May 12, 2021 – This week, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced that Santa Fe College alumnus Charly Gutierrez-Jimenez was a recipient of the Foundation’s prestigious Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The highly competitive national scholarship will provide Charly with up to $40,000 a year to complete their bachelor’s degree.
Charly started at Santa Fe College in the High School Dual Enrollment program out of Hawthorne High School. After earning his Associate in Arts degree in 2019, he remained at SF to complete the prerequisites to enter his chosen field of Biomedical Engineering. He is currently deciding between Cornell University, Florida International University, the University of Miami and the University of South Florida.
“We are so proud of the work Charly has put into furthering his education,” SF President Paul Broadie II said about Charly. “Daily, I am amazed at our students and their dedication to education. Their hard work and perseverance is admirable. These are the people who will shape the future, and I cannot wait to see the impact Charly will have on the lives of family, friends and our community.”
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation also recognized SF Honors Program coordinator Bobby Hom for his work supporting students and promoting the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, and Santa Fe College as a whole for working with students and guiding them to success.
“Charly is the personification of the perseverance and resilience we’d like to see in all our SF students,” SF’s Coordinator of Honors Programs Bobby Hom said. “Since starting at SF as a high school dual enrollment student, he’s remained dedicated to attending top-flight institutions to complete his education. The Jack Kent Cooke scholarship will be life-changing for both him and his family.”
In addition to 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 Cooke Scholars and Alumni.
Today, nearly half of the students pursuing college choose to attend two-year institutions. Research commissioned by the Foundation found that community college students who transfer to selective institutions have equal to or higher graduation rates as students who enrolled directly from high school or transferred from four-year institutions. Yet, at the nation’s top colleges, only five percent have transferred from a community college. The Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship seeks to increase the number of community college students completing their education at top four-year institutions.
With the announcement, Charly becomes SF’s second Cooke scholar. Francisco Laurenco received the Cooke scholarship in 2018.