The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced that four Lone Star College students recently earned the prestigious Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The students, and 86 other community college students nationwide, will receive up to $55,000 each year for three years to complete a bachelor’s degree. Read on to learn more about the LSC student finalists.
Jaquelyn Galvan, Lone Star College-CyFair
AS, Honors Associate Degree, Honors Leadership Track, STEM Pathway
Galvan is a student in The Honors College and a Chancellor’s Fellow Scholarship recipient, graduating with an Honors Associate of Science. She is majoring in Chemistry and plans to transfer to Rice University. This summer, Galvan will participate in the BioNetworks REU at Rice University, where she will research complex interactions among biomolecules that give rise to the diverse biological phenotypes observed in nature. Galvan’s career goal is to become an orthodontist, to bring people confident smiles and to offer free or reduced-cost surgeries to children who suffer from cleft lips and other craniofacial and mandibular abnormalities around the world.
Jada-Kai Johnson, Lone Star College-North Harris
AA, High Honors in Research, Area of Concentration in International Studies, Honors Leadership Track for the Global Leadership Program, Phi Theta Kappa, TRIO SSS, Student Success Institute (SSI), Psi Beta
Johnson is a Presidential and Global Scholar in The Honors and International Education Program. She has conducted interdisciplinary research and presented her paper, “Students’ Perception of Global Violence: The Relationship Between Affect and Cognition and Their Views on Gaza,” at the Great Plains Honors Council Conference. Johnson leads as President of the Student Government Association, Vice-President of the International Student Alliance and Phi Theta Kappa, and participates in the Global Leadership Program. This summer, she will study abroad in Ireland, funded by the LSC Foundation and Fund for Education Abroad, selected from over 3,300 applicants with a 3% chance of acceptance. Johnson will attend the University of Texas-Austin, aiming to become a cinematographer and later pursue a Master’s in Finance to blend creativity and entrepreneurship.
Yoseline Mendoza, Lone Star College-Montgomery
AS, Honors Associate Degree, Chancellor's Fellow, Honors Leadership Track
Mendoza is a first-generation Hispanic student who started her college journey as a Chancellor’s Fellow in the Honors College. She has conducted research on Texas border colonias, the complex engineering of the Chavin, and deportation facilities in Texas. Mendoza has presented her research at regional conferences such as the Gulf Consortium Intercollegiate and the Great Plains Honors Council. Her love for culture transpired into a travel scholarship to visit the French Caribbean and an upcoming trip to Barcelona, Spain. Mendoza is a member of the LSC-Rice University Take Flight STEM Scholar Program and will spend her summer at Rice University to do Climate and Sustainability Research with Nanotechnology and Electrochemical Devices. Mendoza’s dream is to become a civil engineer to rebuild infrastructure in underserved communities.
Jonathan Rodriguez, Lone Star College-North Harris
AS, Distinguished Global Scholar, Area of Concentration in International Studies, Honors in Research, Phi Theta Kappa
Rodriguez is a civil engineering student and a member of the Take Flight STEM Scholar Program and Phi Theta Kappa. He has conducted research in physics and engineering, focusing on the resonance of balsa wood towers and how structural modifications impact vibrational response and stability. Through experimental testing and computational modeling, Rodriguez explores ways to improve tower design for real-world applications. This summer, he will study abroad in Spain as part of the Lone Star Distinguished Global Scholars Program. In addition to his academic achievements, Rodriguez is the founder of Flor Bouquet, a small floral business he built from the ground up. He has also been a dedicated member of the LSC-North Harris soccer team for four semesters. Rodriguez plans to transfer to UT Austin to further his studies in civil engineering and work toward designing sustainable infrastructure for underserved communities.