Henry Ford Community College (HFCC) Honors Program Student Kafa Alshohatee of Detroit is the College’s nominee for the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship for the 2012-13 academic year.
A native of Yemen, Alshohatee is a 2011 alumna of the Universal Academy in Detroit. During her high school days, she was a dual-enrolled student at HFCC. She is a member of the HFCC chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, and has served as a tutor in HFCC’s Learning Resource Center, helping students with Biology and Chemistry. She was also the vice-president of the Muslim Student Association.
Additionally, Alshohatee volunteered at Oakwood Health Systems in Dearborn and at the Al-Huda Islamic School in Detroit. In recognition of this service, President Barack Obama sent her a certificate of commendation, praising her for her community service work.
She plans to transfer to the Pre-med program at Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit, where she will major in Biology. Tentatively, she anticipates a graduation date of 2014 from WSU and expects to enroll in the Wayne State School of Medicine. Her goal is to become an OB/GYN.
“I feel that being nominated for this scholarship has validated me. All my hard work has paid off. I can allow myself to smile for a moment and say, ‘I did it,’” she said.
The Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship supports the nation’s top community college students to complete their bachelor’s degrees by transferring to a four-year college or university. The Jack Kemp Cooke Foundation provides up to $30,000 per year to approximately 60 deserving students selected annually, which makes it the largest private scholarship for two-year and community college transfer students in the country.
Each award is intended to cover a significant share of the student’s educational expenses – including tuition, living expenses, books and required fees – for the final two to three years necessary to achieve a bachelor’s degree. Awards vary by individual, based on the cost of tuition as well as other grants or scholarships he or she may receive. To be eligible for the program, students must be nominated by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation faculty representative at their community college.

To learn more about the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, please visit http://www.jkcf.org/. For more about the HFCC Honors Program, please visit http://www.hfcc.edu/about_us/honors_program.asp