Miami Dade College‘s Maite Roque Franco wants to be a physician. Jessica Gallegos of LaGuardia Community College aims to become a music producer and sound engineer. Odudu Ekpenyong, who attends Union College of Union County, NJ, aspires to be an airline captain.
They each plan to transfer upon graduation from their community college to a competitive four-year institution with financial help and support from a foundation that has rewarded high-achieving two-year college students for 25 years.
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has announced 90 community college students who are this year’s recipients of its Undergraduate Transfer Scholarships — one of the largest cohorts in the program’s history. More than 1,600 students applied this year, with evaluations based on academic achievement, unmet financial need, persistence and leadership qualities.
The scholarship provides last-dollar funding up to $55,000 per year for up to three years, plus personalized advising and access to a network of more than 3,400 Cooke scholars and alumni, which comes with opportunities for internships and more.
Many of this year’s recipients have selected their four-year colleges or have a short list. Roque Franco, for example, a biology major, has been accepted at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Gallegos — who dreams of becoming the first woman to win a Grammy for Producer of the Year in non-classical music — has applied to Columbia, Brooklyn College and New York University, Steinhardt. Ekpenyong, who plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in aviation sciences, is looking at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Purdue University and Tuskegee University.
This year’s recipients come from colleges in 28 states. California has the highest number of scholars (15), followed by New York (14). Miami Dade College topped the list with five recipients, Lone Star College (Texas) with four and New York’s LaGuardia Community College had three recipients. Nine colleges had two recipients.
