Lone Star College students named semifinalists for prestigious scholarship

HOUSTON, TX -- The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation (JKCF) announced 19 Lone Star College students were recognized as semifinalists for its highly competitive Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Finalists who will complete their bachelor’s degrees at four-year colleges or universities receive up to $55,000 per year for up to three years to cover a substantial share of educational expenses including tuition, living expenses, books and required fees.

“Lone Star College continues to redefine the community college experience,” said Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., LSC Chancellor. “The semifinalists selected are enrolled in the Lone Star Honors College which meets the needs of high-achieving students who are looking to improve their college transcripts and transferability with challenging coursework.”

The 19 LSC semifinalists are…

LSC-CyFair
Fatima Shamim
Ivey Knebel
Marcelo Carrizales
Vincenzo De Vita Sifontes

LSC-North Harris
April Aragon
Shaith Amous

LSC-Tomball


LSC-Kingwood
Angelica Bernal Penaloza
Lacy Butler
Xitlai Mujica

LSC-Tomball

Ana Munguia Ayarzagoitia
Andrea Juarez Prado
Madison Terry
Manelle Mensah
Nicolas Reyes

LSC-Montgomery
Marysa Barela

LSC-University Park
Alma Torres
Jason Pham
Kelsey Roberson
Muzil Ahmad

Finalists will also receive all-inclusive educational advising from JKCF staff to guide them through the processes of transitioning to a four-year school and preparing them for their careers.

“The past year has been particularly difficult as students continued to navigate the complexities of hybrid learning, the demands of family care, and disrupted work schedules,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation in a statement. “We are so proud of these semifinalists for their perseverance and achievements at their community colleges.”

This year’s 440 semifinalists were chosen from a pool of more than 1,200 applicants attending 180 community colleges in 35 states. The Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship recipients will be announced in early May. In all, 26 LSC students have been awarded the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship since 2012.

“Lone Star College remains committed to continuing the high-quality experiences that make a difference for students’ transfer and career goals,” said Katharine Caruso, Ph.D., LSC Associate Vice Chancellor Honors and International Education. “We are very proud of the hard work these students and their instructors have done to get this far.”

Lone Star College enrolls over 80,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and has been named a 2021 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education and ranked 35th in Texas in the Forbes ‘America’s Best Employers By State’ list. LSC consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.