June 19, 2007
San Jose, CA -A San Jose City College student has been awarded the
nation's largest scholarship for transfer students.
Joan Danenberg, who graduated from SJCC on May 25th, received the Jack
Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.
There is no larger scholarship, or one involving more competition,
available to community college students, according to the foundation.
The scholarship can total up to $60,000 over two years and only 51 were
awarded across the entire United States.
"The scholarship means I can go to any college I want to," Joan says.
"Suddenly I don't have to worry as much about money, and I will be able
to focus on my studies even more.
Joan will attend Mills College in Oakland, where she plans to study
Public Policy and International Relations. Joan says the her career path
will focus on "bringing women and children to the front of the public
policy debate. Issues like human trafficking, child abuse and domestic
violence are important - when you uplift women and children you uplift
an entire society."
Joan's academic achievements are stellar. Since her return to college in
2005, Joan has earned a 4.0 GPA and joined the Phi Theta Kappa Honor
Society. In 2006, she was awarded the Academic Achiever in Social
Sciences Scholarship at San Jose City College.
Joan is also a committed contributor to the community. As the semester
ended she was serving her second term as the Director of Finance for the
Associated Students at SJCC as well as finishing her membership in the
college's branch of Americorps, a program of the Corporation for
National and Community Service. In her "spare" time, Joan volunteers for
the Second Harvest Food Bank during on-campus food distributions.
Joan overcame substantial barriers to achieve all this. She essentially
dropped out of High School by age fourteen and after passing the
California High School Proficiency Exam left education for what she
though was good. Joan became involved with gangs. As she notes, "I went
to the funerals of six friends in two years. Five because of gang
violence, one because of an overdose." At age nineteen Joan became
pregnant and had a daughter who is now twelve.
After injury ended an attempt at a career in massage therapy, Joan
turned to SJCC and has never looked back. She says, "I realized the
importance of education and as soon as I was physically able I returned
to college at San Jose City College."
Joan credits her success to her supportive family at home, and her
extended family at SJCC. "I could not have done it with out help from my
mom and daughter who have put up with me and supported my educational
goals. I also would not have made it without the help of so many of the
faculty and staff at City College."
To learn more about the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation visit
www.jackkentcookefoundation.org.
Located in San Jose California, San Jose City College is a public
Community College. With a dedicated service area of nearly one-million
people, San Jose City College is dedicated to providing access to all
students who need it.
