"Jack Kent Cooke" Scholarship
The Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship has been one of the most prestigious scholarships given to community colleges for the past ten years, according to www.jkcf.org. Although the scholarship is made available for under-graduates in community college students, the scholarship also reaches out to those in the category of young scholars in high school and post-gradutes, who have finished their two-year degree, and are working towards a four-year degree.
Jack Kent Cooke was known for being a self-made billionaire, even though his youth was a financial struggle, according to his biography at www.jkcf.org. He never graduated from college, because of his financial struggle at the time. Throughout his life, he worked to overcome these struggles, which he did, !!! and with great success. He was a big man in the sport's world, owning such teams as the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Kings, and the Washington Redskins. Cooke died in 1977, with an abundance of money left behind. His will stated that all the money would be contributed to starting a foundation to help students in education who are in financial struggles, and need help to achieve the eduacational goals that he never had the chance to get.
Umpqua Community College has been a participant of this scholarship for four years, although the foundation has been running for ten. Students must first be nominated by someone on campus. This year, there were fifty students form UCC who were nominated for the scholarship. The nominees must then do paperwork and a background entry, which is composed of three essays, two letters of recommendation, extensive financial information, academics, extra cirricular activities, work/volunteer experience and awards. This process appears to be difficult, proven by the four out of five of the nominees who did not do these things. Those who do complete and turn in their applications go to a board, who decides what two students get sent into the pool for the scholarship. The pool usually consists of 700 students. Of those 700 students, only fifty get chosen for the schoalship. The students chosen get up to $30,000 anually for schooling.
Marjan Coester stated that the scholarship was made "to help students of exceptional promise." Over the years that UCC has been a part of this foundation, we have had two winners: Dusty Dodd in 2007, and Stephanie Randolf in 2008. The finalization process of the board will be done by Jan. 26th, and we will then know the two students who have the chance of a lifetime in being awarded this scholarship.
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