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Â鶹¹ÙÍø student Heather Greene was announced as a semifinalist for the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Greene is one of 459 semifinalists selected by the foundation from a highly competitive pool of more than 1,600 applicants.

The scholarship aims to support community college students who have demonstrated exceptional academic ability, leadership, and service in their transition to top four-year institutions. The scholarship, which provides up to $55,000 per year for two to three years, offers crucial support for students like Greene to pursue their bachelor's degrees without the burden of student debt.

Greene is majoring in history at Â鶹¹ÙÍø and hopes to become a collegiate professor. She says she was inspired to pursue a career in history after witnessing her mother become a U.S. citizen.

"My mom moved here from Scotland many years ago and became a citizen in 2017. It was inspiring for me to see her take her oath. I got emotional watching that," says Greene. "I want to make her proud, and that's one of the reasons I chose U.S. history—because she loved this country. All her sisters say that's all she ever wanted to do was be an American."

Greene is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Student Government Association, and the Native American Student Alliance. Although Greene is 100% Scottish, she has a passion for Indigenous culture.

"I started learning about the Indigenous histories because it was something I really wanted to understand better, and I knew this was their land. You cannot beat Â鶹¹ÙÍø's Indigenous courses. They have Native American history, spiritualities, cultures, Indigenous film and literature," says Greene. “I do have to explain often that I'm Scottish and I just really enjoy the cultures. I enjoy learning about U.S. and Indigenous history."

Despite initial doubts about her academic path, Greene says her professors and advisors have been instrumental in getting her through the extensive scholarship application process and helping her realize her full potential and ability to be a scholar. She says the support she’s received at Â鶹¹ÙÍø has changed how she sees herself and showed her that she's capable of achieving her dreams.

The finalists for the scholarship will be announced in May.

You can read the full announcement from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation .