Jeannette Mayo Gallegos awarded prestigious community college transfer scholarship
May 13, 2022 |
Jeannette Mayo Gallegos, a student at San Diego City College, is one of 100 recipients of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s prestigious Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The highly competitive national scholarship will provide Gallegos with up to $55,000 a year to complete their bachelor’s degree.
“I am so grateful to be selected as a Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship recipient,” Gallegos said. “This scholarship will allow me to pursue my education without worrying about food, housing, and supplies. I will get to focus on my educational goals.”
Growing up, Gallegos spent time living in San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico while attending San Diego High School. She will be graduating this spring from San Diego City College with an associate degree in computer science and transferring to UC Berkeley in the fall. Gallegos plans to major in computer science and pursue a career as a software or security engineer in the cybersecurity field.
In the 2020-21 academic year, four-year colleges and universities saw nearly 200,000 fewer transfer enrollment applications nationwide, reflecting the pandemic’s disruptive effect on students and their plans for college. Despite that decline, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation welcomed its largest class of Scholars to date, highlighting the talent and achievement of hundreds of community college students across the country. In light of growing financial hardship for so many families, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation also increased the maximum award amount by an extra $15,000 to ensure students can focus on their studies while enrolled.
“Today, almost half of all college students begin their academic career at a community college. We know our community colleges are full of high-achieving students, and we’re committed to playing our part to ensure those students succeed,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “Congratulations to a cohort of students who have persisted in the midst of such unprecedented disruptions in our lives. We welcome you into our community and look forward to learning alongside you.”
New Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars will receive comprehensive educational advising to guide them through the process of transitioning to a four-year college and preparing for their careers. Along with financial support, Scholars will additionally receive opportunities for internships, study abroad, and graduate school funding, as well as connection to a thriving network of over nearly 3,000 Cooke Scholars and Alumni.
This year, more than 1,200 students from 332 community colleges applied to receive the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The Foundation evaluated each submission based on students’ academic ability and achievement, financial need, persistence, and leadership.
A list of this year’s Cooke Transfer Scholars, their community colleges, and their hometowns can be found here.