These students received some of the most prestigious scholarships in the nation

David Emdin had no idea what was coming when the president of Community College of Philadelphia stopped his commencement speech to call him on stage. 

“I really didn’t know what to expect,” David said. “No one had told me anything until that morning. I received a call asking me if I was going to come early to my graduation. I was wondering why they’d call me, specifically? I didn’t know why at all.”

“David, on behalf of Community College of Philadelphia,” said College President Dr. Donald Guy Generals, “I am proud to congratulate you as you have been selected to receive the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.” The stage auditorium vibrated with roaring applause as David and Dr. Generals shook hands and hugged. David tried to hold back the wave of emotion as he walked off stage, embracing professors, classmates and friends on his way to his seat.

David Emdin, recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship

The Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship—as well as the Gates Scholarship (more on that below)—is one of the most prestigious higher education scholarships in the nation. Cooke Scholars have access to generous financial support for two to three years, college planning support, ongoing advising, and the opportunity to connect with the thriving community of fellow scholars. The award, which is last dollar funding after all institutional aid, can provide as much as $55,000 per year for two to three years to complete a bachelor’s degree at any accredited four-year undergraduate institution in the U.S.

David graduated Community College of Philadelphia in May with a degree in biology and, with the support of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, he’ll attend Holy Family University in the fall.

“So now that I don’t have to worry about this (tuition), I can focus on what has always been my goal – towards medical school,” David said, “and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, they offer some premedical support as well. So, I really hope to take full advantage of that as I move forward.”

David moved to Philadelphia from Nigeria in 2016 and attended Central High School before starting at CCP. When he started looking at colleges, he didn’t think he would be able to afford higher education.

“There was just no way,” David said. “There was no way I would be able to pay for it.”

Thankfully, David didn’t have to pay a dime for tuition at CCP. The Octavius Catto Scholarship covered the cost of tuition at the College and provided a monthly stipend. And it wasn’t the only scholarship supporting his studies: During the 2023-24 school year, David received $2,000 through Strong Men, Strong Lives, Strong Futures; $250 through the Black Faculty and Staff Alliance Scholarship; $1,500 through the Donald Slavin Scholarship and $2,960 through the Workforce Development Programs Scholarship.

“You are not making a mistake by going to CCP, especially if you are a high school graduate of Philadelphia,” David said. “Just take advantage of it! It’s a community college, so it’s a community. That’s the key word. They’re there to help you, they want to help you. Everyone wants to help you. All you have to do is show up, choose what you want to do, and just continue.”

Antoinette Ellis, recipient of the Gates Scholarship

As a Parkway Center City Middle College student, Antoinette Ellis graduated at the age of 18 with both her high school diploma and an associate degree in liberal arts from Community College of Philadelphia. Just before graduation, she got the news that she had been selected for the prestigious Gates Scholarship.

The Gates Scholarship is a last-dollar scholarship that covers the full cost of attending college or university for outstanding, minority, high school seniors from low-income households. After Antoinette made it through each phase of the application process and wrote multiple essays, the email congratulating her as a Gates Scholar recipient finally came in April.  

“It was all a blur, but I just remember being so happy,” she said. “I had to go tell my mom, so I ran upstairs to tell her, and she was so excited. I just remember being relieved. Sometimes I sit here like, ‘I really have that scholarship.’”

In the fall, the North Philadelphia native plans to attend University of Michigan as a nursing major. In the future, she’d like to pursue her doctorate in public health with a goal of improving health care for people in underserved communities. Her interests stem, in part, from a course she took at Community College of Philadelphia: Race, Ethnicity and Social Inequalities.

“My two biggest things that I love are social justice and helping people,” she said. “So, those are my two niches that I like to also intertwine.”

In fact, Antoinette has already started her career in the medical field. She is certified as an emergency medical technician and just started working part time as an EMT.

Speaking on the dual enrollment program through Parkway Center City Middle College, Antoinette said it was a great way to learn what to expect as a college student.

“One thing I really liked was learning that time management skill,” she said. “Because I know a lot of people go to university and then kind of crash out because they don’t understand how to navigate that. But I’ve had, like, four years of it, especially the last two, trying to plan my schedule accordingly.”

Ameerah Martin, recipient of the Gates Scholarship

At the age of 19, Ameerah Martin has her high school diploma, 24 college credits, and is getting ready to attend Howard University as a Gates Scholar. She plans to be a civil rights attorney dedicated to restorative justice. Ameerah is also part of the youth-led Philadelphia Community Youth Court, which works with students and the community to eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline. 

“Right now, I’m pursuing a Criminology degree, but I want to go on to law school,” she said. “The Philadelphia Community Youth Court is my entire reason for pursuing law and criminal justice as a whole.”

The Philly native has worked with the Philadelphia Community Youth Court since she attended middle school at Universal Institute Charter School. Like Antoinette, Ameerah took dual enrollment classes at Community College of Philadelphia while in high school. Ameerah was part of School District of Philadelphia’s Senior Year Only Program, which allowed her to attend Central High School through her junior year and CCP during her senior year.

“Definitely my fall semester courses, specifically Environmental Conservation and English 101, gave me a more well-rounded sense of how to write a piece, whether it be an essay, or article or anything,” she said. “It gave me more insight and I feel like it really helped me with my essay writing for the Gates Scholarship.”

On top of that, taking college classes before being a full-time college student helped her pick an area of study.

“I thought that I would like psychology and I would have definitely pursued a major in it,” she said, “but now I’ve seen that I don’t necessarily like it and CCP gave me a way to decide if I like it or not.”

While attending a recent summer institute with fellow Gates Scholars, Ameerah said she had a lot of conversations about the essays that were part of the scholarship application process. For anyone planning to apply for the Gates Scholarship, she recommends finding a focal point to tie all four essays together.

“My theme was criminal justice, and someone else’s theme was her family,” Ameerah said, “and some people said their theme was not having a theme. As long as you have something that you’re working toward, or nothing that you’re working toward if that’s your theme, as long as there’s a central line that’s really interesting, that’s a nice point to play across.”