Orange Coast College biology major Trinh “Isabelle” Phan is among the 100 high-achieving community college students selected to receive the prestigious Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship in 2022. The highly competitive national scholarship provides transfer students with up to $55,000 a year to complete their bachelor’s degrees.
Phan immigrated to the United States in 2015 from Vietnam, and began attending OCC in 2016. She joined the United States Army Reserves in 2019 and currently serves in a military medical unit. “There’s no mystery to Isabelle’s selection this year: She’s an active member of Phi Theta Kappa and Mu Delta Rho (pre-health), is also a member of the National Technical Honor Society (Career and Technical Education and STEM), and is this year’s president of SALUTE, the veteran’s honor society,” says OCC Garrison Honors coordinator Teresa Scarbrough.
A pre-med biology major with a 3.94 grade point average, Phan juggles her schooling and many commitments with being a married mother of a young son. After taking a semester off in 2017 following the birth of her son, Phan found a welcoming environment waiting for her at Coast. “[When] I got back to school and … asked my Professor if I could bring my son to the lecture because I had no one to watch him for me, [he] did not hesitate for a second,” she recalls. “Sometimes in class, my professor asked us questions we couldn’t answer. Then, when the class was silent, my baby would coo in the carrier, and the professor would say ‘Yeah, you’re right! Excellent answer, baby!! See? The baby just attends our class for a couple of days but he already has the answer!’ That was the sweetest moment I had during my time at OCC.”
One of Phan’s largest challenges in pursuing her education has been the language barrier, which was only heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. “My challenge with learning English was compounded by COVID because it is harder to interact with professors and classmates, making learning and socializing more difficult,” she explains. “However, I turned it into an opportunity: it allowed me extra time to review material, read books, and watch recordings of classes. I took the chance to host virtual study sessions with my classmates. These study sessions not only helped me build closer relationships with my classmates and professors but also advanced my English fluency.”
In the 2020-21 academic year, four-year colleges and universities saw nearly 200,000 fewer transfer enrollment applications nationwide, reflecting the pandemic’s disruptive effect on students and their plans for college. Despite that decline, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation welcomed its largest class of Scholars to date, highlighting the talent and achievement of hundreds of community college students across the country. In light of growing financial hardship for so many families, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation also increased the maximum award amount by an extra $15,000 to ensure students can focus on their studies while enrolled.
“Today, almost half of all college students begin their academic career at a community college. We know our community colleges are full of high-achieving students, and we’re committed to playing our part to ensure those students succeed,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation in a press release announcing this year’s JKC Scholars.
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. Along with financial support, Scholars will additionally receive opportunities for internships, study abroad, and graduate school funding, as well as connection to a thriving network of over nearly 3,000 Cooke Scholars and Alumni.
Phan has plans to transfer to the University of California Los Angeles in the Fall of 2022 to pursue a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. She eventually hopes to become a military surgeon and a doctor for underserved communities.
This year, more than 1,200 students from 332 community colleges applied to receive the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. A list of this year’s Cooke Transfer Scholars can be found on the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation website.