwestern High School
Valeria Ruiz de Castilla – Annapolis High School
Ferdaous Stevens – Elizabeth Seton High School
Jhelsey Taylan – Meade Senior High School
Xerco Tchouankeu – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Cho Yoon – Mount Hebron High School
Kevin Zhao – Poolesville High School

Massachusetts

Lauren Barnett – B M C Durfee High School
Hexikiah Buncome – John D O’Bryant School of Math and Science
Lisa Chen – Pittsfield High School
Vincent Chen – Dracut Senior High School
Shaniece Clarke – Fenway High School
Diana Eng – Innovation Academy Charter School
Ibne Faruk – Boston Latin Academy
Erta Ismahili – Revere High School
Anahit Marutyan – Claremont Academy
Weddmmaer Remy – New Heights Charter School of Brockton
Allya Rogers – Josiah Quincy Upper School
Michael Williamson – Phillips Academy

Michigan

Abdulaziz Alkhalisi – Henry Ford Early College
Mst Begum – Hamtramck High School
Valencia Imperi – Saint Catherine of Siena Academy
Hala Komaiha – Crestwood High School
Luna Lu – Interlochen Arts Academy
Juna Maxhari – Woodhaven High School
Gurkirat Singh – Plymouth High School
Jael-Ruby Sinkaiye – Genesee Early College

Minnesota

Abdulbaari Abdulkadir – Cristo Rey Jesuit High School: Twin Cities
Nawal Arafa – Blaine High School
Emmanuel Edebiri – Totino-Grace High School
Abby Hudson – Minnetonka High School
Gabby Hudson – Minnetonka High School
Laysha Jimenez Marin – Cristo Rey Jesuit High School: Twin Cities
Bethelehem Kebede – Rosemount High School

Mississippi

Carys Peden – Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
Wilson Yi – Clinton Christian Academy
Sydney Zhang – Desoto Central High School

Missouri

Adam Abdulla – Parkway West High School
Lexy Cooper – Moberly Senior High School
Ephrata Endalkachew – Lutheran High School North
Myka Link – Hillcrest High School
Saige Miller – Southwest High School
Ray Rao – Parkway North High School
Will Sapp – Smithville R-Ii High School
Raymond Vo – Blue Springs High School

Montana

Morgan Bisel – Corvallis High School
Isabella Determan – Gallatin High School

Nebraska

Akou Degbe – Papillion-La Vista High School
Giovanna Franco – South High School
Lindsey Pereyra Damian – South High School

Nevada

Ryan Cortenbach – Coral Academy of Science, Las Vegas
Isaiah Green – Northwest Career and Technical Academy
Kyara Hernandez Duarte – Elko High School
Ivan Sun – Ed W Clark High School
Alex Vakov – Coronado High School

New Hampshire

Claudia Lamie – Spaulding High School

New Jersey

Nmeso Aghaji – Great Oaks Charter School
Gabriel Espinoza – Technology High School
Ali Hagag – Roxbury High School
Vivianna Idland – Rancocas Valley Regional High School
Eza Iqbal – McNair Academic High School
Jeremiah Iverson – BelovED Community Charter School
Iman Khawaja – Burlington County Institute of Technology: Westampton Campus
Bachir Khoukhi – McNair Academic High School
Jemima Nguebeyo Ngouambe – Essex Valley Vocational School
Samantha Nmezi – North Star Academy Washington Park High School
Karen Otavalo – Science Park High School
Eltaicha Philippe – Essex County Vocational School
Brianna Rivera – Science Park High School
Tajayda Roomes – Teaneck High School
Nataly Ruiz – Pingry School
Henry Umana – Technology High School

New Mexico

Talia Withnall-May – New Mexico School For The Arts
Marwa Zameer – Albuquerque School of Excellence

New York

Farian Adio – Millennium Brooklyn High School
Christina Adja – Central Park East High School
Penelope Armes – Honeoye Falls-Lima High School
Jesus Barrios – Amityville Memorial High School
Chloe Cheng – Brooklyn Technical High School
Nehemiah Dabire – Brooklyn Technical High School
Karesha Desport – Academy Charter School – Uniondale
Talia Dixon – Monsignor Scanlan High School
Benson Edman – East Hampton High School
Masha Efimovich – Staten Island Technical High School
Kaileah Eloi – Townsend Harris High School
Arame Gueye – Cristo Rey High School
Hadeel Hamed – Troy High School
Asif Haque – NYC iSchool
Rebecca Hernandez – Academy Charter School
Mahia Hossain – Brooklyn Technical High School
Halimah Hotbani – Hudson High School
Yumi Jin – Ward Melville High School
Sukhsimran Kaur – Westlake High School
Mohammad Khan Ali – Hutchinson Central Technical High School
Anthony Kim – Bronx High School of Science
Fiona Lin – Herricks Senior High School
Kalista Lin – North Shore High School
Howie Lin – Queens Metropolitan High School
Eric Mach – Bronx High School of Science
Jannat Majid – Bellport Senior High School
Erick Moreno – Park East High School
Sayir Moussa – Thomas J Corcoran High School
Lark Nguyen-Hughes – Packer Collegiate Institute
Naomi Obasa – Bay Shore High School
Hisham Osman – Benjamin Cardozo High School
Jinellys Ozuna – Legacy College Preparatory Charter High School
Josh Romeo – Dover High School
Omer Saleh – High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology
Nayeli Segarra – Ramapo Senior High School
Nimra Shahid – Brooklyn Latin School
Aleeza Shekhani – Stuyvesant High School
Ismalay Tejada Santos – Bay Shore High School
Sophia Tkachenko – Queens High School For the Sciences at York College
Melanie Torosina – Harlem Village Academy High School
Steven Vidal – New York City Charter School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries
Lily Wu – Great Neck South High School
Kangxi Yang – Staten Island Technical High School
Jason Zhang – Bronx High School of Science
Michelle Zheng – East Meadow High School

North Carolina

Jennifer Britt – North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
KeVonna Dixon – Montgomery County Early College
Thong Doan – Hickory High School
Zainab Elzibair – Walter M Williams High School
Carlos Eumana-Carranza – Robeson County Early College High School
Imaan Fatima – Asheboro High School
Noelani Green – Middle College High School at Durham Technical Community College
Jessica Herrera Salinas – Alexander Central High School
Nour Issa – Johnston County Career & Technical Leadership Academy
Yazmin Lopez-Munoz – Jordan Matthews High School
Ana Giulia Mesabarba de Almeida – Carrboro High School
Tape Neal – Rolesville High School
Francisco Perez – Western High School
Sana Rahmani – Athens Drive Senior High School
Robert Rong – Enloe High School
Jason Salgado – South Garner High School
Diego Sanchez Tirado – North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Johnny Tran – The Academy at Smith
Korbyn Walton – Lumberton High School
Stacy Wang – Leesville Road High School
Analiza West – Hobbton High School

North Dakota

Cady Wang – Ronald N Davies High School

Ohio

Hosaena Araia – Columbus Downtown High School
Angelina Chen – Wyoming High School
Diego Coutino Granados – Theodore Roosevelt High School
Vincent DAngelo – Gilmour Academy
Kanyah Green – Columbus International High School
Michelle Ibarra-Gou – North Olmsted High School
Nurmuhammad Kambaraliev – William Mason High School
Xiaoxuan Li – Westerville South High School
Bethel Mulat – Pickerington North High School
Sophia Yan – Beachwood High School
Gordon Yu – Greenon High School

Oklahoma

Marcos De La Torre Sanchez – Laverne High School
Ezri Diaz – Tulsa Honor Academy High School
Jimmy Escobar Mendez – Putnam City West High School
Sophia Fu – Edmond Santa Fe High School
Madison Hayes – Edmond Santa Fe High School
Sullivan Ho – Norman High School
Maria Loera-Eudave – Western Heights High School
Hoang Nguyen – Mustang High School
Mia Osita – Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
Sofia Yeromenko – Jenks High School

Oregon

Jenny Chen – Lincoln High School
Aster Dean – Astoria Senior High School
Kiara Gonzalez – David Douglas High School
Jordyn Hill – McNary High School
Nathan Lucore – Grants Pass High School
Meadow Mertsching – Woodrow Wilson High School
Kindra Miller – Early College High School
Aidet Nolazco – Seaside High School
Yoselin Sedano-Alamo – Hood River Valley High School
Emanuel Tsegaye – Centennial High School

Pennsylvania

Salma Alouane – Baldwin High School
Keyarra Barley – Academy Park High School
Luke Bowers – Turkeyfoot Valley Area High School
Tervina Danour – Central York High School
Mabindu Donzo – Penn Wood Senior High School
Matthew Hill – Scranton High School
Annalise Ho – Dauphin County Technical School
Ethan Ilondior – Father Judge High School
Khadicha Kosimjonova – Baldwin High School
Mariah Lewis – West Mifflin Area High School
Brandon Wang – North Allegheny Senior High School
Kenzee Wiker – Warwick High School
Vincent Zheng – Central High School

Puerto Rico

Carolina González – Centro Residencial de Oportunidades Educativas de Ceiba
Daisyanet Loza – Escuela Secundaria Especializada en CIMATEC

Rhode Island

Dessa Molina Martins – East Greenwich High School

South Carolina

Matthew Black – Heathwood Hall Episcopal School
Alexa Bonilla – Myrtle Beach High School
John Brock – Camden Military Academy
Ana De Paiva – Greenville Senior High School
Tae Noh – Dutch Fork High School
Cloé Runion – Stratford High School
Sanjith Sunil – Governor School Science And Math

South Dakota

Aglaia Ramey – Central High School

Tennessee

Caroline Constantine – Summit High School
Celeste Cruz – White Station High School
Carter Downs – Signal Mountain Middle-High School
Ammar Duldul – Memphis University School
Keyon Evans – Chattanooga Preparatory
Lena Feleke – Martin Luther King Jr Magnet High School for Health Science and Engineering
Emmanuel Garcia – Chattanooga Preparatory
Corey Irby – East High School
Yashvi Patel – Brentwood High School
Christine Tran – James Lawson High School
Kimberly Vargas – Intrepid Prep-Independence Academy

Texas

Angie Aguilar – YES Preparatory Public Schools – West
Nicole Akintola – Alief Early College High School
Kaela Almayda – Incarnate Word High School
Alan Avila – Williams Preparatory
Jasmine Ayala – Cypress Ridge High School
Kasia Badger – Wakeland High School
Rene Badillo – Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North High School
Jhamarkus Biggins – Longview High School
Rene Candelaria – Idea Frontier College Preparatory
Axel Cantu – Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North High School
McKayla Carroll – Tascosa High School
Anmol Christ – Midlothian High School
Robell Ephrem – Dulles High School
Joseias Esayas – Challenge Early College High School
Jennyfer Estrada – YES Preparatory Public Schools: Brays Oaks
Brinley Farquhar – Plano West Senior High School
Nifemi Fasuanmi – Richland Collegiate High School
Jose Luis Flores Rositas – Central Catholic High School
Erik Galindo – Williams Preparatory
Jimmy Gallegos – Jarrell High School
Jacob Garza – L W Fox Academic and Technical High School
Adrian Godoy – YES Preparatory Schools: Southeast
Ruby Gundrum – Ball High School
Karen Hernandez – YES Prep Northline
Yissel Hernandez – YES Prep Gulfton
Jaqueline Herrera – IDEA Weslaco Pike College Preparatory
Raul Hinojosa – IDEA College Preparatory McAllen
Hannah Ho – Central High School
LaZaria Holland – Forney High School
Maiah Holmes – Atascocita High School
Elizabeth Hu – Saint John’s School
Jasmine John – Garland High School
Shiza Khan – Harmony School of Business
Samyam Khatiwada – International Leadership Texas Aggieland High School
Sahand Khavari – Plano West Senior High School
Stacy Knight – Lebanon Trail High School
Aishat Kosamot – Arlington ISD Collegiate High School
Tensae Laki – Harmony Science Academy – North Austin
Israel Lerma Lerma – Brazosport High School
Bethany Lloyd – Dickinson High School
Anaise Lopez-Rodriguez – Belton High School
Angelyna Mackie – Stony Point High School
Al McKee – IDEA Academy and College Preparatory: Mission
Christian Mendez – Ysleta High School
Harsha Minakanti – Princeton High School
Inaaya Momin- William B. Travis High School
Jimena Moreno Cuellar – Bryan Adams High School
Isabella Moreno-Sandoval – Southwest High School
Shakhzoda Mubinova – Harmony School of Political Science And Communication
Sarah Nguyen – North Garland High School
Jacqueline Nunez Martinez – Harmony Science Academy – Dallas
Danielle Nyame – Seguin High School
Davina Obinyan – James W Martin High School
Valeria Ordonez – IDEA Academy and College Preparatory: Mission
Hanna Pinang – Alief Early College High School
Ana Sanchez Lopez – Elsik High School
Sydnei Sisney – Kingwood Park High School
Jaqueline Soto – James Madison High School for Meteorology And Space Science
Ike Sowemimo – North Garland High School
Patricia Spill – Advanced Learning Academy
Janely Teran – Jersey Village High School
Alvina Thara – William B Travis High School
Kosi Toussaint – Alief Hasting Senior High School
Kit Tran – Mansfield Timberview High School
Cruz Trejo – North Mesquite High School
Hannah Truong – YES Preparatory Schools: Southeast
Josh Vento-Jones – John Jay Science And Engineering Academy
Aidan Webb – Arlington ISD Collegiate High School
Joli Williams – Westside High School
Amanda Zhang – Cypress Woods High School

Utah

Charly Midy – Utah County Academy of Sciences
Haylie Whitney – Cyprus High School

Virginia

Hanan Abdelbagi – Washington-Liberty High School
Dava Arkoh – Bishop O’Connell High School
Kayla Boateng – John R. Lewis High School
Filmon Gessesse – Wakefield High School
Mahmut Gurel – Norview High School
Paulina Ilina – Colonial Forge High School
Sana Khilwatgar – Chantilly High School
Hana Lemma – T C Williams High School
Kiera Long – Patrick Henry High School
Sadiq Mubarak – Justice High School
Eve Nguyen – Mills E Godwin High School
Kayly Nguyen – John Champe High School
Wendy Oluwaji – E C Glass High School
Alyssa Phat – John Randolph Tucker High School
Alisha Possien-Rodriguez – Arcadia High School
Olga Salama – Charlottesville High School
Fatma Sidi-Elemine – Huguenot High School
Shantia Sterling – Alleghany High School
Jaydon Sun – Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Emily Tarabay – Highland Springs High School
Kenyon Tran-Munoz – Riverside High School
Sara Turney – Orange County High School
Razvan Verde – Warwick High School
Charity White – Carlisle School
Ray Zhang – Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Cory Zheng – Landstown High School

Washington

Taite Kirkpatrick – Mount Vernon High School
Beza Mersa – Shorecrest High School
Yahir Palacios-Sanchez – A C Davis Senior High School
Tasmeen Sheikh – Mariner High School
Tony Shen – Newport High School

West Virginia

Asali Watts – Musselman High School

Wisconsin

Jacsyn Disrud – Oregon High School
Serena Lu – Spooner High School
Yoseline Magana – Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Milwaukee
Lila Sonmez – West High School
Bodie Weeks – Milwaukee School of Language

Wyoming

Savannah Fagan – Encampment High School
Yasmin Rodriguez Rascon – Campbell County High School

* Twenty-one additional Cooke College Scholar Semifinalists did not opt into publicity.

###

About The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation 

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 $304 million in scholarships to more than 3,400 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising, career pathway counseling and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $136 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. www.jkcf.org 

Media Contact: Julia Florence, media@jkcf.org

The post Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Names 571 High School Seniors as College Scholarship Semifinalists first appeared on Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

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 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.

“Through our scholarship, we aim to ensure that high-achieving community college 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

###

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

The post 60 Community College Students Awarded Transfer Scholarships to Attend Four-Year Institutions first appeared on Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

A group of 2023 Cooke College Scholars stand together at last year’s annual Scholars Weekend conference.

Lansdowne, VA — Today, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced that 60 graduating high school seniors will receive the Cooke College Scholarship. This scholarship aims to help students who have demonstrated exceptional academic ability, leadership, and persistence attend top universities and avoid student debt. The award, which is last dollar funding after all institutional aid, can provide as much as $55,000 per year to complete a bachelor’s degree at any accredited undergraduate institution in the United States. 

In addition to substantial financial support, Scholars also receive ongoing academic coaching and advising, graduate school and career advising, and an invaluable connection to a robust network of peers in the Cooke Scholar community. Scholars will also receive opportunities for internships and study abroad as well as eligibility to apply for graduate school funding.

“We extend a huge congratulations to the impressive new cohort of Cooke College Scholars,” said Seppy Basili, Executive Director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “This year, we saw a record-breaking number of applications, and the remarkable achievements and resilience of these students have truly impressed us.”

This year, students applied for the Cooke College Scholarship from all 50 states, as well as Washington, DC, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico – and represent more than 3,800 different high schools. The Foundation evaluated each submission, and selected Scholars based on their academic ability, persistence, leadership, and financial need. Scholars will go on to study in fields such as biology, engineering, computer science, fine arts, and political science.

These 60 Scholars join the 58 current Cooke Young Scholars who were selected earlier this year to continue to receive the Foundation’s support. Together, both groups form the 2024 cohort of 118 Cooke College Scholars. A full list of the 2024 Cooke College Scholars, including the high schools and states they represent, can be found below.

Alabama

Katia Apedoh* – Hoover High School
Kacey Calhoun* – Webb School

Arizona

Sylvia Langer* – Phillips Exeter Academy
Maddox McShane – Phoenix Union Bioscience High School

Arkansas

Laura Avila – Fayetteville Senior High School

California

Dina Ande* – The Harker School
Alexis Ayala-Ochoa – Gonzales High School
Abby Burlison* – Red Bluff High School
Klaryssa Cobian* – Polytechnic School
Jessica Cooks* – Cate School
Emanuel Gomez-Lopez* – Crystal Springs Uplands School
Shem Haile – Leuzinger High School
Cisco Hernandez* – Phillips Academy
Kevin Kim – Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies
Alex Lam-Tang – Rancho Alamitos High School
Alex Lee – Harvard-Westlake School
Enrique Perez* – Sequoyah School
Nova Roden* – Oakmont High School
Simone Smith – Quincy Junior Senior High School

Colorado

Rayan Elhanan – The Denver School of Science and Technology
Milo Lamas* – Lakewood High School

Connecticut

Anthony Deras – University of Connecticut

District of Columbia

London Haynie – Bard College

Florida

Charlie Baierlein* – Bell Creek Academy
Garhyson Gaddy* – Pine Crest School
Giovanni Meza* – Bartow Senior High School
Carlos Nunez-Sosa – East River High School
Emily Parra* – Saint Andrew’s School
Brianna Ricardo – College Academy at Broward Community College
Eugene Ross* – Academy at the Lakes
Alexis Sapp – Evans High School
Mica Zeitlin* – TERRA Environmental Research Institute

Georgia

Sophia Ahn – Seckinger High School
Vada Bowen* – Wayne County High School
Shawn Cogan* – Walker School
Allen Garcia – Berkmar High School
Rachel Jorree* – Washington County High School
Anthony Kahn* – Etowah High School
Nashra Khan* – Shiloh High School
August Mobley – Columbus High School
Daniel Pham* – Parkview High School

Illinois

Citlalli Alaniz* – Fenwick High School
Keenyah Davis* – Holy Trinity High School
David Dickson – Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Qianya Lin – Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Lupe Miranda – DeVry Advantage Academy
Joanna Nar* – Latin School of Chicago
Jet Nuygen* – Walter Payton College Preparatory High School

Indiana

Salah Ali – Elkhart Memorial High School
Johnny Jimenez – The Culver Academies
Jetzabel Rivera-Lopez – Lawrence North High School

Iowa

Siomara Luna-Garcia – Iowa City West High School

Kansas

Dallas Parks* – Saint Timothy’s School
Sandra Vazquez Ulloa – Wichita High School North

Kentucky

Addison Brannon* – Phillips Exeter Academy
Abigail Clarkson* – The Madeira School
Macy Germanis – Franklin-Simpson High School
Que Tran* – Lawrenceville School

Maryland

Mariel Arevalo Ballon – Wheaton High School
Melat Ghebreselassie – Springbrook High School
Ayat Hasan – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Pamela Kim* – Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School
Leo Melton* – Episcopal High School

Massachusetts

Ashley Jane* – Phillips Exeter Academy
Susan Luong – University Park Campus School
Tatiana Restrepo – Holyoke High School

Michigan

Aliyah Evans – Skyline High School
Lily Pham* – Cranbrook Kingswood School
Ali Slim – Crestwood High School

Minnesota

Brant Bueno Fajardo – Columbia Heights High School

Missouri

Angel Becerra – Rockhurst High School

Montana

Heaven Diaz – Morgieau – Saint Ignatius High School

New Jersey

Sofiia Goncharuk – West Morris Central High School
Jonathan Yoo* – Hawthorne Christian Academy

New York

Becca Beato* – Special Music School High School
Alice Wang – Tottenville High School

North Carolina

Laci Morefield – South Stokes High School
Esther Park* – Raleigh Charter High School
John Park* – Cox Mill High School
Caden Payne* – Holly Springs High School
Carolina Ramirez-Contreras – Triton High School
Dyiamon Robinson – East Bladen High School
Ta’Marion Scott – Hillside High School

Ohio

Lara Teri-Lyimo – New Albany High School

Oklahoma

Lexy Poyner – Davis High School

Oregon

Kim Cortes-Martinez – Gresham High School

Pennsylvania

Adam Dombrowski* – Pennsbury High School: East Campus
Rayan Hansali – Upper Darby High School
Richard Lu* – The Hotchkiss School

Puerto Rico

Wilmar Galvez Alfonso – Benito Cerezo Vazquez High School

Rhode Island

Grace Rutherford* – Stanford University Online High School

South Carolina

Dre’Shon Jackson – Wilson High School

Tennessee

Cameron Achata* – Bradley Central High School
Liana Markos – White Station High School
Ximena Villa Ibarra* – White Station High School

Texas

Miriam Berry* – Hillcrest High School
Zain Blair-Roberts* – McKinney High School
Thanh Duong* – Cypress Woods High School
Alecz Gonzalez* – Blanson CTE High School
Hanah Kim* – Harker Heights High School
Youngmeen Kwon* – John H Guyer High School
Paul Morrison* – Texas Academy Of Biomedical Sciences
Sydney Pena* – Los Fresnos High School
Kevin Pham – Carnegie Vanguard High School
Brigette Radilla Tellez – IDEA Academy and College Preparatory: Mission
Ava Schreier – Theodore Roosevelt High School
Johnique Thomas – Manor Early College High School
Wende Wang* – Kinkaid School

Virginia

Monte Berman* – Episcopal High School
Orion Blevins* – Stanford University Online High School
Katelyn Miller – Loudoun Valley High School
Kyle Ryu – James W Robinson Junior Secondary School
Joseph Sparks* – Arlington Career Center

Washington

Varun Atraya – Bellevue Big Picture School

Wisconsin

Will Jepsen – Marshfield High School
Iskander Rzaev – West High School

Two additional Cooke College Scholars did not opt into publicity.

*Indicates that this student is also a current Cooke Young Scholar.

###

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

The post Sixty High School Seniors Awarded the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship first appeared on Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

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
(Name Removed by Request) – 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
Ahmed Alzeidi – Community College of Philadelphia
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.

###

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

The post 459 Semifinalists Named For Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Transformative Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship first appeared on Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

A group of 2023 Cooke Scholars pose together at last year’s Scholars Weekend convening.

Lansdowne, Virginia – Today, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced that 558 high school seniors have been named semifinalists for the highly competitive Cooke College Scholarship Program. The Cooke College Scholarship provides Scholars with the opportunity to graduate with as little debt as possible. The award, which is last dollar funding after all institutional aid, can provide as much as $55,000 per year to pursue a bachelor’s degree at any accredited undergraduate institution.

This year’s Cooke College Scholarship semifinalists were selected from the largest pool the Cooke Foundation has received to date. Applications will be reviewed once more to choose the finalists to receive the scholarship. The 2024 Cooke College Scholarship recipients will be announced in April.

“We are awed by the breadth and depth of applications we received this year; there are so many talented students across the country, and we’re honored to have the opportunity to recognize their hard work,” said Executive Director Seppy Basili. “These students experienced tremendous challenges due to COVID at the outset of their high school careers which makes their accomplishments even more impressive.” 

Students applied from all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Virgin Islands — representing more than 3,800 different high schools. A list of the semifinalists can be found below.

Cooke College Scholars are selected based on exceptional academic ability and achievement, financial need, persistence, service to others, and leadership. Students must be current high school seniors residing in the United States. Scholarships are awarded without respect to religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, geographic region, race or ethnicity. Learn more about the College Scholarship Program here and sign up to be notified when the next application opens in fall 2024.

Alabama

Isaac Alba – Enterprise High School
Ramatou Diakite – Pinson Valley High School
Emily Huang – Fayette County High School
Theresa Nguyen – Chelsea High School

Alaska

Royal Chukwuka – West Anchorage High School

Arizona

Aubrey Billups – Basha High School
Letom Kpea – Buckeye Union High Schoo
Landyn Kropp – Arizona Connections Academ
Maddox McShane – Phoenix Union Bioscience High School
Pamela Rodriguez – Chandler High School
Odree Uwancunguye – Cesar Chavez High School
Frankois Valdez – Desert View High School

Arkansas

Laura Avila – Fayetteville Senior High School
Jerry Igweh – Little Rock Christian Academy
Tianxin Li – Haas Hall Academy

California

Aneesa Ali – Canyon Crest Academy
Arianna Amezcua – South El Monte High School
Z’haria Anderson – Encinal High School
Alexis Ayala-Ochoa – Gonzales High School
Synaia Bolen-Holt – Woodrow Wilson High School
Camilo Duarte – Lifeline Education Charter School
Juan Fregoso – Nogales High School
Kyah Gaines – Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Rita Gerges – Royal High School
Shem Haile – Leuzinger High School
Carla Hau – San Gabriel High School
Joel Hernandez – Benjamin Franklin High School
Liliana Hidalgo – North Hollywood High School
Kevin Kim – Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies
Alex Lam-Tang – Rancho Alamitos High School
Alex Lee – Harvard-Westlake School
Hyunwoo Lee – William Howard Taft High School
Mia Lee – Northwood High School
Jeffrey Leung – Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
Jake Li – Troy High School
Andy Lyek – Johansen High School
Nishia McCain – Middle College High School
Isaac Mendoza – Clovis High School
Gabriela Niño Herrera – Valley Region High School
Kevin Ortiz – Clovis East High School
Melanie Ovalle – Chula Vista Learning Community Charter High School
Dhruv Patel – Rancho Bernardo High School
Arynn Patton – Middle College High School
Andraye Terell Salazar – El Camino Real Charter High School
Anthony Sarceno – Harbor Teacher Preparatory Academy
Simone Smith – Quincy Junior Senior High School
Tito Solomon – Lincoln High School
Reyaz Abdullah Sultani – Grant High School
Mark Tian – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Pengyue Tian – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Ty Torres – Birmingham High School
Dolphin Tran – Rock Academy
Nashla Turcios – New West Charter School
Joziah Uribe-Lopez – Gonzales High School

Colorado

Rayan Elhanan – The Denver School of Science and Technology
Cece Houseweart – North Fork High School
Muhammad Javed Paktinyar – South High School
Caleb Seward – Aspen High School
Grace White-Sandlin – Durango High School
Mahnaz Zahedi – KIPP Denver Northeast Leadership Academy

Connecticut

Petr Berlizov – The Hotchkiss School
Anthony Deras – Trumbull High School
Marcelo Deras – Trumbull High School
Em Ploss – Joel Barlow High School
Jessica Santos – Frank S Bunnell High School
Aaron Tiong – Litchfield High School
Michelle Wilson – Hartford Public High School

Delaware

Maddie Miller – Wilmington Friends School
Daniel Song – Polytech High School of Kent County

District of Columbia

Nardos Getachew – Columbia Heights Education Campus
London Haynie – Bard High School Early College DC
Jennifer Ramirez Aparicio – Roosevelt High School
Precious Ramonu – KIPP DC: College Preparatory
Jordan Rouse – Friendship Public Charter School: Collegiate Academy

Florida

Allan An – F W Springstead High School
Hadi Basil – Ridgeview High School
Freddy Bautista-Molina – International Baccalaureate School
Melissa Bermudez – American Heritage School Plantation
Myles Brown – F W Springstead High School
Juan Caicedo – Leto Comprehensive High School
Jazzlynn Cassady – Lake Wales High School
Hsuan Chang – North Bay Haven Career Academy
Jamara Chery – MAST at FIU Biscayne Bay Campus
Marlone Davermann – School for Advanced Studies Homestead
Lesly Delgado – School for Advanced Studies – North
Mykayla Graham – Booker High School
Santiago Giraldo – Coral Gables Senior High School
Darius Green – Berkeley Preparatory School
Aidan Griffin – Indian Rocks Christian School
Sellome Haile – Academy of the Holy Names High School
Aliciana Harvey-Lopez – Pine View School
Mya LaMarr – Berkeley Preparatory School
Ty Lipscomb – River City Science Academy: Beach Campus
Cynthia Medina – Braden River High School
Sarah Morales – School for Advanced Studies Homestead
Jaden Natividad – Saint Thomas Aquinas High School
Tuyen Nguyen – Saint Petersburg Senior High School
Carlos Nunez-Sosa – East River High School
Martin Palencia-Gomez – North Broward Preparatory School
Sophia Pasciotty – Treasure Coast High School
Timoteo Quinteros Hofkamp – Palm Beach Central High School
Christopher Raphael – Sheridan Technical High School
Marilin Recinos – Lehigh Senior High School
Jhennelle Reid – Winter Springs High School
Brianna Ricardo – College Academy at Broward Community College
Evelina Rolfe – Fleming Island High School
Maria Rueda – Immokalee High School
Johane Saintil – Lorenzo Walker Technical High School
Halle Saldivia – Osceola County School for the Arts
Amaiya Samuel – American Heritage School Plantation
Kaylee Sanchez – Manatee High School
Alexis Sapp – Evans High School
Woodnie Sauveur – Atlantic Community High School
Valeria Segura Mejias – West Orange High School
Nick Shikano – Dr Phillips High School
Alain Soto – School for Advanced Studies – South
Kenny Stephen – South Technical Education Center
Rena Wang – Saint Andrew’s School
Capri Wayne – Alexander W Dreyfoos School Of The Arts
Syriah Williams – Eustis High School
Rachel Xu – Eastside High School

Georgia

Sophia Ahn – Seckinger High School
Anaiia Carter – Robert L Osborne High School
Oswin Cervantes – Paul Duke Stem High School
Madisyn Dennis – Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology
Jorden Edens – Woodland High School
Orit Endalk – Archer High School
Allen Garcia – Berkmar High School
Larkspur John – Shiloh High School
Quavion Jones – Riverwood International Charter School
Anna Kirk – DeKalb School of the Arts
Camila Luna – Meadowcreek High School
August Mobley – Columbus High School
Allyson Muller – Gilmer High School
Praise Oladiti – Brookwood High School
Victor Osele – Discovery High School
Kayla Raines – Martha Ellen Stilwell School of the Arts
Mauricio Restrepo – Gwinnett School of Mathematics Science and Technology
Jordan Shealey – Denmark High School
Emerson Shi – Creekview High School
Kiersten Smith – Baldwin High School
Natalee Suggs – Lovejoy High School
Alejandro Valencia – Coffee High School
Samuel Woldegiorgis – Decatur High School
Leo Zeng – Riverside Military Academy

Guam

Destiny Paige Tumbucon – Tiyan High School

Hawaii

Maile-Lei Ji – Kealakehe High School
Edyn-Raquel Nakaahiki – Kauai High School

Idaho

Clay Koessler – Timberline High School
Jyoti Shrestha – Timberline High School

Illinois

Ishba Aftab – Chicago Mathematics and Science Academy
Shadan Al Zuhairi – Wheaton Warrenville South High School
Doanh Bao – Stephen T Mather High School
Waleed Binmahfooz – Glenbard East High School
Kenneth Bonto – Harry D Jacobs High School
Pablo Bravo – Prosser Vocational Academic Preparatory Center
Sophia Cabrera – West Leyden High School
Brian Campoverde – Francis W Parker School
Yailine Cano – Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center
Amy Chen – Hinsdale Central High School
Gerald Davis – Providence-Saint Mel High School
David Dickson – Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Miranda Dunford – Kenwood Academy
Tanner Egbert – La Salle-Peru High School
Ibilola Fasogbon – Theodore Roosevelt High School
Harrison Hunt – Adlai E Stevenson High School
Hannah Kolakowski – Elgin High School
Bobo Lin – Jones College Preparatory
Qianya Lin – Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Miranda Mendez – Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Lupe Miranda – DeVry Advantage Academy
Frida Mora Garcia – Plainfield East High School
Betrand Ngong – Glenbard West High School
Mateo Noguera Montoya – Wheaton Academy
Leonardo Orbea – Oak Lawn Community High School
Shirin Patel – Lane Technical High School
Tomas Ramirez – George Washington High School
Diana Roman – Noble Academy
Adi Rosas – Avila – Lane Technical High School
Iyanuoluwa Shonukan – Dundee-Crown High School
Madison Thompson – Hansberry College Preparatory
Nashra Younus – Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

Indiana

Salah Ali – Elkhart Memorial High School
Jalyn Brannon – Munster High School
Haydan Gabbard – Cascade High School
Brendan Grubbs – Lapel Senior High School
Austin Guerrero – Boone Grove High School
Johnny Jimenez – The Culver Academies
Bruki Kassahun – Covenant Christian High School
Feranmi Kolawole Kolawole – Ben Davis University High School
Leonardo Olivares – Ben Davis High School
Avery Phillips – North High School
Zyden Pittman – Shenandoah High School
Oscar Quijada – Marian High School
Jetzabel Rivera-Lopez – Lawrence North High School
Emily Rudolph – New Tech Institute: Academies of Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership

Iowa

Siomara Luna-Garcia – Iowa City West High School
Olivia Marti – Waukon High School
Tommy Ngo – Urbandale High School
Saw Gee Dow Sow – North High School
Cody Whittaker – Burlington Community High School

Kansas

Sandra Vazquez Ulloa – Wichita High School North

Kentucky

Owen Cody – Mccracken County High School
Macy Germanis – Franklin-Simpson High School
Pranjal Sharma – Ballard High School

Louisiana

Joseph Davenport – Living School
Ahmed Elgamel – Lafayette High School
Chioma Onyemara – KIPP Renaissance High School at Frederick A Douglass High School
Sianna Paddie – Denham Springs Senior High School
Tom Wang – Caddo Parish Magnet High School

Maine

Kayley Lin – Marshwood High School

Maryland

Mariel Arevalo Ballon – Wheaton High School
Ayodele Ayoola – Western School for Technology and Environmental Science
Kaitlyn Bassford – La Plata High School
Gabriel Diaz – Wheaton High School
Melat Ghebreselassie – Springbrook High School
Ayat Hasan – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Jehan Idsassi – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Caylah Jones – Western School for Technology and Environmental Science
Beatrice Koffi – Henry E Lackey High School
Michelle Law – Western High School
Oumou Sall – Western High School
Rahwa Tesfay – Wheaton High School
Van Tran – Easton High School
Shantay Williamson – Western High School
Eric Zheng – Marriotts Ridge High School

Massachusetts

Avery Carr – Monument Mountain Regional High School
Ethan Casey – Shepherd Hill Regional High School
Nairobi Cepeda Fajardo – Cambridge Rindge and Latin School
Sierra Cotton – High School Of Commerce
Miguel Gomez – Roxbury Preparatory High School
Marie Kasongo – MATCH Charter Public High School
Santana Khan – Homeschool
Joanna Lin – Boston Latin School
Susan Luong – University Park Campus School
Htoo Naung – CATS Academy Boston
Uyen Nguyen – Boston Latin School
Amel Nurhussien – Worcester Technical High School
Farhiya Omar – Charlestown High School
Donachy Opont – Community Charter School of Cambridge
Tatiana Restrepo – Holyoke High School
Jamesna Sainvil – High School Of Commerce
Abdulhaleef Sotunbo – John D O’Bryant School of Math and Science
Rebecca St. Paul – Boston Latin Academy
Thalia Williams – High School of Commerce
Blessing Wisdomgold – Leominster High School

Michigan

Panna Akter – Hamtramck High School
Nabaa Al-Yasseri – Star International Academy
Hannah Cena – Holt High School
Aliyah Evans – Skyline High School
Rawan Fakih – Fordson High School
Siam Hossain – Cass Technical High School
Cesar Maya – Cass Technical High School
Isabella Mei – Adlai E Stevenson High School
Maite Reyes De La Cruz – Southwest High School
Ali Slim – Crestwood High School
Khaled Taifour – East Lansing High School
Olivia Thompkins – Holt High School
Rokhyatou Toure – University High School Academy

Minnesota

Elizabeth Alene – Highland Park Senior High School
Isai Alvarez – Shakopee Senior High School
Brant Bueno Fajardo – Columbia Heights High School
Naima Sheikh-Mohamed – Roseville Area High School

Mississippi

Noah Lee – Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science

Missouri

Angel Becerra – Rockhurst High School
Aleksandar Marinkovic – Fort Zumwalt South High School

Montana

Heaven Diaz-Morgieau – Saint Ignatius High School

Nebraska

Kee Copeland – Benson High School
Amelia-Michelle Forlemu – Lincoln Southeast High School

Nevada

Jacob Arrazola – Valley High School
Allyson Trump – Silverado High School
Zihan Wang – Coronado High School

New Hampshire

Ayaan Akhtar – Phillips Exeter Academy
Jen Guo – Keene High School
Katherine Guo – Keene High School
Delilah Smock – Gilford High School

New Jersey

Jeffrey Abdurakhmanov – Elizabeth High School
Kayla Cheng – Tenafly High School
Kathleen Chung – Ridgefield Memorial High School
Valeria De La Cruz – Union City High School
Guerna Demosthene – North Star Academy Charter School of Newark
Joshua Dos Santos – Dwight Morrow High School
Priscilla George – Clifton High School
Sofiia Goncharuk – West Morris Central High School
Ava Gonzalez – Lyndhurst High School
Aidan La France – Williamstown High School
Alisona Le – Bergen County Academies
Abdullah Mohit – Highland Regional High School
Emiliano Mucka – Garfield High School
Amira Mustafa – Clifton High School
Yuga Patel – McNair Academic High School
Ashley Pavlovsky – Colts Neck High School
Brialis Phan – Toms River High School North
Daejah Purnell – Triton Regional High School
James Ramundo – Cliffside Park High School
Timothy Schwarcz – Montgomery High School
Celina Shao – Old Bridge High School
Greiky Suriel – William L Dickinson High School
Breanna Thompson – East Orange STEM Academy

New York

Begad Abouelnaga – Beacon School
Sunya Afrasiabi – Williamsville High School North
Umar Ahmed – Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School
Raghad Alakoub – East Syracuse-Minoa Central High School
Kenzy Amin – Academy of American Studies
Marlei Armstrong – Falconer Middle-High School
Christian Auguste – Uniondale High School
Zenab Bakayoko – Stephen T Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School
Mekhi Barnett – Hillcrest High School
Rabbia Batool – Urban Assembly School for Criminal Justice
Robert Bernhardt – Regis High School
Colleen Burbridge – Suffern High School
Ryan Cabrera – Garden School
Juzette Claire Celis – Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy International High School
JJ Cham – Bronx Lab School
Rachel Chan – Townsend Harris High School
Qiyue Chen – Francis Lewis High School
Yeranny De La Cruz – Nuasin Next Generation Charter School
Catalina Echavarria – Suffern High School
Mariem Elmahy – Bard High School Early College II
Orhan Eski – Port Chester High School
Perla Fernandez – Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice
Jude Hare – Hilton Central High School
Marianna Hodgins – Palmyra Macedon High School
Aemen Iqbal – Babylon Junior-Senior High School
Cindy Jiang – High School of American Studies
Jayden Johnstone – Hunter College High School
Nicole Julia – High School for Health Professions and Human Services
Shinyoung Kang – Bronx High School of Science
Sanji Kegiarikov – James Madison High School
Serena Kesha – Marymount School
Maggie Li – East Meadow High School
Camille Lin – Townsend Harris High School
Jiaqi Lin – New Utrecht High School
Kyler Lin – Queens Metropolitan High School
Abrar Mahmoud – Tottenville High School
Tasneem Meem – Bronx High School of Science
Emily Munoz – Harry S Truman High School
Md Rahman – Uncommon Preparatory Charter High School
Kelsey Robinson – Saint Johns Preparatory
Yuliana Rossi – New York City Museum School
Ruth-shamard Thomas – Uncommon Preparatory Charter High School
Richie Tran – Clarkstown High School South
Ley Valeus – High School For Public Service
Izabella Vargas-Laine – Oceanside High School
Alice Wang – Tottenville High School
Isabella Watson – Nazareth Regional High School
Jacklin Xie – Brooklyn Technical High School
Hanni Yang – Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria
Amy Zhu – Staten Island Technical High School

North Carolina

Joshuah Argueta – Rowan County Early College
Aiden Bryant – Columbia High School
Josue Cadena – Wallace Rose Hill High School
Chloe-ann Detwiler – Wake Early College of Health and Sciences: North Campus
Norhan Elshamshery – Yadkin Early College High School
Jose Espinoza Ambrosio – Montgomery County Early College
Ashleigh Grieves – Brevard Senior High School
Emmanuel Hernandez Castaneda – Jordan Matthews High School
Marie Hostak – Providence Grove High School
Cassie Jay – Person High School
Lilly Kohout – Chapel Hill High School
Oscar Lin – Edgecombe Early College High School
Caroline McLeod – North Wake College And Career Academy
Maira Mendez Claudio – East Wake High School
Sophie Miller – North Carolina School Of Science & Maths Morganton
Laci Morefield – South Stokes High School
Layna Nixon – Heide Trask High School
Daisy Pace – Homeschool
Jasmine Polk – Anson County Early College
Carolina Ramirez-Contreras – Triton High School
Dyiamon Robinson – East Bladen High School
Ta’Marion Scott – Hillside High School
Marwa Sharib – STEM Early College at North Carolina A&T
Spencer Stott – Merancas Middle College High School
Eduardo Vargas – Montgomery County Early College
Merry Wang – North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Ayauna Williams – Hoke County High School
Taylor Wynn – Northside High School
Liang Zhu – Onslow Early College High School

North Dakota

Nicole Kusi Appiah – Williston High School

Ohio

Liam Chadwick – Arcanum High School
Edmund Dyer-Essig – Toledo Technology Academy
Isabella Green – Hawken School
Ali Haleem – Springfield High School
Anthony Jackman – Stephen T Badin High School
Said Juhar – Finneytown High School
Karuna Karki – Reynoldsburg High School
Abid Khan – Ada High School
Hannah Mock – Northwest Ohio Classical Academy
Eric Robinson – Jackson High School
Emma Snyder – Fort Frye High School
Allison Spencer – Northwest High School
Lara Teri-Lyimo – New Albany High School
Zion Walker – Pickerington High School Central

Oklahoma

Brietta Chen – Classen School of Advanced Studies
Valeria González Padilla – Stillwater High School
Wendy Hernnadez – Tulsa Honor Academy High School
Lexy Poyner – Davis High School
Morgandee Sawatzky – Arapaho-Butler Public Schools

Oregon

Emerson Carella – Wilson Hill Academy
Kim Cortes-Martinez – Gresham High School
Justin Gurkin – Reynolds High School
Andrea Nguyen – David Douglas High School
Katrina Nguyen – David Douglas High School
Ananda O’Neill – Ashland High School
Fartun Said – American High School Skopje

Pennsylvania

Diane Arias Tejeda – MMI Preparatory School
Sofiia Berestetska – Merion Mercy Academy
Dane Brumbach – Carlisle High School
Yori Candidi – Central High School
Bao Chau – Central High School
Stephen Chuwan – Thomas Jefferson High School
Grace Daja – Liberty High School
Rayan Hansali – Upper Darby High School
Janiah Knouse – Littlestown Senior High School
Dorothy Liu – Exeter Township Senior High School
Savannah Lockwood – Dunmore Junior-Senior High School
Anais Ortiz Garcia – Kensington Health Sciences Academy
Bella Romeo – Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts
Somaia Sultana – Science Leadership Academy at Beeber
Micah Wood – Homeschool

Puerto Rico

Wilmar Galvez Alfonso – Benito Cerezo Vazquez High School

Rhode Island

Kayla Ramos – Saint Raphael Academy
Benjamin Rodríguez – Mount Pleasant High School

South Carolina

Keren Collins – Academic Magnet High School
Dre’Shon Jackson – Wilson High School
Alexavier Moore – North Augusta High School
Brittney Nguyen – Wade Hampton High School
Michaela Purdie – Union County High School
Sanders Rogers – Greenwood High School
Lucas Roman – Mauldin High School
Jade Sabillon – Beaufort High School
Jena Saleh – Spring Valley High School
Asia Shrestha – Summerville High School
Tristan Yi – Union County High School
Elissa Zamrik – North Myrtle Beach High School

South Dakota

Lauren Murphy – West Central High School

Tennessee

Ethan Allen – Franklin Christian Academy
Liannet Bergantino – Intrepid Prep-Independence Academy
Kidus Habtamu – Stewarts Creek High School
Liana Markos – White Station High School
Caden McMahan – Ooltewah High School
Gabby Meguiar – White House High School
Jacqueline Nguyen – Hillwood Comprehensive High School
Sho Toyooka – Loretto High School

Texas

Olutobi Adeyeri – Carnegie Vanguard High School
Liza Akpoli – Cesar E Chavez High School
Ruby Aleman-Rojas – KIPP Houston High School
Nathan Araya – Hebron High School
Haala Bhatti – Harmony School of Advancement
Abelardo Calderon – Idea Tres Lagos College Preparatory
David Coll Leon – Dayton High School
Erika Corona – East Early College High School
Marleny Diaz – International Leadership Texas Windmill Lakes-Orem High School
Michelle Do – Harmony School of Innovation – Sugar Land
Brandon Dunavant – Winnsboro High School
Pascal Gashe – Willowridge High School
Lola Giwa – High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Regina Gonzalez – Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep
Gabriel Guthua – North Forney High School
Jaelyn Hardaway – Antonian College Preparatory High School
Wade Hatfield – Klein Collins High School
Eduardo Hernandez – High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Pablo Hernandez – Ranchview High School
Nhung Huynh – Elsik High School
Holy Kankolongo – Saginaw High School
Seyma Kilic – Theodore Roosevelt High School
Andrew Kim – Allen High School
Jyotsana Lamsal – Byron Nelson High School
Avril Lara Lozano – W H Adamson High School
Luiz Marquez – West Oso High School
Elaine Masenda – International Leadership Of Texas Keller High School
Addison McKenna Goncalo – Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School
Fernanda Melendez Aleman – Harts Bluff Early College High School
Hamza Mohammed – Harmony School of Business
Jocelyn Moreno – Edcouch Elsa High School
Samantha Mujica – Lytle High School
Lindsey Nguyen – Mansfield Summit High School
Chikasi Nwachukwu – Harmony Science Academy – Garland
Neel Patel – Wagner High School
Kevin Pham – Carnegie Vanguard High School
Brigette Radilla – IDEA Academy and College Preparatory: Mission
Mauricio Ramos – L C Anderson High School
Rebecca Reyna – Nikki Rowe High School
Nicolas Rios – Edcouch Elsa High School
Angel Rivas – Captain John L Chapin High School
Ava Schreier – Theodore Roosevelt High School
Saeed Sharifi – Heritage High School
Zoya Siddiqui – Glenda Dawson High School
Dean Thai – I H Kempner High School
Johnique Thomas – Manor Early College High School
Hoang Anh Tran – Village High School
Joaquin Vela – Kingwood High School
Phuong Vu – Kerr High School
Walker Whitcomb – Memorial Senior High School
Elisa Zapata – Lyndon B Johnson High School

Utah

Nicolle Cama Rivera – American Preparatory Academy Accelerated School
Izry Garcia-Medina – Timpview High School

Vermont

Analia Cannon Bajek – Vermont Commons School

Virginia

Esam Abdelaziz – Wakefield High School
Muzammal Ahmed – Centreville High School
Owen Bales – Richlands High School
Husna Basiri – Annandale High School
Lenayah Beasley – Orange County High School
Emily Bravo-Rodriguez – George Washington High School
Charlotte Buzzard – Tallwood High School
Abigail Daniel – Centreville High School
Amen Fessha – James W Robinson Junior Secondary School
Damani Grayson – Cristo Rey Richmond High School
Saeema Habibzai – Freedom High School
Julia LaFountaine – Princess Anne High School
Royale Langhorne – Hermitage High School
Aaron Lin – Woodside High School
Elroe Midekssa – Thomas A Edison High School
Katelyn Miller – Loudoun Valley High School
Joan Murillo – Washington-Liberty High School
Andy Quach – Douglas S Freeman High School
Mohammad Rahman – Justice High School
Kyle Ryu – James W Robinson Junior Secondary School
Abi Santos – Gar-Field High School
Cameron Sasser – Tallwood High School
Nicole Talledo – Washington-Liberty High School
Edina Tedros – Justice High School
Sastha Tripathi – Douglas S Freeman High School
William Vo – CodeRVA Regional High School

Washington

Varun Atraya – Bellevue Big Picture School
Ayla Crowell – Camas High School
Paulina Gutierrez Naranjo – Okanogan High School
Fenet Guyassa – Bonney Lake High School
Emily Helms – Auburn High School
Hannah McDunnah – Tahoma Senior High School
Andy Mejia – Lincoln High School
Hikma Omer – Lincoln High School
Destiny Su – Franklin High School
Ebunoulwa Tokunbo – Auburn Mountainview High School
Mai Tran – Annie Wright School

West Virginia

Kamrie-lyn Alder – Spring Mills High School
Roberto Aparicio – Barbara Ingram School for the Arts
Kaya Toler – Winfield High School

Wisconsin

Paula Carmela Andres – Preble High School
Tina Davis-Pittman – East High School
Will Jepsen – Marshfield High School
Makiah Marson – Muskego High School
Iskander Rzaev – West High School

Twenty-four additional Cooke College 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

The post Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Names 558 High Schoolers Semifinalists for College Scholarship first appeared on Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

“In our decades of working with students, we’ve long observed the important connection between students’ mental health and their academic success. We know that on-campus support can make all the difference,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “This new funding supports our commitment in ensuring that campuses across the country have the resources needed to support students’ well-being so they can take full advantage of a postsecondary education. We’re very proud to help accelerate the impact of these three great organizations.”

The American Psychological Association reports that more than 60% of college and university students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem during the 2020-2021 academic year — a ten percent increase from the year prior to the pandemic (2019). These new grants will contribute towards evaluating current services, implementing mental health training through professional speakers, destigmatizing the conversation around mental health, increasing student participation in programs, and more.

“We are grateful to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation for helping us to scale our signature JED Campus program. Dozens more community colleges and universities will benefit from expert support, evidence-based best practices, and data-driven guidance to protect student mental health and reduce risks for suicide,” said John MacPhee, CEO of The Jed Foundation. “Education and mental health support should be available to all young people across the nation to ensure they each reach their full potential.”

This years grantees include:

Active Minds Inc. – Awarded $600,000 to help fund the nation’s nonprofit leader promoting mental health awareness and education through its peer-powered programs, including their National Chapter Network and a youth-led mental health curriculum. Active MInds gives students in high schools nationwide the knowledge and skills to expand the conversation surrounding mental health and change the way in which it is discussed in everyday interactions. This award will help to advance Active Minds goal to reach 1,000 new K-12 schools in 1,000 days.

The Steve Fund – Awarded $600,000 to support the organization’s Mental Health on Campus programming for young people of color across colleges and universities with a focus on community colleges and MSIs. This program helps to aid in improving campus racial climate, reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, and increase participation in mental health services such as workshops and Wellness Circles among students of color.

The Jed Foundation (JED) – Awarded $545,000 to strengthen its JED Campus programming at community colleges and public universities nationwide. This programming currently provides more than 400 higher education institutions through expert support, evidence-based best practices, and data-driven guidance to protect student mental health and prevent suicide in teens and young adults.

“Students nationwide need mental health support, now more than ever. They want the opportunity to learn about mental health and to change the environment that’s impacting their lives and their peers,” said Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Minds. “We’re honored to receive this grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to expand this work and to continue our outreach in schools across the U.S. The grant will enable us to build an even stronger network and to impact more students than before.”

“The Steve Fund recognizes the critical importance of supporting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of students of color, to ensure that they can successfully transition from college to career development,” said Evan Rose, Board President at The Steve Fund. “The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation will enable us to help these high achieving students reach their academic, career, and personal goals.”

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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

The post Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Awards Nearly Two Million Dollars to Support the Mental Health of High School and College Students first appeared on Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.