Massasoit Student Leader Named Semifinalist for Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship

Feb. 4, 2020 – Maya Burgess, a sophomore Liberal Arts Transfer student at Massasoit, was named as a semifinalist for this year’s Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Sponsored by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the Scholarship supports high-achieving community college students as they transfer to some of the top four-year institutions in the country to complete their bachelor’s degrees.

Burgess intends to transfer to complete her bachelor’s degree in political science and then continue on to law school. At Massasoit, she has worked as a peer tutor in the Canton ARC, is the president of the Canton Honors Speakers Bureau Club and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honors society, and is completing the Commonwealth Honors Program.

Semifinalists for the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship were chosen from a pool of nearly 1,500 applicants attending 311 community colleges, and Burgess is one of 11 chosen from Massachusetts.

“Year after year, we are impressed by the incredible talent and resolve of community college students,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “We are proud to recognize this outstanding group of semifinalists for their academic achievement.”

The Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship recipients will be announced in April. Selected scholars will receive financial support for up to three years, comprehensive educational advising, and the chance to connect with fellow Cooke Scholars.

Cooke Transfer Scholars are selected based on their exceptional academic ability and achievement, financial need, persistence, service to others, and leadership. Students must be currently enrolled community college students or recent graduates residing in the United States.