Ivan Quintana MESA, Arizona – April 24, 2019 – Ivan Quintana, a Mesa Community College (MCC) student and 2019 class honors speaker, is selected as a 2019 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholar. He is one of 61 recipients nationally to receive this highly competitive scholarship, providing up to $40,000 annually for a maximum of three years to complete a bachelor’s degree.

Quintana, who is set to graduate in May, plans to transfer to Arizona State University to earn a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice. He plans to continue his education, earning a Juris Doctor degree at an Ivy League school.

Born and raised in the small town of Colonia Juárez in Chihuahua, Mexico, Quintana moved to the U.S. two years ago to pursue his dream of becoming an attorney and began attending classes at Mesa Community College in Fall 2017.

While at MCC, Quintana served as a College Completion Ambassador through AmeriCorps and a member of Phi Theta Kappa, an honor society for two-year college students. At ASU, he has been accepted into the Next Generation Service Corp program, a first of its kind leadership development program that trains students from all majors to experience firsthand how collaboration among the public, private, nonprofit and military sectors can create meaningful change locally and globally

Quintana hopes to one day open a legal resource center and serve as a leader and voice for the Hispanic community.

"Being selected as a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar is a terrific honor and one of the crowning achievements of my time at MCC,” says Quintana. “This is an opportunity that will make dreams of completing a bachelor's degree come true. However, I see it as a duty and obligation to continue improving my community. The younger generations of students still have obstacles and struggles to overcome, and I will remain devoted to paving the path for them."

In addition to the monetary award, each new Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholar receives comprehensive educational advising from Foundation staff, guiding them through the process of transitioning to a four-year school and preparing for their careers. The Foundation also provides opportunities for internships, study abroad and connections to its network of nearly 2,500 Cooke Scholars and alumni. Quintana is now eligible to apply for $75,000 in graduate school funding through the Foundation.

“Our recent ‘Persistence’ report highlights the vast potential, and achievements, of community college transfer students — who go on to outperform their non-transfer peers at selective four-year institutions” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “In an era where many high-achieving students often begin their higher education journey in community college, the Foundation is committed to enabling these transfer students to pursue their academic dreams at the nation’s top colleges and universities.”

The Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is the largest private scholarship in the nation for students transferring from two-year community colleges to four-year institutions that award bachelor’s degrees.

Nearly 1,500 students applied for the 2019 Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The Foundation evaluated each submission based on academic ability, persistence, leadership, and service to others. The recipients selected represent 18 different states, have a median household adjusted gross income of $28,000 and an average GPA of 3.93. This year’s cohort of Cooke Transfer Scholars has applied to the nation’s most selective institutions.

Mr. Cooke was a philanthropist, businessman, and devotee of learning and the arts who left the bulk of his estate to establish the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to help students of exceptional promise reach their full potential through education.

# # #

Media contacts:
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Amber Styles, 571-442-0772, media@jkcf.org.
Mesa Community College: Dawn Zimmer, 480-461-7892, dawn.zimmer@mesacc.edu

About the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. The Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Since 2000, the Foundation has awarded $175 million in scholarships to more than 2,300 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive counseling and other support services. The Foundation has also provided over $97 million in grants to organizations that serve such students.www.jkcf.org

Mesa Community College is nationally recognized as an Aspen Prize Top 150 U.S. Community College and is known for service learning, career and technical programs, civicengagement and innovative approaches to education. The college serves as a resource for career readiness, transfer education, workforce development and lifelong learning. Host to more than 30,000 students annually, MCC offers degree and certificate programs online, at its two campuses, the Mesa Downtown Center and additional locations. Through the implementation of Guided Pathways with Integrated Support Services, MCC is transforming ways it champions student success; college completion, university transfer and career attainment for all students. MCC is a Hispanic Serving Institution. The diverse student body includes more than 400 international students representing over 60 countries. Award-winning faculty are dedicated to student success, providing the education and training to empower MCC students to compete locally and globally. Located in the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona, MCC is one of the 10 colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District. Learn more at mesacc.edu.

Mesa Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or national origin. A lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in the career and technical education programs of the District. MCCCD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities. For Title IX/504 concerns, call the following number to reach the appointed coordinator: (480) 731-8499. For additional information, as well as a listing of all coordinators within the Maricopa College system, visit www.maricopa.edu/non-discrimination.