My Ly, a recent graduate of 蒙哥马利县社区学院, is one of 60 high-achieving community college students selected out of nearly 1,700 applicants to receive the 著名的杰克肯特库克基金会 本科转学奖学金.

The highly competitive national scholarship aims for Cooke Scholars to complete their 用尽可能少的债务完成本科教育. 奖金是最后一美元 funding after all institutional aid, can provide Ly with as much as $55,000 a year 最多三年才能完成学士学位.

“I have had the privilege of getting to know My during 她的 time at Montco, and she 他不仅是一位学者，也是一位仆人式的领袖. 维姬Bastecki-Perez, MCCC总裁. “Her perseverance, intellect and leadership exemplify the culture of excellence and belonging that is fostered 她的e by our dedicated faculty, administrators and staff. On behalf of the entire Montco family, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to 她的. We look forward to seeing My continue to excel and make a positive impact on 世界.”

Ly was surprised and delighted to learn about the scholarship.

“Being a first-generation college student in engineering has not been an easy journey,” Ly说. “I'm so grateful for the generous support granted by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation – it still feels surreal to me that my dreams can come true! 我的目标是最大化 this opportunity to become a stronger and wiser version of myself so that I can help 其他人怀着希望和梦想也这样做.”

Originally from sout她的n Vietnam, Ly immigrated to the United States with 她的 mom 那时她才8岁. 这位特尔福德居民于5月16日从MCCC毕业 拥有副学士学位 机械工程, becoming the first in 她的 family to earn 她的 college degree. 她参加了 the College’s Honors Program and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international 两年制大学荣誉协会. 她还在学院的可持续发展项目中担任志愿者 Lab and worked on Project Innova, a hydrogen-cell-powered urban concept vehicle.

Outside of 她的 academic studies, Ly was actively involved on campus. 她的承诺 to civic engagement led 她的 to serve as a student representative on the President’s 公平谘询委员会 & 社会正义，参议员和学生会副主席 Government Association, president of the Rotaract 俱乐部 and president of the Honors 俱乐部. 她被选入 阿尔法阿尔法, the national honor society for first-generation college students.

她还参加了 巴克内尔大学社区学院奖学金 暑期项目.

President Bastecki-Perez shared the scholarship news with My Ly during a special ceremony at the 蓝铃校园 that celebrated two interconnected events – the scholarship award and the unveiling of a newly renovated part-time faculty suite.

“We intentionally combined these events because the success of our students is the result of the dedication, hard work and expertise of our faculty members. 通过 our faculty’s unwavering commitment, they play a fundamental role in shaping and empowering our students to achieve their goals and reach their fullest potential,” Dr. Bastecki-Perez 在为新教员套房剪彩前说的.

Following the support and guidance she received at MCCC, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s 本科转学奖学金 will play a pivotal role in enabling Ly to continue 她在巴克内尔大学的教育.

根据社区大学研究中心 研究, transfer pathways from community colleges are a significant contributor to enrollment 四年制大学的多样性. 然而，缺乏奖学金的机会 for transfer students and ot她的 obstacles, like losing credits during the transfer process, continue to keep bachelor-degree completion rates low.

“Community college students remain far too underrepresented at our nation’s top institutions, despite clear 研究 demonstrating their success once they arrive. 我们的奖学金 is one way we aim to ensure that high-achieving students have the opportunity to complete their degree w她的e they want, regardless of their financial background,” said Seppy 他是库克基金会的执行董事.

In addition to the financial support, Cooke Transfer Scholars receive comprehensive educational advising – guidance that is crucial for navigating their transition to 四年制大学，规划自己的职业道路. 库克学者也受益于 access to internship opportunities, study abroad and graduate school funding, as well 拥有3300多名库克学者和校友的动态网络.

This year’s competition saw nearly 1,700 applications from over 380 community colleges. Applicants were evaluated on their academic prowess, financial need, persistence, 社区服务和领导素质. 2024年库克转会的完整名单 学者和他们各自的社区学院是可用的 在线.