Perimeter College Students Named Semifinalists for Prized National Scholarship

DECATUR, Ga. — Six students from Georgia State University’s Perimeter College are the only students in the state selected as semifinalists for this year’s prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.

The semifinalists, all Perimeter Honors College students working toward their associate degrees, are among 467 individuals selected from more than 1,600 applicants attending 212 community colleges in 43 states.

Perimeter’s 2025 semifinalists and their areas of study are:

• Paloma Hodje – Engineering

• Abubakar Jidda – Health Sciences

• Bisma Malik – Computer Science

• Prosper Olusegun-Joseph – Computer Science

• Rakeb Tesfassellasie – Engineering

• Soe Wai Yan – Engineering

The Cooke Transfer Scholarship is designed to create a clear pathway to a four-year degree by offering up to $55,000 per year along with academic advising and access to a network of peers.

“Perimeter College students consistently rise to the top as strong contenders for the esteemed Cooke award,” said Lauri Goodling, associate dean for the Honors College and International Initiatives at Perimeter.

“Each of this year’s semifinalists, as in years past, has worked incredibly hard in their respective areas of study and in their co-curricular activities. We wish them all well as finalists for the Cooke scholarship are considered.”

During fall semesters, Honors College faculty and staff like Kari Miller (Ph.D. ’15), the Honors College’s research and scholarship coordinator and a professor of English, recruit and mentor Perimeter students through the lengthy Jack Kent Cooke application process to increase their competitiveness for the highly sought-after award.

“Being able to work with these talented and committed two-year college students to connect them to this valuable resource is what motivates us to assist them year after year,” Miller said.

Giuseppe “Seppy” Basili is the executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which this year is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

“This year’s semifinalists exemplify the extraordinary talent found within community colleges across America, and we’re excited to congratulate this group as we celebrate a quarter century of work as a foundation,” Basili said.

Since 2002, 28 Perimeter students have received the scholarship, with many transferring to institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, Stanford University, Emory University, Georgia Tech and Georgia State.

The Cooke Foundation will announce its 2025 winners in May.

The 2024 Perimeter College Jack Kent Cooke semifinalists, left to right, Prosper Olusegun-Joseph, Rakeb Tesfassellasie, Abubakar Jidda, Paloma Hodje, Soe Wai Yan and Bisma Malik pose for a photo on Georgia State University’s Clarkston Campus.