12 August 66 Phi Theta Kappa Members are 2016 Jack Kent Cooke Scholars Tweet August 12, 2016 Press Room Scholarships, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation 0 Jackson, Mississippi - Sixty-six Phi Theta Kappa members have been selected to receive a 2016 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. In all, 75 two-year college students were selected as scholars by the nation's largest private scholarship program. The investment the Cooke Foundation is making in these 66 Phi Theta Kappa members has the potential to top $14.5 million. Each student will receive a scholarship worth up to $40,000 a year for up to three years — up to $120,000 total — to complete his or her undergraduate degree. In addition, the Cooke Foundation offers an internal graduate scholarship for which scholars may apply that awards up to $50,000 each per year. This year 88 percent of Jack Kent Cooke Scholars are Phi Theta Kappa members; and, many Jack Kent Cooke Scholars have received various other Society awards, said Christin Grissom, Phi Theta Kappa's Director of Scholarship Operations. "For many of our members, receiving this scholarship not only alleviates the financial burden associated with pursuing higher credentials, but it also provides hope for a brighter future, encouragement and opportunities that extend far beyond the classroom," she said, noting that Jack Kent Cooke Scholars receive mentorship guidance and become part of an extended family of scholars. "Highly selective scholarships are within reach, so put forth the energy and time necessary to apply." The 2016 Jack Kent Scholars who are Phi Theta Kappa members include: Arizona: Derek Fermaint, Mesa Community College Rodrigo Salcido, Pima Community College Jacob Sorenson, Mesa Community College California: Alejandra Carranza, Cerritos College Katya Echazarreta, San Diego City College Pontus Goeransson, Saddleback College Joseph Heide, San Diego City College Kristin Ho, Mt. San Antonio College Wendy Huerta, San Diego City College Thaimae Le, San Diego Miramar College Dalton Leftwich, Saddleback College Jeremy Neill, Orange Coast College Tynan Perez, Sacramento City College Thorstein Roe, Fullerton College Colorado: Russell Derrickson, Front Range Community College Connecticut: Miranda Wheeler, Northwestern Connecticut Community College Florida: Andrew Aide, Daytona State College Juan Joel Albrecht, Miami Dade College Ihsane Benkhadra, Broward College Maria Yuliza Calvo, Seminole State College Valentina d'Empaire, Miami Dade College Latifah Maasarani, Seminole State College Yessica Maltes, Miami Dade College (The Honors College) Flavio Pacheco, Seminole State College of Florida Garion Rivera, Indian River State College Sergey Sterlyadev, Broward College Shahriar Zamani, Hillsborough Community College Georgia: Ann Marie Hormeku, Georgia Permimeter College Illinois: Roxana Berinde, Oakton Community College Amanda Drexler, Harper College Eri Svenson, Harper College Indiana: Caleb Sedam, Ivy Tech Community College Maryland: Luis Rosales, Montgomery College Massachusetts: Dalena Nguyen, Massasoit Community College Stacy Okada, Massachusetts Bay Community College Viet Phan, Bunker Hill Community College Nicolas Trent, Massasoit Community College-Brockton Campus Michigan: Thaer Arafat, Henry Ford College Daniel Gebrezgiabhier, Grand Rapids Community College Minnesota: Angela Garagiola, Century College Tara Wilson, Century College Mississippi: Cory Kiper, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College New Jersey: Ernest Dimbo, Essex County College Theande Jashari, Bergen Community College New York: Arela Dragoni, Borough of Manhattan Community College Katarzyna Maziarz, Kingsborough Community College Anam Rabbani, Suffolk County Community College North Carolina: Andrew Wishon, Cape Fear Community College Oklahoma: Dallas Elleman, Tulsa Community College Pennsylvania: Isla Martinez-Iglesias, Manor College Lavinia Soliman, Montgomery County Community College Texas: Tiffany Avalos-Lopez, Lone Star College System Elijah Evans, Southwest Texas Junior College Angelica Fuentes, Northeast Texas Community College Ojaswee Giri, North Lake College Maria Gonzalez-Trevino, Lone Star College System Rey Laurencio, Lone Star College-CyFair Muaz Mohammed, Richland College Itzel Tejada, El Paso Community College Edwin Umanzor, Lone Star College Jessica Velazquez, Northeast Texas Community College Virginia: Derrick Arthur-Cudjoe, Northern Virginia Community College Nooshin Bashiri, Northern Virginia Community College Shahrozia Imtiaz, Northern Virginia Community College Ayesha Malika Khan, Piedmont Virginia Community College Manisha Khatri, Northern Virginia Community College Scholars are selected based on high academic ability and achievements, persistence, leadership and financial need. The average GPA of the 2016 Scholars is 3.9, and their average adjusted gross income is approximately $27,585. “Many elite colleges and universities are reluctant to admit large numbers of transfer students from community colleges, even when these students have excellent grades and other qualifications,” said Cooke Foundation Executive Director Harold O. Levy. “This is unfair and unwise. The Cooke Foundation’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholars have a long record of success at the most selective colleges and graduate schools, such as the Ivy League in the United States and the University of Oxford in Great Britain. These extraordinary young people have proven repeatedly and conclusively that top community college students have the ability to thrive in top four-year colleges. They deserve equal educational opportunity.” Past Undergraduate Transfer Scholars have attended such prestigious colleges as Amherst College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Georgetown University, Stanford University, Wellesley College and Yale University. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation will begin accepting applications for the 2017 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship on August 25 and the application process will close October 25. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is a private, independent foundation dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. The Foundation supports exceptional students from elementary school to graduate school through scholarships, grants, direct service, and knowledge creation and dissemination. Phi Theta Kappa is the oldest, largest and most prestigious honor society recognizing students pursuing two-year degrees. Phi Theta Kappa is made up of more than 3 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in nine nations. Comments are closed.