Cooke Foundation Names 459 Semifinalists for Highly Competitive Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship
A group of 2022 Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars pose at a summer event.
Lansdowne, Virginia – Today, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced the semifinalists for the highly competitive Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The Foundation awards community college students who have demonstrated exceptional academic ability, leadership, service, and a determination to complete their bachelor’s degrees at top four-year institutions.
This year’s 459 semifinalists were chosen from a pool of more than 1,700 applicants, and attend 215 community colleges in 38 states. Some of the latest research from the American Talent Initiative estimates that roughly 50,000 high-achieving students from low income backgrounds could transfer to four-year colleges each year but don’t, often due to cost. The Cooke Transfer Scholarship is designed to create a clear pathway to a four-year degree by offering up to $55,000 per year along with academic advising and access to a network of peers.
“By lifting the financial burden of pursuing a four-year degree off their shoulders, our goal is to help students take full advantage of a four-year college experience without taking on student debt,” said Seppy Basili, Executive Director of the Cooke Foundation. “This year’s selected semifinalists reflect the deep bench of talent across our community colleges today, and we’re looking forward to getting to know them better in our final application review process.”
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 endeavors. They will also have access to opportunities for internships, study abroad, graduate school funding, and the incomparable connection to a robust network of more than 3,000 fellow Cooke Scholars and Alumni.
The Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship recipients will be announced in April.
A list of this year’s Cooke Transfer Scholar semifinalists, their respective community colleges, and hometowns is below. To learn more about the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, visit the website here.
Alabama
Erika Aragon Cruz – Snead State Community College
Edwin Jarquin – Snead State Community College
Arizona
Clay Begay – Tohono O’odham Community College
Teresa Billick – Pima Community College
Paola Gaxiola Lopez – Phoenix College
Charis Hayward – Mesa Community College
Peniella Irakoze – Phoenix College
Dale James – Paradise Valley Community College
Alvaro Rodriguez Mendoza – Mesa Community College
Robert Serrano – Central Arizona College
Emily Shelton – Estrella Mountain Community College
Arkansas
Jill Cook – University of Arkansas: Community College at Batesville
CJ Shelton – Arkansas State University – Newport
California
Ranneme Abu-Hajar – Pasadena City College
Inioluwa Adeoluwa – Long Beach City College
Tafari Alan – Santa Monica College
Warda Ali – American River College
Gabriel Bartoli – MiraCosta College
Citlali Bennet – MiraCosta College
Pau Brunet-Fuertes – Los Angeles City College
Lillian Buckley – Cerritos College
Eliette Bustos Barocio – Los Medanos College
Julio Cedillo – San Diego City College
Juan Corona – San Jose City College
Daisy Corril Castano – East Los Angeles College
Natalie Dawoodi – Glendale Community College
Celeste Diaz – El Camino College
Sarena Eworonsky – Cerritos College
Keli Fisher – Saddleback College
Paloma Foster – Fullerton College
Olivia Garcia – Los Angeles Trade and Technical College
Andrew George – Saddleback College
Stacy Giu – Pasadena City College
Yolanda Gomez – Cerritos College
An Ha – Mount San Antonio College
Syeda Waniya Hasan – Los Angeles City College
Ivan Hernandez – Diablo Valley College
Calvin Hill – San Diego Miramar College
Thong Ho – Golden West College
Shiva Kiani – East Los Angeles College
Jessica Kim – Diablo Valley College
David Kim – Foothill College
Elad Dov Kleinerman Mordkowitz – Santa Monica College
Kimberly Kritzer – San Diego City College
Mayari Lanz Amezcua – Diablo Valley College
Nicholas Lavis – Mount San Jacinto College
Julianne Le – Fullerton College
Nghi Le – Golden West College
Lesly Lepes Sanchez – Mount San Antonio College
Summer Little Cloud – Merritt College
James Lukas – Santa Monica College
Elisa Marin – El Camino College
Ricardo Marquez – Mount San Jacinto College
Liliana Martinez – Long Beach City College
Diego Martinez – Mount San Jacinto College
Ryan Mattson – Sacramento City College
Yousra Merzougui – Irvine Valley College
Klutvert Mgbatu Tabot – Norco College
Aye Chan Moe – De Anza College
Brian Morales – Cerritos College
Karla Morales De Leon – Diablo Valley College
Bernardo Moreno Arteaga – Orange Coast College
Tan Nguyen – Pasadena City College
Chloe Niebla – Golden West College
Megan Nim – De Anza College
Zohal Noori – Saddleback College
Samantha Payne – Allan Hancock College
Leandro Perez – Mount San Antonio College
Ruby Pichardo – East Los Angeles College
Drashuna Pilcher – Mount San Jacinto College
Apolonia Preciado Castillo – Hartnell College
Jose Quintana – Mount San Jacinto College
Hosna Ramzi – Los Medanos College
Michael Raska – San Diego Miramar College
Hannah Renew Christy – Cuyamaca College
Anne Rider – Fullerton College
Angie Rivera – El Camino College
Nia Roberson-French – Berkeley City College
Isabel Rodriguez – Modesto Junior College
Tiffany San – Ohlone College
Cecily Sewell – Los Angeles Valley College
Hayat Sherif – MiraCosta College
Haein Shim – Pasadena City College
Collin Shneour – College of the Canyons
Jose Enrique Siono Gutierrez – College of the Desert
Grecia Paola Siono Gutierrez – College of the Desert
Nelson Solares – Los Angeles Pierce College
Michael Stine – Mount San Antonio College
Tobias Teng – Fullerton College
Joanna Ugalde – Fullerton College
Misheel Unur – College of the Canyons
Li Wan – Berkeley City College
Asumi Yamamoto – Orange Coast College
Ee Seul Yim – Fullerton College
Han Zaw – De Anza College
Colorado
Serena Bity Martinez – Community College of Aurora
Shaydie Boyd – Red Rocks Community College
Mark Irby-Gill – Red Rocks Community College
Anthony Luevanos – Community College of Aurora
Amanda Scanlon – Front Range Community College
Connecticut
John Bennett – Northwestern Connecticut Community College
Jamie DiDato – Tunxis Community College
Beludji Narcisse – Three Rivers Community College
Nathalie Sanchez – Tunxis Community College
Antonio Zuquilanda Serrano – Manchester Community College
Florida
Faheedat Adetayo – Broward College
Carlen Arevalo – Miami Dade College
Arnoudly Bossicot – Miami Dade College
Lucciana Cabarico – Miami Dade College
Enrique Cruz – Miami Dade College
Ryan Dzialo – St. Petersburg College
Essimo Iya Eta Mokube – Hillsborough Community College
Kevin Frazier – Seminole State College of Florida
Adriana Garcia – Miami Dade College
Javier Gil – Miami Dade College
Juan Gomez – Miami Dade College
Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri – Hillsborough Community College
Francis Felix Javier – Florida State College at Jacksonville
Myra Jordan – Tallahassee Community College
Chanmi Kim – Miami Dade College
Philippe Lyberal – Broward College
Lorena Martin Reyes – Palm Beach State College
Giuliana Mesa – Miami Dade College
Carlos Morales – Miami Dade College
Angy Murillo – Miami Dade College
Mauricio Pereira Sanchez – Miami Dade College
Lynn Pierre Etienne – Broward College
Zachary Plotkin – St. Petersburg College
Lea Rabaron – Miami Dade College
Kayla Ribeiro – Miami Dade College
Jean Saintgeorges – Broward College
Nathalie Saladrigas – Miami Dade College
Kayla Tamez – Florida State College at Jacksonville
Hailey Thompson – Broward College
Gabriella Valdes Diaz – Miami Dade College
Nicole Viloria – Miami Dade College
Anthony Vitiello – Broward College
Tariqullah Wardak – Palm Beach State College
Janeth Zaldivar – Miami Dade College
Sophia Zamora – Miami Dade College
Georgia
Emanuel Arroyo – Georgia Highlands College
April Cole – Georgia Highlands College
Ariel Ford – Georgia Perimeter College
Paula Gil – Georgia Perimeter College
Tierra Grant – Georgia Perimeter College
Kseniya Harrington – Georgia Perimeter College
Serin Kim – Georgia Perimeter College
Mens Muzyin – Georgia Perimeter College
Tsinat Nure – Georgia Perimeter College
Areej Rizwan – Georgia Perimeter College
Madelief Tilder – Georgia Perimeter College
Julian Umana-Bernal – Georgia Perimeter College
Hawaii
Davis Martin – University of Hawaii: Honolulu Community College
Idaho
Skyler Bollar – College of Southern Idaho
Gabriel Clark – College of Eastern Idaho
Illinois
Oluwafayosikemi Alade – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Allen Ali – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Naeem Amin – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Roland Asongakap – Waubonsee Community College
Selina Badu – City Colleges of Chicago: Harry S. Truman College
Beatriz Bartolome – Lincoln Land Community College
Berianne Bramman – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Samantha Brost – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Avryl Carmona – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Denise Carreto-Munoz – College of DuPage
Henry Chau – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Juan Chiu – Waubonsee Community College
Dayanara Diaz – Morton College
Kathleen Hankes – College of DuPage
Jorge Heneche – City Colleges of Chicago: Malcolm X College
Rencie Horst – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Marcia Huerta Pazos – Prairie State College
Seonghae Kim – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Hemang Limbachiya – Wilbur Wright College
Christian Manzi – Black Hawk College
Catharine Miller – John Wood Community College
Angel Negron – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Olatunji Onasanya – City Colleges of Chicago: Harry S. Truman College
Marnee Ostoa Garcia – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Dominika Panek – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Shlesha Patel – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Hannah Phillips – John A. Logan College
Donatella Poveda – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Kierson Rickmon – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Juan Santacruz Roldan – Triton College
Shamak Shah – College of DuPage
Yun Song – Oakton Community College
Mariam Sudhir – College of DuPage
Selvin Tobar – City Colleges of Chicago: Wilbur Wright College
Priscilla Yeboah – City Colleges of Chicago: Harold Washington College
Indiana
Dakota McLaughlin – Ivy Tech Community College: Columbus
Iowa
Katelyn Harrison – North Iowa Area Community College
Jinxx Havel-Sturdevant – Kirkwood Community College
Oscar Madong – North Iowa Area Community College
Kai Nelles – North Iowa Area Community College
Fredy Nsenga – Des Moines Area Community College
Kansas
Maria Aguilar Mendoza – Butler Community College
Roberson Jean – Colby Community College
Han Pimentel – Johnson County Community College
Arnau Sagrera Barnet – Cowley County Community College
Bradley Smart-Derryberry – Hutchinson Community College
Louisiana
Kiowa Wells – Delgado Community College
Maryland
Israah Ansari – Howard Community College
Normand Bayigamba – Montgomery College
Darrion Cannon – Prince George’s Community College
Salka Djiteye – Montgomery College
Ruby Duval – Chesapeake College
Thena Enyeart – Carroll Community College
Willow Hoffheiser – Howard Community College
Tabara Kaloga – Prince George’s Community College
Chinwendu Kalu – Community College of Baltimore County
Joseph Linsenmeyer – Community College of Baltimore County
Luiz Mata Lopez – Montgomery College
Caniah Mayo – Hagerstown Community College
Dammie Mumuney – Montgomery College
Dillon Newport – Harford Community College
Sabrina Pereira – Community College of Baltimore County
Abigail Pisanic – Howard Community College
Luana Rojas Zurita – Montgomery College
Abdullah Shamsan – Montgomery College
Swechchha Shrestha – Montgomery College
George Strawbridge – Harford Community College
Kimberly Wernsing – Community College of Baltimore County
Azana Wilson – Anne Arundel Community College
Massachusetts
Maya Blanco – Bunker Hill Community College
Magny Gisele Bohui Epse Breguhe – Bunker Hill Community College
Iman Cherif – Bunker Hill Community College
Ayoub Ellouzi – Bunker Hill Community College
Caitlin Grosso – Cape Cod Community College
Mohammad Habibeh – Bunker Hill Community College
Loyd Joseph – Bunker Hill Community College
Cirdan Kearns – Greenfield Community College
Jesse Okoche – Massachusetts Bay Community College
Vraj Patel – Middlesex Community College
Pascale Percy – Northern Essex Community College
Michael Rodriguez – Bunker Hill Community College
Daniel Sexton-Riley – Cape Cod Community College
Michigan
Ruba Agour – Washtenaw Community College
Nadin Agour – Washtenaw Community College
Missy Gheorghiu – Grand Rapids Community College
Hania Imran – Oakland Community College
Quantanik Norton – Oakland Community College
Justin Scro – Jackson College
Minnesota
Goomaral Bat-Ulzii – Normandale Community College
Elizabeth Glasser – Century College
Peyton Herges – St. Cloud Technical and Community College
Oluwatimi Jinadu – Anoka – Ramsey Community College
Teresa Kemp – North Hennepin Community College
Mississippi
Tobias Adams – Pearl River Community College
Lauren Coghlan – Hinds Community College
Matthew Hackler – Holmes Community College
Emma Logan – Itawamba Community College
Jared Mathews – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Monica Pascual – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Ezra Pattie – Southwest Mississippi Community College
Addison Pilant – Northwest Mississippi Community College
Ana Salas Mondragon – Pearl River Community College
Elly Strockbine – Northeast Mississippi Community College
Anna Valenzuela – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Missouri
Aymane Bouhazzama – St. Louis Community College at Meramec
Nebraska
Maya Huirong Wilson – Western Nebraska Community College
Nevada
Yan Arnaiz – College of Southern Nevada
New Jersey
Eman Abdelrahman – Union County College
Raida Al Hattab – Hudson County Community College
Bernice Amankwah – Ocean County College
Victoria Ambartsoumian – Bergen Community College
Asmaa Bouknadel – Essex County College
Liam Boyle – Raritan Valley Community College
Rene Bulnes Moreno – Bergen Community College
Nicolette Carpenter – Passaic County Community College
Ozichi Chinedu – Union County College
Sally Elwir – Hudson County Community College
Angy Farhat – Bergen Community College
Rebekah Fischoff – Brookdale Community College
Livia Fontana – Bergen Community College
Joceline Guerra – Union County College
Dami Ige – Essex County College
Juni Ilyas – Union County College
Yeicob Martinez – Union County College
Carine Medellus – Union County College
Mana Mehdizadeh – Bergen Community College
Ella Mukasa – Hudson County Community College
Montaha Osman – Hudson County Community College
Daniela Ovelar – Raritan Valley Community College
Birva Pinto – Hudson County Community College
Michael Salinas – Hudson County Community College
Karla Santamaria – Bergen Community College
Casey Troy – Bergen Community College
New York
Bernice Agyeiwaa – City University of New York: Bronx Community College
Arafat Akon – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Ahmer Ali – City University of New York: Kingsborough Community College
Sheik Ali – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Mathilda Asemota – City University of New York: Bronx Community College
Stephen Azevedo – Suffolk County Community College
Fatima Bah – City University of New York: Hostos Community College
Ulises Balbuena Figueroa – Rockland Community College
Elijah Bernard – CUNY – Queensborough Community College
Christin Bertin – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Fox Birdtail – Jamestown Community College
Liilan Boldiis – Broome Community College
Alex Brown – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Zeff Carriero – Westchester Community College
Christine Castillo – Suffolk County Community College
Crystal Chen – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Mohamed Elghamry – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Aisha Frampton Clerk – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Ana Fuentes – Suffolk County Community College
Jose Gonzalez – City University of New York: Hostos Community College
Laisha Gonzalez De Pena – City University of New York: Bronx Community College
Bruna Lorena De Souza Vaz – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Carlene Hunte Nelson – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Ryan Jhin – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Vildana Khamidullina – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Min Young Kim – City University of New York: LaGuardia Community College
Rubi Larancuent – City University of New York: Bronx Community College
Farhan Mamun – CUNY – Borough of Manhattan Community College
Evelyn Martinez – Nassau Community College
Mukhlisabonu Nematova – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Katherine Ordonez – Suffolk County Community College
Mariam Osman – Community College of Denver
Enger Polanco – City University of New York: Bronx Community College
Lovestar Rogers – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Dani Rojas – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
Eisha Sarmad – Rockland Community College
Malky Schwartz – Rockland Community College
Dawn Smith – Westchester Community College
Hafiz Tariq – City University of New York: Queensborough Community College
Elizaveta Ulumbelashvili – City University of New York: Kingsborough Community College
Jacqueline Yentumi – City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College
North Carolina
Alon Hanani – Sandhills Community College
Jeshika Lamsal – Guilford Technical Community College
Hannah Lowman – Coastal Carolina Community College
Quia Rainey – Central Piedmont Community College
Sam Willard – Forsyth Technical Community College
Ohio
Cada Dixon – Columbus State Community College
Ella George – Stark State College
Elizabeth Guilkey – Lorain County Community College
Maguette Niang – Columbus State Community College
Samantha Stein – Northwest State Community College
Maeve Wilkins – Edison State Community College
Oklahoma
Jesse Brownfield – Tulsa Community College
Juan Dills – Rose State College
Trent Fronterhouse – Eastern Oklahoma State College
Kelly Parsley – Tulsa Community College
Goldie Snow – Northeastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College
Oregon
Ahmed Abdelgawad – Portland Community College
Jennifer Ginn-Bennett – Clatsop Community College
Shoichiro Kamata – Lane Community College
Aren Mowreader – Linn – Benton Community College
Robyn Philistin – Mt. Hood Community College
Jasmine Roberts – Rogue Community College
Adam Smith – Clatsop Community College
Brandi Swiderski – Clatsop Community College
Pennsylvania
Sabrina Augustin – Manor College
Efaz Ertesum – Delaware County Community College
Jasmine Jones – Harrisburg Area Community College
Seong Kim – Northampton Community College
Ryan Numair – Community College of Philadelphia
Olympia Ransom – Bucks County Community College
Emily Rivera – Lehigh Carbon Community College
Heather Sizemore – Community College of Philadelphia
Enoch Tuffour Ampem – Community College of Philadelphia
South Carolina
Imani Smith – Greenville Technical College
Tennessee
Odin Schor – Northeast State Community College
Elaine Scott – Jackson State Community College
Texas
Iliyan Ajani – North Lake College
Ammar Akif – Tarrant County College
Benetta Akukwe – Lone Star College System
Mohammed Alabdali – Tarrant County College
Ingrid Amaya Reyes – Lone Star College System
Janset Aydogdu – North Lake College
Benjamin Baker – Austin Community College
Mercedes Cantu – San Antonio College
Tyra Casey – Lone Star College System
Samuel Caspers – San Antonio College
Alex Castro – Lone Star College System
Jordan Chapin – Northeast Texas Community College
Madeleine Cornejo Carrillo – North Lake College
Erik Dauletbak – Collin County Community College District
Megan Davis – Northwest Vista College
Victor Diaz – Northeast Texas Community College
Gerri Esquivel – Lone Star College System
B Garcia – Del Mar College
Maria Gonzalez Avila – Midland College
Shota Gushima – Tyler Junior College
Linda Haley – Collin County Community College District
Courtnie Hathaway – Tarrant County College
Amanda Hernandez – Lone Star College System
Sergio Iraheta – Lone Star College System
Matthew Jewell – Tarrant County College
Amy Joffrion – Tyler Junior College
Nicolas Khouri – Lone Star College System
Esmeralda Leiva – El Centro College
Yashavene Sin Li – Austin Community College
Grant Mahlmann – Blinn College
Barbara Martin Moro – Tyler Junior College
Karen Martinez Fernandez – Lone Star College System
Jessica Mays – Lone Star College System
Mykhailo Mazalevskyi – Lone Star College System
Mya Mckinney – Weatherford College
Tammy Mitchell – Angelina College
Etienne Ndem – Lone Star College System
Minh Thu Nguyen – Lone Star College System
Rachel Schnakenberg – Lone Star College System
Adam Sepulveda – Lone Star College System
Isaiah Smith – Austin Community College
Amber Traylor – Austin Community College
Ashley Trojanowski – El Paso Community College
Amrin Vaid – Lone Star College System
Ana Vergara Gonzalez – Lone Star College System
Utah
Maria Júlia Ramos Ferreira – Salt Lake Community College
Asia Rondoni – Salt Lake Community College
Virginia
Rachel Absolu – Northern Virginia Community College
Jose Arellano Miramontes – Blue Ridge Community College
Sophia Bangura – Germanna Community College
Jonathan Beck – Northern Virginia Community College
Kimberly Cocchi – Northern Virginia Community College
Mariam Debas – Northern Virginia Community College
Yanci Flores Ramos – Northern Virginia Community College
Hamed Hamed – Northern Virginia Community College
Laurie Jimenez – Northern Virginia Community College
Shannon Left – Northern Virginia Community College
William Liu – Germanna Community College
Kevin Nguyen – J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Stefania Piciorea – Northern Virginia Community College
Dylan Salgado – Northern Virginia Community College
Cindy Tran – Northern Virginia Community College
Tenzin Tsega – Northern Virginia Community College
Damien Twyman – Tidewater Community College
Jonathan Wrenn – Germanna Community College
Washington
Yahya Abdulmohsin – Highline College
Liv Counsel – Olympic College
Kiyrah Keith – Olympic College
Haeun Kim – Skagit Valley College
Stacy Kyony – Bellevue College
Daniel Lam He – Bellevue College
Jamie Mai – Seattle Central College
Kimberly Miller – Olympic College
Elahe Zare Khiabani – South Seattle College
Wisconsin
Honorine Ilboudo – Madison Area Technical College
Todala Mone – Madison Area Technical College
Ousmane Nikiema – Madison Area Technical College
Wendpanga Tapsoba – Madison Area Technical College
Wyoming
Jose Alvarez Esquivel – Casper College
Jeren Begenjova – Northwest College
Milena Franzini – Casper College
Thirteen additional Cooke Transfer Scholar semifinalists did not opt into publicity.
###
For more than 23 years, the Cooke Foundation has dedicated its mission to advancing education for exceptionally promising students who seek financial assistance. Since 2000, the Foundation has awarded almost $250 million in scholarships to nearly 3,200 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $125 million in grants to organizations that serve such students. www.jkcf.org
Media Contact: Julia Florence, media@jkcf.org