Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Allows Transfer Students to Follow Their Dreams

Every year, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation gives out millions of dollars in scholarships to deserving students of all ages. The Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship rewards exceptional community college students who are outstanding scholars and critical thinkers, and who have a compelling motivational drive to accomplish their goals. Financial need and extracurricular activity involvement are taken into account, as well. It is the largest private scholarship for a community college transfer student in the country.

The prize is an unbelievable award of up to $30,000 per student—covering not only tuition but also housing, books, and other expenses. With rewards this great, any student can attend the college of their dreams to obtain their bachelor degree without worrying about the price tag.

However, the stakes are high; only about 50 students are awarded nationwide. In previous years, three former HFCC students have been honored by the prestigious scholarship—Ardeta Gjikola (2005), Kamal Abuarquob (2006), and Neam Alazawi, last year’s award recipient.

Students cannot directly apply to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation for scholarships. They must be nominated by a faculty representative from their community college. HFCC’s representative is Dr. Nabeel Abraham, anthropology professor and head of the honors program. Up to four students can be nominated each year, depending on the size of the college. Dr. Abraham believes HFCC can nominate four students, although he doesn’t quite have confirmation of the number yet.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation takes pride in helping students follow their dreams and rewarding them for their hard work. “Neam Alazawi was, of course, overjoyed,” said Dr. Abraham, speaking of last year’s award recipient. “The award gave her self-confidence a major boost. Prior to the award, she had become doubtful as to whether to stick to her goal of pursuing entry into medical school, fearing the costs and the time commitment were prohibitive. The award changed her mind by, in fact, radically easing her financial worries.”

In order to be eligible, students must be a sophomore, or a recent graduate of the college. They must also plan to pursue a bachelor’s degree, have a cumulative college GPA of 3.5 or higher, need financial assistance and be nominated by their community college’s faculty representative. The application itself is extensive, including many questions about community and school involvement. There are several essay questions, too. Students must enter their top transfer choices and explain why they’ve chosen them. Also, there’s a brief essay about why they have chosen their field of study, as well as a narrative autobiography and a reflective piece.

Anyone interested in applying should go to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s website, click on the “Scholarships” heading, find the “Undergraduate Transfer Scholarships” link on the page, and then click the “How to Apply” option. There, they will find FAQs, eligibility information and links to a sample application, as well as the actual one. Online applications must be submitted by Friday, November 4, 2011, to allow Dr. Abraham time for review before the foundation’s December 6 deadline.