Media Release: Foundation Awards 86 College Scholarships for Class of 2014
LANSDOWNE, VA – The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is pleased to announce its 2014 class of College Scholars, 86 of the brightest and most promising high school seniors from across the country who have unmet financial need. Forty-six of this year’s recipients are currently in the Foundation’s Young Scholars Program, while the remaining 40 were selected from the first external pool of applicants from around the nation. Each Scholar may receive up to $30,000 per year for four years of study at an accredited college or university.
With an acceptance rate of 1.6 percent, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program is one of the most competitive and generous scholarships in the nation. This year’s College Scholars boast an impressive average high school GPA of 3.9, excellent standardized test scores, and strong teacher recommendations.
“The extraordinary caliber of applicants made the selection process tough,” said Vice President of Programs Emily Froimson. “However, the final 86 embody what we seek in Jack Kent Cooke Scholars: academically accomplished students who have demonstrated persistence, determination, a love for learning, and desire to help others.”
The average family income for this year’s College Scholars is $35,000, and 48 percent will be first-generation college attendees. Nearly all Scholars have applied to highly selective schools, and many have received early admission to competitive colleges such as The College of William & Mary, Harvard University, The Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, University of Notre Dame, University of Southern California, and Yale University.
The following is a complete list of students selected for the 2014 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program:
Marwa Elgazzar (Chelsea, AL)
Jovanna Figueroa (Phoenix, AZ)
Robert London (Lakeside, AZ)
Erika Banuelos (Phoenix, AZ)
Patric Cao (Chandler, AZ)
Giacomo Koszegi (Peoria, AZ)
Jukurious Davis (West Helena, AR)
America Bautista (San Jose, CA)
Emily Duong (Orange, CA)
Sophia Nguyen (Fremont, CA)
Pak Kwan (San Leandro, CA)
Samuel Rodriguez (San Diego, CA)
Bryce Primavera (Arvada, CO)
Viviana Andazola Marquez (Thornton, CO)
Leib Celnik (Lafayette, CO)
Abena Asare-Bediako (Washington, DC)
Anthony Haynie (Washington, DC)
Natnael Kassaw (Washington, DC)
Bryan Peacker (Orlando, FL)
Spencer Pearlman (Pembroke Pines, FL)
Anika Yasmin (Key West, FL)
Osei Avril (Decatur, GA)
Conner Regan (Buford, GA)
Lauren Whittaker (Atlanta, GA)
Kataeya Wooten (Cartersville, GA)
Soobin Oh (Sugar Hill, GA)
Oluwatomisin Adelusi (Lilburn, GA)
Ronald Hitt (Albany, GA)
Cydney Swain (Griffin, GA)
Anna Beatrice Grimaldo (Orofino, ID)
Brennan Wakey (Springfield, IL)
John Cliburn (Cloverport, KY)
James Hughes (Marion, KY)
Benjamin Arbaugh (Westminster, MD)
Elizabeth Gonzalez (Baltimore, MD)
Regina Mae Ledesma (Cockeysville, MD)
Sarah Wood (Snow Hill, MD)
Anastasia Neuman (Abingdon, MD)
Abbeygale Anderson (Dorchester, MA)
Audrey Fernandez (Lawrence, MA)
Phuong Nghi Pham (Boston, MA)
Patrick Soltis (Jackson, MI)
Konrad Walek (Howell, MI)
Minna Wybrecht (Ypsilanti, MI)
My Bui (Saint Paul, MN)
Loriya Thao (Saint Paul, MN)
Kimberly Sanford (Columbus, MS)
Marjada Tucker (Starkville, MS)
Cynthia Odu (Kansas City, MO)
Hyung-Do Kim (Palisades Park, NJ)
Adella Pierre (Newark, NJ)
Daniel An (Kew Garden Hills, NY)
Omid Cohensedgh (Great Neck, NY)
Timothy Diovanni (Massapequa Park, NY)
Julia Lee (Bronx, NY)
Kaitlyn Shin (Jericho, NY)
Juliet Kim (Bronx, NY)
Shannon Boone (Garysburg, NC)
Ahmed Attia (Fargo, ND)
Jacob Hirsch (Chillicothe, OH)
Vanessa Chen (Canton, OH)
Jiayin Peng (Shaker Heights, OH)
Chelsea Hipwell (Cheltenham, PA)
Katelin McCall (Landrum, SC)
Chien-Hsiang Huang (Lexington, SC)
Ming Jun Wilson (Johnson City, TN)
Preston Butler (Maryville, TN)
William Ritter (Richardson, TX)
Jaime Lopez (Pharr, TX)
Angel Maredia (League City, TX)
Erin Nguyen (Garland, TX)
Karely Osorio (Houston, TX)
Wesley Runnels (Desoto, TX)
Ye Eun Sim (El Paso, TX)
Maria Martinez (Brownsville, TX)
Jennifer Han (Pflugerville, TX)
Adele Woodmansee (Westfield, VT)
Biruktawit Assefa (Arlington, VA)
Sarah Kashef (Chantilly, VA)
Yoojin Kook (Burke, VA)
Amy McMillen (Chesapeake, VA)
Luria Greene (Hampton, VA)
Mostafa Negm (Crewe, VA)
Zachary Zumbo (Chester, VA)
Nathan Miller (Manitowoc, WI)
Amara McCune (Stoughton, WI)
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is a private, independent foundation dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Because we believe that high-potential, low-income students will excel educationally when given the resources to develop their talents, the Foundation supports exceptional students from elementary school to graduate school through scholarships, grants, direct service, and knowledge creation and dissemination. Founded in 2000 by the estate of Jack Kent Cooke, the Foundation has awarded $120 million for over 2,000 scholarships and $76 million in grants to organizations that support our mission. www.jkcf.org
###
