ELAC Student Selected as 2022 Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholar

Posted: May/13/2022 9:49 AM

May 13, 2022
News Media Contact:
Kevin Jimenez, College Public Relations Manager,
(323) 265-8807 |  jimeneka@elac.edu
 


MONTEREY PARK, CA – Maple Duong, an East Los Angeles College (ELAC) accounting student, was selected as a recipient of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship this year. This highly competitive national transfer scholarship will provide the 100 selected students with up to $55,000 a year to complete their bachelor’s degrees.
 
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. 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. 
 
Ms. Duong is a first-generation college student who grew up only miles from the ELAC campus and is currently planning on transferring to UCLA for the upcoming fall quarter. She hopes to earn her Master of Business Administration (MBA), becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and opening an accounting firm in Monterey Park.
 
Maple originally attended a University of California school before realizing it was not the best fit for her and decided to attend ELAC to continue her academic journey and eventually earning an Associates degree in Business Administration.
 
“The stigma surrounding community college was not great, it was that if you went to a community college you were not up to par with other students who went to four-year universities and a lot of my peers felt the same way that going to a community college was an unconventional route,” said Duong.
 
She was able to find her passion for accounting while at ELAC and was a part of numerous clubs on campus. Maple met faculty which she considers her mentors and connected with the local community which had a lasting impact on her.
 
“It is so exciting and surreal to say that I have been able to come this far because of ELAC and because of this community which has supported me since day one to now. I will always come back to ELAC, and it will always be my home. Once a Husky, always a Husky. And that is something I will never forget because ELAC holds a special place in my heart,” Maple continued.
 
“I am so proud of Maple and what she has been able to accomplish during her time at ELAC. She joins a very prestigious group of scholars and I know that she will only continue to find success in her academic journey and continue to make an impact in her community,” said ELAC President Alberto J. Roman.

Maple is the 4^th ELAC student in the last two years to become a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar and will join 14 other ELAC Cooke Scholars who have received this prestigious scholarship in our 75 years of history. These scholars have continued their education at top universities such as the University of California Berkeley, Stanford, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 
 
ELAC is the largest of nine two-year community colleges within the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), www.laccd.edu.  More information about ELAC is available online at http://www.elac.edu/.  Follow ELAC on social media, Facebook @Eastlacollege, Twitter @Eastlacollege, and Instagram @ELACHuskies.