I’ll be at scholars weekend again this year, I look forward to meeting all my future cookie cousins! One of my former classmates is also a semi-finalist, so I’m excited for her!
Just to keep the spirits up, does anyone want to share the following:
Age
Location
Major
Future plans
4 year school(s) you’re applying to
Interesting/cool/bizarre/silly things about yourself
Anything else you’d like to share
Hey guys! I’m not really new here, I’ve just been hiding in the shadows and haven’t replied.
Age: 28
Location: Orange County, CA
Major: Astrophysics and Physics double major (but still contemplating minoring in Math as well)
Future plans: I would really love to teach at a university while conducting research as well.
4 year school(s) you’re applying to: I applied to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCI (I have guaranteed admission), UCSD, UCSC, and as a super back up to the back up CSU Northridge, but my school of choice is UCLA. 
Interesting/cool/bizarre/silly things about yourself: I play French Horn semi-professionally. I’m majoring in the thing I’m literally obsessed with. I’m a soul-seeking adventurer and love camping and nature… I just got back from Yosemite, Crater Lake, Lake Shasta caverns, and Big Sur (where my friend and I went on a 3 mile night hike!)
Anything else you’d like to share: Good luck to you all! The wait will soon be over!!!
Age:21
Location: Michigan
Major: Nutrition & Wellness
Future Plans: My educational aspirations consist of acquiring a Bachelor’s Degree in Dietetics that would assist me in pursuing an Interdisciplinary Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Wellness
Have an associates in Social Science and will obtained a 2nd associates in Pre-medical Professionalism
Nutrition Educator- organize grocery and WIC tours, cooking classes for families with limited budges, and teach pre-preschoolers - 5th grade
Vice President of my college PTK, part of my schools research lab, created 2 non-profit organization and two different tools for the organizations.
Wishing everyone the best. Blessings to everyone!!!
I guess I should have included what I do on campus. Haha. I’m President of PTK, President of the Astronomy Club, and I’m the Vice Chair of the Advocacy Committee which is a branch within student government that deals with the laws that affect the student body. We also advocate on their behalf. I wrote a resolution asking the CA Board of Governors to revisit a piece of legislation dictating a unit cap, which when reached within one district would cause a student to loose their priority registration. I asked them for STEM and Re-Entry students to not have this be applied to them if they follow a Student Ed Plan. I just had the opportunity to speak with 5 different Senator offices in Sac about it and all seemed interested in backing it. 
I also started a Be the Match non-profit club last year. Among a handful of other things. It’s funny how long the list becomes when you realize you only have a 500 word essay to talk about it all.
Happy to be amongst so many other over-achievers.
Age: 31
Location: Glendale, Arizona
Major: Forestry/Environmental Sciences
Future plans: Getting lost in the woods
4 year school(s) you’re applying to: Probably NAU, but I did apply for Michigan Tech and University of Minnesota Twin Cities for this scholarship and have been considering them to some extent.
Interesting/cool/bizarre/silly things about yourself: I taught a yoga class at the state penitentiary.
Anything else you’d like to share: I’m jealous of astrojess’ adventures.
I called to the foundation today; a woman answer the phone. She told me my application was under revision and that she did not how many semifinalists they have. Also, she told me that the results will me send within the nest couple of DAYS! I have heart that most people get different answers each time they call, so I don’t know if this is all true. Still, I hope it can help !
Wow. Everyone gets a different answer.
I really hope to get the good news in a couple of days.
@ForestryGuy it was definitely an epic adventure! I recommend going to all of those places!
21
Central IL
Physiology Major on a Pre-Med track, double-minor in Spanish and Gender Studies
My top 4-year school would be SIU Carbondale. It isn’t anything prestigious but it bridges the schools medical program really well and the SIU Medical School uses problem-based learning in lieu of traditional lecture. I also applied to Illinois Wesleyan and Northwestern University.
Interesting things? Suturing bananas is a stress reliever for me. And I once held lifeguarding licenses and instructor licenses from 3 different organizations at the same time.
Just found this awesome thread after many sleepless nights wondering if I’ll be selected…
I’ll just join in:
26
Florida
Major: Math/Physics and Computer Science
Founded a none profit organization which delivers food throughtout the community… Began doing so since the previous recession to today. The organization feeds up to 3000 per week and requires 10 hours per week of back breaking labor from 2 am to 6 am.
Also a self-taught software developer, graphic designer, videographer. I love learning and interacting with people.
Not much awards like many of you… I am on the honor society… and had gone through lots of struggle in the past.
…
Age: 21
Location: Tennessee
Major: Sociology/Speech Communication
Future plans: I would like to go into community/economic development and/or politics
4 year school(s) you’re applying to: Harvard, Vanderbilt, Yale and I have been accepted into St. Johns College in New Mexico
Interesting/cool/bizarre/silly things about yourself: I’m basically a political junkie. I served as co-chair of my congressional district’s Bernie Sanders campaign, and as State Director of Wolf-PAC. I am a regional PTK officer as well as a chapter officer. For our honors in action project, we developed a regional community garden symposium that included 40+ individuals from 12+ organizations. I am active with student government, Debate Club and Toastmasters. I was also part of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (mock legislative session) for two years as a Senator and Representative. Passed one bill about getting money out of politics and introduced two others. Member of the TN All-Academic Team and am TN’s New Century Scholar (but JKC doesn’t know that). Started my own website (ProgressiveMentality.com). I was a high school drop out from a very low income family and never thought I could go to college. Also dealt with some psychological issues as a teenager. In my essays, I talked about how I read A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn and got super passionate about social change/political change and justice. I want to be an activist basically lol and I’m very passionate about this stuff.
I hope it’s all enough for JKC to choose me, but my school has helped me transform my life and whether I get it or not I will be in such a better position than I was before I started school, so for that I am thankful.
You all make me feel lazy.
@ForestryGuy Don’t compare yourself to people, everyone’s experience is different! It sounds like you have a lot of passion for forestry and that is SUCH important work.
Age: 24
Location: Northern VA
Major: Finance
Future plans: graduate -> work in strategy/consulting -> start my own venture -> establish a non-profit that focuses on helping high-achieving students that are victim to limiting circumstances out of their control (similar to what I had to deal with) -> advocate to improve the community college system in my state -> be successful enough to leave my mark in the form of a large scholarship/fellowship (like this one).
4 year school(s) you’re applying to: UVA (#1), Cornell, USC, JMU, VTech, Georgetown
Interesting: Was a former semi-professional video game player
Cool: I played poker “for a living” for a couple of years
Bizarre: I really enjoy going to the theater by myself.
Silly: I once took part in a freestyle rap battle in front of ~30 people and got savaged (I can’t rap to save my life - was just trying to impress my friends to no avail).
After looking through the 2013 thread, I am pretty sure that some winners will start hearing from their school next week, slowly trickling into the next. By the 12th or so, hopefully, most of us know our faith.
Hey guys I e-mail the foundation 2 days ago and they just got me back this is what they told me:
Thank you for contacting the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.
Currently at this time we have 150 semifinalist at this time, we do end up choosing around 60 students for the scholarship
Little concern about (around 60 students) because I thought they selected 85 students I heard last year they selected 90 students but like someone said in the form we all get different answers
@ForestryGuy i felt that way last year. and i still feel that way kinda. at scholar’s weekend, everyone would talk about their research and non profit work and honor badges, and i would be like, trying to pick salad out of my teeth with a room card.
That is so weird. Why are they giving so many different answers. If they didn’t want give the correct information, they could just say that they are not at liberty to provide the correct info. I also don’t think they will only choose 60 students as they have chosen around 85 winners for previous years and on their website it says they will select 85 undergraduate transfers to be jkcf scholars this year.
optimisticky, you were awesome at SW, especially for those of us who were exhausted by every social interaction feeling like a political ad or academic one-upmanship. Best quote of the weekend from you? “Sigh…there’s a whole lotta self-promotion going on.”
@mifit can you post the email response that you just received if it doesn’t contain sensitive material?