40 THE QUEENS COURIER • KIDS & EDUCATION • MAY 30, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
kids & education
SpoSnpsoonresdo rbeyd by
LaGuardia students named Jack Kent Cooke scholars
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Two LaGuardia Community College
students were recently selected as 2019
Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer
Scholars.
Matthew Wilson, 38, and Sukhrob
Abdushukorov, 22, are two of only 61
community college students from across
the U.S. selected for this prestigious and
highly competitive scholarship, which
provides up to $40,000 per year toward
the completion of a bachelor’s degree.
“We are incredibly proud of Matthew
and Sukhrob on their selection as 2019
Jack Kent Cooke Scholars, which not
only refl ects their individual achievements,
but also the dedication of our faculty
and staff who mentored them and
supported their applications,” LaGuardia
Community College President Gail O.
Mellow said. “Too many low-income students,
who disproportionately make up
student populations at community colleges,
are unable to fi nish their bachelor’s
due to fi nancial burdens. It’s especially
meaningful that Matthew is pursuing his
college studies in his late 30s while raising
two children, with support like this from
the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, parents
who want to make better lives for themselves
and their families, and are able to
do so.”
With the selection of Wilson and
Abdushukurov, LaGuardia has had 11
Cooke scholars since 2006, three of
whom also received Cooke Graduate
Scholarships. Th e Jack Kent Cooke
Foundation is dedicated to advancing the
education of exceptionally promising students
who have fi nancial need.
“Matthew and Sukhrob are remarkable
in their own way for their drive, resilience
and intellectual talents; their Cooke
success is truly inspiring,” LaGuardia
Community College Honors Program
LaGuardia Community College student Matthew Wilson juggles his studies with an internship and
two children.
Director Karlyn Koh said. “Also inspiring
are the many meaningful support networks,
opportunities, and advising and
mentoring avenues found at LaGuardia,
all of which have lift ed these scholars closer
to their dreams.”
Wilson, a fi lm and television major,
came to LaGuardia through the CUNY
Fatherhood Academy which helps fathers
get on track with education and employment.
He has an 18-year-old son and
11-month-old daughter and secured
a competitive internship spot at NBC.
Wilson has been accepted at Queens
College and York College and he is also
considering Columbia, NYU, and Long
Island University as transfer options to
pursue his passion for moving images.
Courtesy LaGuardia Community
College
Abdushukurov is a psychology major
born in Uzbekistan who speaks English,
Uzbek, Tadjik, Russian and German. He
moved to the U.S. three years ago, and
shortly thereaft er, he began his academic
journey at LaGuardia. In his future career,
he plans to use psychology to develop an
interdisciplinary approach to education.
He has applied to Amherst, Swarthmore,
Cornell and Wesleyan, among other fouryear
Courtesy of LaGuardia Community College
colleges.
“Our recent ‘Persistence’ report highlights
the vast potential and achievements
of community college transfer students,
who go on to outperform their
non-transfer peers at selective four-year
institutions,” Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Executive Director Seppy Basili said. “In
an era where many high-achieving students
oft en begin their higher education
journey in community college, the foundation
is committed to enabling these
transfer students to pursue their academic
dreams at the nation’s top colleges and
universities.”
Nearly 1,500 students applied for the
2019 Cooke Undergraduate Transfer
Scholarship. Th e recipients selected represent
18 diff erent state and have a median
household adjusted gross income of
$28,000 and an average GPA of 3.93.
“I thank the many at LaGuardia who
worked so hard to nurture and support
not just these Cooke scholars, but also
the other talented and motivated students
who applied for the Cooke scholarship
this past year,” Koh said. “Th e work of
sustaining a culture that empowers all students,
including the high-achieving ones,
is the labor of many.”
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