​Westchester Community College Student Wins Transfer Scholarship

SHRUB OAK, NY — Bianca Braun of Shrub Oak became the 11th student in Westchester Community College history to win the highly competitive Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.

The scholarship provides selected students with up to $40,000 a year to complete their bachelor’s degrees, according to a spokesman.

Braun came to WCC in large part due to its lowest-in-the-county tuition, but also for its Honors College, which provides guaranteed tuition coverage and substantial textbook stipends from the WCC Foundation.

Honors College scholars have access to specialized co-curricular programming, including study abroad and internship opportunities.

Braun said she was grateful for the generosity of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

“This support will enable me to start my studies at Harvard University in September, where I can further pursue my goal of becoming a child psychiatrist and helping children who have been mistreated or suffered other forms of trauma," she said.

"I never imagined this would be my path when I moved here from Germany when I was 18," Braun said. "WCC has established a solid educational foundation upon which this scholarship will help me build.”

WCC President Dr. Belinda Miles said everyone at the college was proud of Braun's accomplishments.

“Bianca fully embraced the WCC experience, participating in extra-curricular activities, taking advantage of all that our Honors College has to offer, and excelling in her studies," she said. "It is great to see that her enthusiasm, her dedication and her perseverance during this difficult year have been rewarded with the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship and acceptance to Harvard University."

Miles said Braun joins a distinguished list of WCC alums who have achieved this highly competitive award.

"We look forward to the wonderful achievements she is sure to accomplish in the years ahead,” she said.

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, according to a spokesman. 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 Jack Kent Cooke 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 5 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.