NEW YORK—LaGuardia Community College honor student Harmonie Kobanghe has received a $30,000 Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship for her commitment to social justice.
The scholarship honors outstanding community college students with financial need, enabling them to transfer and complete their bachelor’s degrees at top four-year colleges and universities, according to the foundation’s website. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation provides $30,000 per year to about 50 students selected annually.
As an international student struggling to pay her tuition but not qualified to receive financial aid, Kobanghe said the scholarship will provide her with many more options to continue her education. She will be transferring to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and is aiming for a law degree and a career in human rights.
Kobanghe was one of 60 students selected this year out of 786 applicants. Her social justice work included activism for Congolese women who were victims of war, according to a CUNY article. Congo is her parent’s homeland. She hopes to create an international organization to help the victims reclaim their lives and “gain a voice in the governance of their countries,” according to the article.
Kobanghe has maintained a 3.94 GPA in the Honors Program at LaGuardia Community College since 2009, and was a founding member of the Honors Students Advisory Committee.
“I always keep in sight my dream of going to the Congo to improve the lives of others, just like others have done for me,” Kobanghe said.
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