LANSDOWNE, VA – Oscar Madong, a student at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), is one of 60 high-achieving community college students selected to receive the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The highly competitive national scholarship aims for Cooke Scholars to complete their undergraduate educations with as little debt as possible. The award, which is last dollar funding after all institutional aid, can provide Madong with as much as $55,000 a year to complete a bachelor’s degree.
Madong, from Lake Mills, is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the National Society of Leadership and Success, Student Government, Collegiate Entrepreneur’s Organization Club, and a student peer tutor in the NIACC Student Learning Center. Madong plans to transfer to Iowa State University and pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering.
“There are so many bright and persistent community college students in our nation who we know will thrive at four-year institutions if they can find a way to transfer without being weighed down by a heavy financial burden,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “We are excited to welcome yet another cohort of Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars to our community after learning about them through their applications and seeing their unbound potential.”
Along with financial support, 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. Scholars will additionally receive opportunities for internships, study abroad, and graduate school funding, as well as connection to a thriving network of more than 3,000 Cooke Scholars and Alumni.
This year, more than 1,700 students from 448 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.
The Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need.
(Photo (Left to Right): NIACC President Dr. Steve Schulz; NIACC Student Oscar Madong; Dr. Erin Shaw, NIACC Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs – via NIACC)
