The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced 485 semifinalists for the 2026 Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship on March 5, including five students from City College, two from Mesa College, and two from Miramar College. Selected from a pool of more than 1,300 applicants, this year’s semifinalists represent 224 community colleges across 37 states and were chosen for their academic achievement, perseverance, and leadership.
Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship awardees hold an average GPA of 3.92, according to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Seventy percent have participated in an honors program or pursued honors coursework, and 66 percent hold leadership roles on their campuses.
Among the semifinalists is Oleksandr Sharlai, a biology and psychology student at Mesa College. Sharlai tutors peers in chemistry and math and mentors student-led research. Originally from Ukraine, he rebuilt his academic journey after fleeing the Russian invasion and has since conducted research at Scripps Research and UC San Diego on alcohol use disorder and traumatic brain injury. He has also contributed to mental health policy initiatives and national youth engagement efforts. Sharlai plans to transfer to a four-year university and pursue an MD-PhD in translational neuroscience, with the goal of supporting refugee families.
For Miramar student Razi ElHusseini, receiving the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship would be life-changing. “I hope to attend UC Berkeley to pursue molecular and cell biology,” he said. “After falling four years behind during a challenging high school experience, support programs like EOPS at Miramar College helped me catch up and get to where I am today.”
Distinctive to the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, students can earn their bachelor’s degrees at accredited four-year institutions anywhere in the United States, in any field of study. The award offers up to $55,000 per year for two to three years to cover the cost of completing a bachelor’s degree. As a “last-dollar” scholarship, it fills remaining financial gaps after other aid is applied, helping students graduate with minimal debt.
In addition to financial support, awarded students benefit from academic counseling, access to internship opportunities, study abroad programs, graduate school funding, and a dynamic network of more than 3,000 Cooke scholars and alumni.
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Semifinalists are:
San Diego City College
- Andrea Hamlin
- Ruth Derice
- Leon Alfred Nelson
- Daisy Navarrete
- Morgan Marino
San Diego Mesa College
- Oleksandr Sharlai
- Derek Bedolla
San Diego Miramar College
- Lynnda Rader-Villicana
- Razi ElHusseini
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation will announce the 2026 undergraduate transfer finalists in May.