Sixty High School Seniors Awarded the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship
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.
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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