Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Selects Eight LaGuardia Students as 2025 Scholarship Semifinalists
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (March 7, 2025) — Eight students from LaGuardia Community College/CUNY have been selected as semifinalists for the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship.
On March 6, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation named 467 community college students as semifinalists for its highly competitive Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. This transformative scholarship empowers exceptional community college students with financial need to transfer to the nation’s top four-year institutions while avoiding the burden of student debt. The award, which is last-dollar funding after all institutional aid, can provide as much as $55,000 per year for two to three years to complete a bachelor’s degree at any accredited four-year undergraduate institution in the United States.
Congratulations to the eight selected LaGuardia students, and their advisors and mentors:
- Anwarul Azim, AAS Cybersecurity major (Advisors and mentors: Shadi Haidar, Adel Tarfaia, and Gordon Tapper)
- Lyvia Hawks, AS Business Administration major (Advisors and mentors: Mauricio Zegarra and Rochelle Spencer)
- Jessica Gallegos, AAS Music Recording major (Advisors and mentors: Kimberly Ramirez and Monika Ekiert)
- Toe Htin Lin Nyo, AS Business Administration major (Advisors and mentors: Andrea Francis and Diane Vasquez)
- Tabia Tarannum, AS Biology major (Advisors and mentors: Ingrid Veras and Sorin Cucu)
- Leah El Paing Paing Htwe, AS Computer Science major (Advisors and mentors: Andi Toce and Erika Heppner)
- Haofeng Lin, AS Applied Math major (Advisors and mentors: Shaoshao Yang and Shenglan Yuan)
- Miguel Posada Perez, AA Electrical Engineering major (Advisors and mentors: Roman Senkov and Kevin Marks)
“We are extremely proud of our students for this achievement, and we thank the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation for their continued support of college students on their academic success,” said Kenneth Adams, President of LaGuardia Community College. “At LaGuardia, student success is our highest priority. Congratulations to our students and their advisors and mentors who guided them through the application process.”
The 467 semifinalists were chosen from a pool of more than 1,600 applicants who attend 212 community colleges in 43 states. The rigorous selection process assesses candidates on their exceptional academic ability and achievement, demonstrated financial need, perseverance, and leadership.
LaGuardia has had a strong record of having semi-finalists selected for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. In 2023, seven LaGuardia students were also selected as semifinalists. Dr. Karlyn Koh, Professor of English and Cooke Campus Representative, says LaGuardia students are very ambitious and curious.
“Many students who come to LaGuardia possess a hunger to learn and to succeed, and what they discover is that we work hard to connect them to relevant academic and professional opportunities (research, internships, campus life involvement, etc.),” Dr. Koh said. “Hence, they can blossom and use their classroom learning as launching pads to the next stage in transfer and professional journey.”
Dr. Koh said faculty and advisors play critical roles in helping students throughout the year and apply for the Cooke Scholarship.
“Faculty and advisors provide the guidance, access to opportunities and support networks, and moral, emotional and intellectual support that pave a student’s way to building a strong Cooke application,” Dr. Koh said.
For students selected to receive the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship provides comprehensive support beyond financial assistance, recognizing that admission and enrollment are only the beginning. This scholarship is designed to help students reach college and successfully navigate and complete their journey. Selected Cooke Transfer Scholars receive personalized educational advising from the Foundation’s Deans of Scholar Support, who guide them through the transition to a four-year institution and help prepare them for future careers. Scholars also gain access to transformative opportunities, including internships, study abroad experiences, and graduate school funding, as well as inclusion in a thriving community of more than 3,400 fellow Cooke Scholars and Alumni who provide mentorship and networking connections throughout their academic and professional lives.
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation will announce 60 Cooke finalists later this May.
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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.
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