Two students in the running for life-changing scholarship
Citrus College computer science majors Celine Ama and JiaJie Yang are semifinalists for the prestigious Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. They have been selected from a highly competitive pool of nearly 1,600 applicants.
According to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the scholarship aims to help community college students who have demonstrated exceptional academic ability, leadership and service to transfer to four-year institutions and avoid student debt. The award can provide as much as $55,000 per year for two to three years. Finalists are expected to be announced this month.
CELINE AMA
For Celine Ama, being recognized as a semifinalist for the 2025 Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is a ray of hope.
"Seeing my name on the list was surreal. Being a semifinalist means the world to me. It feels like the first step in building my future from the ground up," she said. "This recognition reassures me that hard work truly pays off."
Celine's accomplishment is even more significant when you consider the path she took to get to Citrus College. After graduating from Al-Amal Catholic School in Aleppo, Syria, in 2022, she relocated to the United States.
"When I moved here, my cousins recommended I consider enrolling in Citrus College because of its strong reputation," she said. "It turned out to be the perfect place to start my academic journey."
On track to graduate this spring, Celine hopes to transfer to a four-year university in the fall. She has already been accepted to several California State University campuses and is currently waiting to hear back from additional University of California institutions. As a computer science major, her ultimate goal is to pursue a career in technology.
"I hope to work in tech in a way that helps others," she said. "I want to use technology as a tool for positive impact."
As she prepares for the next step on her academic journey, Celine says that Citrus College will always be an important part of her story.
"This has been an incredible experience," she said. "I've overcome 10 years of war and displacement, and I'm grateful to Citrus College for making me feel at home. The support I've received here has been life changing."
JIAJIE YANG
Being selected as a semifinalist for the 2025 Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is a source of inspiration for JiaJie Yang.
"Receiving recognition from such a prestigious organization validates all the hard work I've put in so far," he said. "It is an honor to be listed among other scholars across the nation. This motivates me to keep striving to be better."
The drive to continuously improve is what brought JiaJie to Citrus College. After graduating from high school overseas, he began exploring colleges in California.
"I applied to quite a few and received admission from all of them," he said. "Ultimately, I chose to enroll at Citrus because of its outstanding international student transfer rate."
Since enrolling, JiaJie has thrived.
"Overall, my time at Citrus has been nothing short of amazing," he said. "I have really enjoyed each and every class that I've taken so far. I've learned so many new things from my instructors and peers. I've also had the opportunity to be active on campus, which has been super rewarding and has allowed me to create valuable connections with others."
JiaJie will be graduating at the end of the spring 2025 semester. He plans on transferring to a four-year university and hopes to pursue a career in the field of artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing.
"It feels bittersweet knowing that I have only spent a year here, but I'm grateful for every moment I have had and every person who has been part of my academic journey. Without them, I would not have been able to be who I am today," he said. "No matter where life takes me, I'll always cherish my time at Citrus College."
This article originally appeared in the May 2025 edition of the Citrus View.