Congratulations to JiaJie Yang, a Citrus College computer science major who has been named a semifinalist for the 2025 Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. JiaJie is one of two Citrus College students selected for this honor from a highly competitive pool of over 1,500 applicants.

Awarded each year by The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, this prestigious scholarship recognizes the nation's top community college students who are seeking to pursue their bachelor's degrees at four-year colleges or universities. If named a finalist, JiaJie could receive as much as $55,000 per year for two to three years to help him reach his undergraduate goals.

"Receiving recognition from such a prestigious organization validates all the hard work I've put in so far," JiaJie said. "It is an honor to be listed among other scholars across the nation. This motivates me to keep striving to be better."

The drive to continuously improve is what brought JiaJie to Citrus College. After graduating from high school overseas, he began exploring colleges in California. "I applied to quite a few and received admission from all of them," he said. "Ultimately, I chose to enroll at Citrus because of its outstanding international student transfer rate."

JiaJie said another reason he chose Citrus College was because of its outstanding International Student Center (ISC). "I was impressed by the amount of support I received from the ISC team before, during and after my application was submitted," he said. "They were extremely quick with their responses, and I was kept up to date with every stage of my application."

Since enrolling, JiaJie has thrived. "Overall, my time at Citrus has been nothing short of amazing," he said. "I have really enjoyed each and every class that I've taken so far. I've learned so many new things from my instructors and peers. I've also had the opportunity to be active on campus, which has been super rewarding and has allowed me to create valuable connections with others."

JiaJie will be graduating at the end of the spring 2025 semester. He plans on transferring and hopes to pursue a career in the field of artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing.

"It feels bittersweet knowing that I have only spent a year here, but I'm grateful for every moment I have had and every person who has been part of my academic journey. Without them, I would not have been able to be who I am today," JiaJie said. "No matter where life takes me, I'll always cherish my time at Citrus College."

Thank you for making Citrus College part of your story, JiaJie! We are proud of your accomplishments and look forward to seeing what your future holds.