Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Announces Semifinalists for High-Achieving Four-Year College Scholarship
Lansdowne, VA – The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced the selection of 411 high school seniors as semifinalists for the prestigious Cooke College Scholarship. This highly selective scholarship provides high-achieving students with financial need up to $55,000 annually for four years of college, to enable them to attend a top college or university.
Cooke College Scholarship semifinalists were chosen from a pool of over 5,300 applicants. Semifinalist applications will be reviewed again to choose approximately 60 finalists to receive the scholarship. The 2022 Cooke College Scholars will be announced in April.
“This year’s semifinalists should be particularly proud of their success in the face of a challenging year,” said Executive Director Seppy Basili. “We are so happy to help more students achieve their long-term academic goals. All of the applicants will be an asset to the colleges and universities they attend in the fall.”
Students applied from all 50 states, as well as Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, and American Samoa, and represented 378 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, 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 2023 application opens in fall 2022.
Alabama
Madison Barnett – Benjamin Russell High School
Elise Baumgartner – Bob Jones High School
Catherine Chung – W.P. Davidson High School
Graciana Doster – Enterprise High School
Minjae Eum – Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School
Nathan Kim – Alabama School of Mathematics and Science
Arizona
Wendy Ceja Gonzalez – North High School
Arkansas
Marlissa Archie – Hot Springs World Class High School
Darren Blount – Mountain Home High School
California
Lena Abed – Al-Arqam Islamic School
Favour Akingbemi – George Washington Preparatory High School
Victor Albanez – Southwest High School
Yamileth Alvarez Haro – Stone Ridge Christian High School
Cristofer Arellano Acosta – Arvin High School
Lucas Bautista – Arvin High School
Patricia Bessie – Hilltop High School
Metztli Carbajal – Southwest High School
Joel Castro – Herbert Hoover High School
Mariana Chavez Ontiveros – Torrance High School
Rani Chor – Glen A Wilson High School
Isabela Contreras – San Marcos High School
Jewel Cox – Saint Mary’s Academy
Marisol Cruz Velasco – Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy
Paula Escobar – Evergreen Valley High School
Daniela Gomez – Everett Alvarez High School
David Han – Arnold O. Beckman High School
Claire Haslett – Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School
Jialin Jiang – Independence High School
Norzin Lhadon – Holy Names High School
Kathy Li – Arroyo High School
Agnes Liang – Mission High School
Raef Makrai – Capuchino High School
Husna Nashnoush – Etiwanda High School
Diana Ochoa-Chavez – Salinas High School
Merit Onyekwere – Bear Creek High School
Raj Pabari – Classical Academy High School
Lina Shammas – Valhalla High School
Katy Shin – Golden Valley High School
Jasleen Sihota – Venture Academy
Jaden Stewart – North Hollywood High School
Karla Vasquez – Hawthorne High School
Eric Zhu – Orange County High School of the Arts
Colorado
Mursheda Abdulatif – The Denver School of Science and Technology
Bridget Egan – Clear Creek High School
Shada Giornazi – Kent Denver School
Natalie Guerra – South High School
Nicole Millan Ortiz – Legacy High School
Sharon Miranda – Gateway High School
Andres Moreno – Mancos High School
Deqa Muse – Thomas Jefferson High School
Bobbie Schreiner – Prairie School
Connecticut
Jonathan Brown – The Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy
Madison Gates – Waterford High School
Delaware
Lorna Lin – Concord High School
Natalie Yang – Newark Charter School
District of Columbia
Temitayo Adeola – Eastern Senior High School
Bethelhem Kebede – District of Columbia International School
Florida
Ashley Adirika – Miami Beach Senior High School
Glorietta Arthoro – Ocoee High School
Juliana Bodhert – Fort Myers High School
Kylie Burkhamer – Ida S. Baker High School
Nayeric Cairo – Pinecrest Preparatory Academy Charter High School
Javier Cunat – Christopher Columbus High School
Akilah Cunningham – School for Advanced Studies – North Campus
Giovanna Da Silva Rodrigues – Freedom High School
Andrea De Freitas – Doral Academy Charter High School
Marbella Deininger – Alexander W. Dreyfoos School Of The Arts
Dilan Desir – State College of Florida Collegiate School
Dina Fakhar – Hillsborough High School
Brian Giraud Calderon – School for Advanced Studies – South
Alexander Gonzalez – Mater Lakes Academy High School
Anum Haider – Cypress Creek High School
Alexis Hernandez – School for Advanced Studies Homestead
Kaili Huang – Pine View School
Tristan Ide – Champion Preparatory Academy
Osamuyimen Izevbigie – Medical Academy for Science and Technology at Homestead
Rose Dania Jean – Miami Jackson Senior High School
Noah Jenkins – Saint Cloud High School
Rohan Joshi – Coral Reef Senior High School
Steven Maradiaga – Ipreparatory Academy
Sarah McGinley – Forest High School
Nora Menon – Allen D. Nease High School
Asher Montgomery – Hillsborough High School
Florence Onyiuke – Seminole High School
Carl Pierre – Evans High School
Eduardo Pinto – Sheridan Technical High School
John Ponce – Atlantic Community High School
Emily Rodriguez – Duval Charter High School At Baymeadows
Citlali Salas – Mater Lakes Academy High School
Rhianna Smith – Coral Reef Senior High School
Camron Stewart – Nova High School
Alexander Stone – West Boca Raton Community High School
Natalie Torres – Weeki Wachee High School
Nicole Torres – School for Advanced Studies – South
Coby Yang – Ocoee High School
Kevin Yang-Li – Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Georgia
Kent Brought – Camden County High School
Michelle Ung – Central Gwinnett High School
Dechen Cohen – Georgia Cyber Academy
Ella Dawson – Maynard Holbrook Jackson High School
Bella DeLullo – Walnut Grove High School
Nylah Ductan – Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology
Ochuwa Garuba – North Cobb High School
Yahya Habib – Meadowcreek High School
Yerahm Hong – North Oconee High School
Isaiah Johnson – Maynard Holbrook Jackson High School
Ba Musa Khan – North Clayton Comprehensive High School
Alyna Lu – Luella High School
Mariana Rios – Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology
Emani Stanton – North Atlanta High School
Stephanie Visoso – The Westminster Schools
Hawaii
Montana Lagat – Kamehameha Schools: Hawaii Campus
Idaho
Maria Mendoza – Community School
Audrey Ralphs – Renaissance High School
Illinois
Marbella Aguilar – Mansueto High School
Javier Alcantar – Thornton Fractional South High School
Mariam Aljuboory – Chicago Mathematics and Science Academy
Ariela Asllani – Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Omolara Atoyebi – Wendell Phillips High School Academy
Salamot Balogun – Thornridge High School
Esenia Banuelos – Thornton Fractional North High School
Katherrin Billordo – Northside College Preparatory High School
Mandy Chen – Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Emily Flores – Elgin High School
Minerva Garcia – Northside College Preparatory High School
Lethzeylee Gutierrez – Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Sabira Hassan – Minooka Community High School
Rem Johannknecht – Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Ali Khan – Stephen T. Mather High School
Daniel Kocot – Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center
Olivia Kocot – Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center
Jeongmin Lee – Prospect High School
Jackie Liu – Vernon Hills High School
Alexander Mcneilly – Maine Township High School South
Brian Nguyen – Northside College Preparatory High School
Grace Pena – Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Angel Rabadi – Alan B. Shepard High School
Janah Richardson – Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Maia Roothaan – Evanston Township High School
Fayeze Salih – Lincoln Park High School
Taniya Singleton – Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Joanna Soltys – Jones College Preparatory
Lillie Szemraj – Loomis Chaffee School
Indiana
Adrian Montes – Warren Central High School
Iowa
Kayleigh Edmonds – Nevada High School
Alyssa Makena – Valley High School
Kansas
Sharon Mabasa – Wichita Collegiate School
Kentucky
Graciela Alfaro – Atherton High School
Dejah Armstrong – Central High School
Zoe Castle – Johnson Central High School
Allen Lin – Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Math and Science in Kentucky
Reyna McCrea – Brown School
Anees Mitri – Atherton High School
Louisiana
Phillip Dinh – Patrick F Taylor Science and Technology Academy
Joy Han – Northshore High School
Maria Leal – Baton Rouge Magnet High School
Bethany Milner – Natchitoches Central High School
Conrad Ontimara – Slidell High School
Kaden Oquelí-White – Jesuit High School
Jazzlynn Temple – Caddo Parish Magnet High School
Anita Zahiri – Benjamin Franklin High School
Maryland
Rebekah Alemayehu – John F. Kennedy High School
Elon Atlaw – Northwood High School
Arjun Banerjee – Reservoir High School
Amina Cedeno – Quince Orchard High School
Alice Chen – Mercy High School
Citiana Frew – Wheaton High School
Jayda Harris – Baltimore City College
Yeabsira Hawaz – Springbrook High School
Yixin Lao – Walter Johnson High School
Julia Lin – Walkersville High School
Alexander Nguyen – Springbrook High School
Melanie Oduro – Reservoir High School
Emmanuella Osei – Wilde Lake High School
Sulaiman Oyekunle – Meade Senior High School
Kibby Hyacinth Pangilinan – Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Fatima Sarfraz – Eastern Technical High School
Akliesia Teshome – Paint Branch High School
Christian Thomas – Eastern Technical High School
Massachusetts
Teame Araya – Boston International High School
Tracy Das – Waltham Senior High School
Emely Foe – Salem Academy Charter School
Soleei Guasp – BMC Durfee High School
Alexandra Guzman Caceres – Brooke Charter School
Eleonore Kiriza – Brooks School
Leah Santiago – Gateway Regional High School
Michigan
Ronny Abdullah – Edsel B. Ford High School
Rehab Jadallah – Fordson High School
DaMone’ Payne – University High School Academy
Cohen Schroeder – Pewamo-Westphalia High School
Minnesota
Dennis Eum – Blake School Northrup Campus
Fardouza Farah – Owatonna High School
Shumaila Khan – MTS Minnesota Connections Academy
Mississippi
Nicholas Djedjos – Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
April Guo-Yue – Starkville High School
Kevin Liu – Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
Missouri
Julia Fleischman – Park Hill Senior High School
Paige Gonzales – Truman High School
Kamden Hill – Timberland High School
Harmony Hudson – Saint Charles West High School
Angelica Ihim – Hazelwood Central Senior High School
Thalia Vincent – Metro Academic and Classical High School
Montana
Lissy Suazo – Lone Peak High School
Nebraska
Stephanie Lewis – North High School
Nevada
Angel Ndubisi – Advanced Technologies Academy
Josue Ramirez – Advanced Technologies Academy
Ashley Vazquez Romo – Basic High School
New Jersey
Amelia Becerra – Long Branch High School
Paula-Marie Brown – Science Park High School
Danna Chacon – Elizabeth High School
Jose Escalante Vasquez – Memorial High School
Maria Lizza Dela Peña – Atlantic City High School
Jose Gonzalez – Dover High School
Brandon Hwang – Ramsey High School
Vanessa Iwuoha – Essex County Vocational School
Charlize Leon Mata – Perth Amboy High School
Kiara Perez – Passaic Academy For Science And Engineering
Shekinah Glory Peter Mba – East Orange Campus High School
Christian Pierre – Trenton Central High School
Paula Sefia – Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child
Kai Lyn Weaver – Lacordaire Academy Secondary Division
New Mexico
Hawthorn Bolger-Witherspoon – Bosque School
Paloma Del Valle – Santa Teresa High School
Conchita Espino – Albuquerque High School
Ethan Garcia – Santa Teresa High School
Makayla Suina – Bernalillo High School
New York
Roselyn Azcue – Urban Assembly Charter High School For Computer Science
Lazarus Blacksmith – Keene Central School
Abigail Burm – Waterloo High School
Geraldine Cabrera – Bronx High School of Law and Community Service
Joseph Chai – Francis Lewis High School
Imaan Chaudhry – Saint Catharine Academy
Hang Chen – Midwood High School at Brooklyn College
Julie Chen – Kingston High School
Jonathan Chung – Smithtown High School – Eastern Campus
Maria Cuevas – New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math High School
Cesar De Oleo – High School of Computers and Technology
Michael Fuentes – North Babylon High School
Khalil Garrett – General Douglas MacArthur High School
Pauline Francez Gordula – Thomas Edison Career and Technical High School
Layla Hussein – Fordham High School for the Arts
Victory Ibeh – Pace High School
Nouraldeen Ibrahim – Staten Island Technical High School
Joyce Lin – Francis Lewis High School
Cindy Liu – Fiorello H Laguardia High School of Music, Art and Performing Arts
Anthony Lopez – Islip High School
Jamal Matthew – Brooklyn College Academy High School
Tanisha Narine – Young Women’s Leadership School, Queens
Basilia Oferbia – Science Technology Research High School at Erasmus
Daelyn Pena – Williamsburg Charter High School
Jeanna Raphael – Brooklyn Latin School
Shaafat Sadaquee – Newtown High School
Michaell Santos Paulino – Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice
Rebecca Shaw – Mount Saint Mary Academy
Anisa Siddikova – Leon M Goldstein High School for Sciences
Ashlee Tan – Bard High School Early College II
Kelvin Tieku – Manhattan Center for Science and Math
Jasmine Velasco – University Heights High School
Nancy Zoria – Jericho Senior High School
North Carolina
Jaylen Adams – Olympic High School
Thomas Brickhouse – First Flight High School
Isaac Carreno – Wayne School of Engineering
Michelle Chen – Smithfield-Selma High School
Leo deJong – Chapel Hill High School
Caileb Duval – Pamlico County High School
Breana Fowler – North Mecklenburg Senior High School
Nancy Garcia Villa – Surry Early College High School of Design
Naomy Guerrero Flores – Sampson Early College High School
Savannah Hagen Ohbi – Asheville High School
Dylan Hammonds – Purnell Swett High School
Lyric Larson – Caldwell Early College High School
Gaochia Lee – Montgomery County Early College
Chalina Morgan-Lopez – Sanderson High School
Nina Noble – Isaac Bear Early College High School
Evelin Ortiz-Munoz – Jordan Matthews High School
Jennifer Phung – Durham School Of The Arts
Angel Rodriguez-Renneberg – Gaston Early College High School
Kaelee Rowan – Homeschooled
Cheyenne Rowland – Robbinsville High School
Jonathan Torres-Tomas – North Henderson High School
David Villavicencio – Corinth Holders High School
North Dakota
Fatima Attia – North High School
Ohio
Jelise Anderson Kinlock – Northmont Senior High School
Searita Chen – Sycamore High School
Hannah Gartrell – Eaton High School
Christel Gelins – Reynoldsburg High School
Christopher Hughes – Jackson High School
Sophie Hull – Cleveland School of Architecture and Design at John Hay Campus
Grace Humble – Georgetown Junior-Senior High School
Jordan Lee – North College Hill Junior-Senior High School
Casey Lin – Wooster High School
Isabel Rubin-Alvarez – Oakwood High School
Jashhvanth Tamilselvan Kunthavai – North Royalton High School
Saron Tefera – Anderson High School
Oklahoma
Azari Gurley – Classen School of Advanced Studies
Fraz Javed – Union High School
Cecilia Ly – Edmond Santa Fe High School
Oregon
Destanee Butler – North Eugene High School
Jeff Cervantes Mendoza – Reynolds High School
Helen Chen – Westview High School
Esperanza Herrera-Moore – South Albany High School
Nanati Safawo – Oregon Episcopal School
Ian Song – Cleveland High School
Olivia Ye – David Douglas High School
Pennsylvania
Cydney Brown – Abington Friends School
Julissa Espinoza – Franklin Learning Center High School
Sara Farheen – Harrisburg High School
Jada Guiste – Avonworth High School
Melanie Jackson – Cardinal O’hara High School
Soloman Khan-Syed – Cedar Cliff High School
Edward Kong – North Penn High School
Emma Lazo – Freedom High School
Jia Lin – Conestoga High School
Kimberly Marti – Cardinal O’Hara High School
Puerto Rico
Leonardo Zambrano-Tapia – Escuela Secundaria Especializada en CIMATEC
Rhode Island
Ashanti Gonzalez – Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex
South Carolina
Rheem Abbas – West Ashley High School
Alora Orr – May River High School
Miliani Smith – Charlotte Country Day School
Tennessee
Katerine Amaya Hernandez – Hunters Lane High School
Cristine Chen – L & N STEM Academy
Jennifer Chiu – White Station High School
Juan Escamilla Vargas – Valor College Prep
Mu Hsi – Smyrna High School
Virginia Hunt – Hume-Fogg Academic High School
Kyniya Hutchinson – Austin-East Magnet High School
Tammy Le – Wilson Central High School
Ariana Olivares – Stewarts Creek High School
Melangelo Pride – Upperman High School
Mohraeil Rezk – Lead Academy High School
Nathan Solomon – Martin Luther King Jr Magnet High School for Health Science and Engineering
Texas
Sityana Abdu – Glenda Dawson High School
Kashish Bastola – Heritage High School
Harshal Bharatia – Plano Senior High School
Deborah Bong – Cedar Ridge High School
Melanie Charron – Klein High School
Joel Deville – San Augustine High School
Paola Duran – El Dorado High School
Omar Espiricueta – IDEA College Preparatory – San Juan
Francisco Garcia – Roma High School
Isabella Garcia – Westchester Academy for International Studies
Eliana Gomez Romero – Kipp Austin Brave High School
Nashra Hassan – M.L. Wisdom High School
Ariana Hernandez – Americas High School
Kristine Hernandez – Veterans Memorial High School
Alexsovan Hory – Lamar Consolidated High School
Sydney Jackson – Saint Philips College Early College High School
Damian Johnson – Wylie East High School
Thu Le – School of Science and Engineering at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center
Tabitha Macharia – Michael E. Debakey High School of the Health Professions
Norma Mejia – Yes Preparatory Public Schools: East End
Madelyn Moore – Irving High School
Jayant Namdhari – Plano East Senior High School
Ethan Nava Maldonado – Westside High School
Mercy Okougbodu – West Mesquite High School
Fayosola Osoboke – George Bush High School
Keidy Palma Ramirez – El Dorado High School
Jorge Pereira Martinez – Early College Academy At Southridge
Javier Perez – North Mesquite High School
Moeen Razzaque – International School Of The Americas
Galilea Rodriguez – Sam Rayburn High School
Catherine Shaffer – TCC Southeast Early College High School
Jenny Soleman – School of Science and Technology
Nishka Talwar – Hendrickson High School
Amani Turner – Carver Magnet High School of Engineering, Applied Technology and The Arts
Mariana Valencia – Advantages Online Private School
Zahra Virani – Clear Brook High School
Olivia Woods – South Grand Prairie High School
Isaac Yoo – Creekview High School
Denise Zavala – John H. Reagan Senior High School
Any Zelaya Delgado – W H Adamson High School
Utah
Angie De La Cruz – West High School
Katie Figueroa Beltran – East High School
Kayle Orantes – Woods Cross High School
David Sun – Skyline High School
Vermont
Jenna Montgomery Concha – Rutland High School
Virginia
Bill Chen – West Springfield High School
Esteban Cifuentes Coyoy – Park View High School
Angela Edwards – Hampton High School
Nahed Elberry – Hayfield Secondary School
Sydney Hass – Grafton High School
Tina Huang – Phillips Exeter Academy
Eujine Kim – Heritage High School
Amina Luvsanchultem – Washington-Lee High School
Michelle Nguyen – Paul Vi Catholic High School
Hanna Regassa – Stonewall Jackson High School
Kristina Soiland – Loudoun Valley High School
Mohtashin Talukder – Justice High School
Washington
Kisanet Gabreselassie – Edmonds eLearning Academy
Selena Niemi – Rainier High School
West Virginia
Edith Kao – Spring Mills High School
Wisconsin
Augustin Khey – Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Milwaukee
Morgan Maier – Turtle Lake High School
Alex Skoraczewski – Drummond High School
Justus Wilhoit – Indian Trail High School And Academy
Wyoming
Greta Thrasher – Douglas High School
17 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 over $230 million in scholarships to more than 2,930 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $119.5 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. www.jkcf.org
Media Contact: Julia Florence, 571-799-8067, media@jkcf.org