Samantha Benavides, a student at Cleveland State Community College, is one of 50 students chosen to receive the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. This highly competitive national scholarship will provide Benavides with up to $40,000 a year to complete her bachelor’s degree.
"In addition to financial support, new Cooke Transfer Scholars will receive comprehensive educational advising from the Jack Kent Cooke 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," officials said.
“I feel blessed and extremely proud to be one of 50 students across the nation to receive such a prestigious scholarship,” stated Ms. Benavides. “During my time at CSCC, I held two jobs and still tried to remain active in my college and education. This scholarship means everything to me because it takes the financial burden off of me and will enable me to be a better, more focused student.”
In addition to serving as president for the Omega Omicron Chapter of CSCC’s Phi Theta Kappa, Ms. Benavides was a leader on the CSCC Debate Team, played clarinet in the Cleveland Pops Band and attended the Tennessee Honors in Action Academy. As captain of the debate team, she won two outstanding speaker awards, one team award, one best college debate award and has been invited to compete at the Novice Nationals Forensic tournament for two years running.
PTK Advisor Kimberly Harrington said, “Samantha’s skills in balancing her many responsibilities are off the charts. I have so much confidence in what she will achieve as a Cooke Transfer scholar, and I'm thrilled that the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation agreed with me and selected her as a recipient for this award. I'm so proud of all she has done this year leading up to this honor, and I'm excited to see what comes next for her.”
“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.”
Ms. Benavides continued, “Cleveland State is likely the most ambitious network of people I have ever met. This is a school that motivates students to be the best. I have made so many friends while being here, and each one of them has a special place in my success. I am a proud alumna of Cleveland State Community College.”
Ms. Benavides is a graduate of McMinn Central High School and is the daughter of Renay Redfern and Scott Vergano of Etowah. She will graduate from CSCC in July with an associate of arts degree with a Foreign Language Tennessee Transfer Pathway (TTP). Although she is still undecided on which college she will attend after CSCC, she plans to study global affairs and modern foreign languages.