When soon to be graduating Suffolk County Community College student Joseph Gonzalez walked into a room of administrators and educators, he had no idea how great of a surprise was greeting him.
There was thunderous applause as Gonzalez entered, as he was told he just won the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.
The scholarship provides up to $55,000 annually to complete a bachelor's degree. Of nearly 1,700 applicants from 380 community colleges, it is awarded to only 60 students nationally. Mr. Gonzalez is graduating next week with a 4.0 GPA.
During his time at Suffolk County Community College, Joseph held key student leadership positions including PTK Chapter President, President of Student Veterans of America, Honors Club President, and History Club Vice President.
Mr. Gonzalez is a “Get There From Here” scholar and a recipient of the David R. Pierce Scholarship, presented to a scholar selected from among the year’s Phi Theta Kappa All-USA Academic Team.
Joseph is the college's first Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship recipient since 2019. He is currently exploring the possibility of completing his bachelor's degree at Columbia University or Princeton University.