The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is one of the most competitive scholarships for the nation’s top community college students seeking their bachelor’s degree at a four-year institution.
Past recipients of the scholarship such as Nima Sedghi ’24 spoke of the financial freedom that the scholarship provides for students transferring to costly four-year institutions.
“The financial assistance not only relieves these pressures, it enables me to participate in different research opportunities, have hands-on clinical experiences, and dedicate more time to study so I can pursue my lifelong aspirations,” said Sedghi.
In applying for one of the most lucrative scholarships in the country, this year’s cohort of Middlesex College contenders – Branden Farano of Woodbridge; Amani Harris of North Brunswick; Mel Mancheno of Dunellen; Xuyang (Sean) Pang of Edison; Nina Salamatova of Carteret; and Mahi Sanghvi of Edison – competed against 1,300 community college applicants nationwide.
That recognition was not lost on Sanghvi, a mechanical engineering major who hopes to continue her studies at Princeton University.
“Receiving the news that I was a semifinalist felt deeply affirming—like one of those moments where all the work, the stress, the uncertainty, and the pushing through starts to mean something,” Sanghvi said.
Over the summer, Sanghvi participated in the Princeton Transfer Scholars program, which affirmed her passion for robotics and rehabilitation engineering. She shared that winning this scholarship would mean the goals she has worked toward were “not just hopes, but they are truly within reach.”
Living through the complexity of war in Salamatova’s hometown of Kyiv, Ukraine, gave her a firsthand perspective of how political conflicts have real-world impacts on our communities. As a political science major and president of the Political Science Club, she plans to pursue a career in international affairs and hopes to contribute to policy-making spaces “where diplomacy is shaped by empathy and a commitment to peace,” she said.
“Over the past few years, I’ve moved across more than a dozen countries—from Europe to Canada, the United States, and Japan—and in every place, I’ve seen how powerful education is,” said Salamatova. “It’s the one thing that stays with you no matter where you are.”
Salamatova is a Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel Memorial Scholarship recipient, managed by the Middlesex College Foundation.
For Farano, winning this scholarship would provide the financial ability to continue his education after the loss of his mother and facing significant health challenges. He is pursuing seven majors in STEM fields including biotechnology, chemistry, and engineering science. He hopes to work in either a laboratory setting on autoimmune disease treatments or in a clinical setting helping sick children.
“I would love to continue my education, and this scholarship would allow that, but the world being a better place is the most important thing to me,” said Farano. “Making a world that my mom would have been safe and happy in.”
Farano is the recipient of several other scholarships including the Trammell Crow Company Annual Scholarship, Ron Romano Academic Achievement Award, Southpole Foundation Annual Scholarship, and the David Christian Carey Memorial Endowed Scholarship.
Harris’s post-graduate plans include attending Rutgers University’s business school, but that all depends on financial accessibility. In the Fall, she was one of two Middlesex College students to be named a Coca-Cola Leader of Promise Scholar. She is also an Ernest Johnson Memorial Scholarship recipient. Harris hopes her education will enable her to support her family and give back to her community.
“This scholarship represents hope for me, my family, and my future, and a reminder that perseverance can lead to meaningful opportunities,” said Harris.
Pang, a Theivakumar Family Scholarship recipient, was accepted by and is currently deciding between Columbia University and Rutgers University. He says that the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship would be life-changing for him as a first-generation student whose parents live in China.
“Over the past two years, I have been under a lot of pressure. I rarely had days off because, outside of school, I was always working to cover my living expenses,” said Pang. “This scholarship would give me relief not only financially, but also mentally. It would allow me to focus more on school and worry less about tuition.”
Mancheno, studying psychology, hopes to pursue psychology research with transgender populations and is considering a few prestigious four-year institutions. With this scholarship, they would have the financial ability to pursue the education of their choosing.
“A few years ago, I wasn’t even sure college would pan out for me. Receiving this nomination was an affirmation for me that with real effort, and some mentorship, I could make it and excel,” said Mancheno.
“To have six students from Middlesex College selected for the semifinal round of the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship is a testament to the quality of education that our institution provides and, more importantly, the academic caliber of our students,” said President Mark McCormick. “We are incredibly proud of Branden Farano, Amani Harris, Mel Mancheno, Sean Pang, Nina Salamatova, and Mahi Sanghvi, in all that they have accomplished to have received this recognition. I have no doubt they will continue to make us proud.”
The finalists for the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship will be announced in May.
For a complete list of this year’s semifinalists, visit https://www.jkcf.org/our-stories/2026-transfer-scholarship-semifinalists/.