Three Students Named Semi-finalist for Prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship

On March 9, three students, Enoch Tuffour Ampem,  Heather Sizemore and Ryan Numair, were selected as semifinalists for the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, which provides full coverage of tuition up to $55,000 per year, academic advising and access to a network of peers. This scholarship is awarded to students who exhibit “exceptional academic ability, leadership, service, and determination.” 

This scholarship is extremely selective. This year’s 459 semifinalists attend 215 community colleges in 38 states and were chosen from a pool of more than 1,700 applicants. 

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is an organization that exists to advance the education of high-achieving students in high school and college. They have awarded over $250 million in scholarships since 2000.

Meet the Semifinalists

  
Enoch Tuffour Ampem 
An Art and design major, Enoch plans to pursue interactive or graphic design after he graduates in May and is looking at multiple transfer options including Temple University and University of the Arts. Achieving academic excellence while working two full-time jobs, Enoch is a driven student who plans to learn programming languages like JavaScript and HTML in addition to furthering his art and design skill. With a passion for innovative designs that increase usability he plans to combine his creative skills and experience in customer service as a user experience designer.  
“Being a Jack Kent Cooke semifinalist means a lot to me and as big and diverse as it is, it's an honor to be selected,” says Enoch. “[The professors in the Art department] are always there when I need them, and provide every support.” 

Heather Sizemore  
Heather is a Nursing student who plans to test for an RN (Registered Nurse) license and apply for jobs after graduating. She also plans to pursue a bachelor’s in nursing in the fall. With a GPA at the top of her class, she is constantly pushing herself to be exceptional. Through her clinical experience, she found that she is passionate about many different areas of nursing, including hospice and trauma nursing as well as surgical nursing. Her biggest goal is to “treat patients with fairness, empathy, humility, and grace while applying all the critical skills necessary to ensure patient safety and health.” 
She adds: “Being named a Jack Kent Cooke semifinalist is an honor and a huge source of motivation. I hope that it inspires other students attending community colleges to apply for scholarships that can help them cover the cost of higher education. Hopefully, the continued recognition of students who attend community colleges will amplify the message of how fundamentally important educational access is to everyone.” 

Ryan Numair 
Ryan is an Art and Design major who is interested in print making and education. His goal is to become a working artist and earn an MFA in printmaking. With an extensive portfolio, he sells his prints under Dead of Night Art, and plans to use his last semesters at the College to experiment in as many mediums as possible. Having begun his journey in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction in 2020, he finds that connecting with and being of service to his peers and instructors allows him to stay grounded and “step outside of himself to be a part of the whole.” He is also a member of the Studio Art Club. 
“Being a Jack Kent Cooke semifinalist is truly an amazing gift and I am filled with gratitude,” says Ryan, “I can have some imposter syndrome and fears about going all-in on my art. I can feel like I am too old to be in art school. Becoming a Jack Kent Cooke semifinalist reassures me that I am on the right path. It helps build my confidence and secures my decisions to pursue my BFA in printmaking.” 
 
Finalists are expected to be announced this month.