Three MiraCosta College Students Awarded Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarships

Three MiraCosta College students have been selected to receive the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship that pays up to $40,000 for tuition, books, and housing annually for up to three years, while they secure their bachelor’s degree at a four-year college or university.

Khadijah Bint Sadiq Abdulmateen, Ava Davari, and Licol Zeinfeld are among a select group of fifty scholarship recipients selected this year to receive the award nationwide. The Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is reserved for the nation’s top community college students who are selected based on exceptional academic ability and achievement, financial need, persistence, service to others, and leadership.

"By far, the highlight of this week for me was calling each student and letting them know the good news. Each of them is remarkable," said MiraCosta College Superintendent/President Sunita “Sunny” Cooke. “Over the years MiraCosta has had outstanding students receive this award and this reflects on our students and our entire organization.”

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced the 2020 undergraduate transfer scholars on Friday, April 24. Among them:

Khadijah Bint Sadiq Abdulmateen, an Honors Navigator in the Honors Program and the current president of the Black Student Union, is a communications major who plans to work in the public relations field, focusing on youth development. "I want to develop statewide initiatives in creating job and career development for youth, starting in high school, to further provide for themselves and gain experience in various fields," she said. Khadijah credits the Umoja program and her work as a career peer with the Career Center as exponential contributors to her academic success. "I am surrounded by amazing, supportive individuals." She has been accepted to CSU Long Beach, San Francisco State, UC Irvine, and UC Davis, and hopes to be transferring to her first choice to continue her path in communications.

Ava Davari is the Vice President of Scholarship at Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Chi Lambda chapter at MiraCosta College and a member of the Honors Scholar Program. She has been on the President’s List every semester and has participated in the OMNI Research Conference, producing several research projects. "Both of my parents were born and raised in Iran, making me a first-generation American. I am also a first-generation college student," she notes. During the summer 2019 semester, she enrolled in MiraCosta's Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course and earned her certification. Ava is graduating this spring semester and has been admitted to several California State University campuses, as well as the University of San Diego. "I plan on earning my bachelor of science in nursing to become a registered nurse. My ultimate career goal is to go on to earn my master’s and a doctorate in nursing to become a pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in oncology."

Licol Zeinfeld, Executive Vice President of the MiraCosta College Associated Student Government (ASG), has been accepted to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Berkeley for electrical engineering and computer science, and is waiting to receive an admission decision from Stanford University. Licol wants to continue pursuing and creating new opportunities where technology, art, and education intersect. As a child, Licol was homeschooled, spending days buried in textbooks and pursuing a love of music. Touring, band rehearsals, and music productions occupied many days, but a creative outlet designing wrap bracelets awoke the inner entrepreneur and, while working to provide customers a website, a love for computer science was developed. At age 16, Licol became determined to pursue a formal education and stayed with a family friend while the rest of the family returned to Israel. Separated from loved ones, Licol began attending MiraCosta College. "I feel blessed to belong to an inspiring community of students and professors who share my love of learning," Licol continued, "becoming a part of the JKC community will not only nurture my combined pursuits within education and the social endeavors I care about deeply, but also allow me to connect with many other scholars in pursuit of inspiring more students around the world to dream big."

In addition to financial support, new Cooke Transfer Scholars will receive comprehensive educational advising from the Foundation 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 over 2,700 fellow Cooke scholars and alumni.

“We know this is a very uncertain time for many students and their families. We remain deeply committed to supporting high-achieving community college students to ensure they have the resources to reach their full academic potential,” said Seppy Basili, Executive Director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “We are excited to welcome this new class of Cooke Transfer Scholars to our community and looking forward to seeing the many amazing things they do as they continue on their transfer journey.”

About MiraCosta College

The MiraCosta Community College District has served the coastal North San Diego County area for over 80 years. More than 21,000 credit students per semester in over 70 disciplines enroll in associate degrees, university transfer and workforce readiness certificate programs. The college also serves a wide spectrum of educational needs in the region ranging from programs for adult education, basic skills, and ESL to a California Community College pilot program offering the nation’s first baccalaureate degree in biomanufacturing. MiraCosta College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).