Two Queensborough Students Named 2025 Cooke Transfer Scholar Finalists
Queensborough students Ieesha Ansar and Pedrocia De-Sosoo have many things in common: both are STEM students, members of Phi Theta Kappa, engaged in research and student leadership roles, and are due to graduate later this month.
Now, they have one more thing to add to that list: they have been named 2025 Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholar Finalists.
And both are quite thrilled about their newfound status.
“Receiving the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship is both an honor and a significant emotional milestone for me,” Ansar noted. “It feels like a recognition not only of my hard work but also of the struggles and sacrifices I have made along the way.”
“Receiving this scholarship is an incredible honor,” De-Sosoo said echoing her co-finalist's sentiments. “It validates the dedication and hard work I have put into my studies and research, and it provides the financial freedom to pursue my academic goals with confidence. Beyond the financial support, being part of a network of scholars committed to excellence and meaningful impact is truly inspiring.”
The Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, offered by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, is granted to exceptional community college students with financial need aiming for a bachelor’s degree at a four-year undergraduate institution. It can provide as much as $55,000 per academic year for two to three years.
To earn this honor, Ansar and De-Sosoo had to stand out from among an initial pool of more than 1,600 applicants from 212 community colleges, which shrank to a smaller — though still sizable — pool of 467 semifinalists in March, before selecting 90 finalists in May.
And looking at their resume, it's easy to see why they were successful in this task.
Ansar, a Chemistry major, has won more awards in college alone than most win in an entire lifetime.
To name a few:
- Joe Iorio Award for Excellence in Organic Chemistry I & II Fall 2024, Spring 2025
- Pak Kuen Wong Endowment for Excellence in Research
- 2025 Norman H. Hill Excellence in STEM Research Award
- PTK 2025 Lambda Sigma Chapter Award
- NSF S-STEM Smart Energy Scholars Program
- NY ACS Excellence in Chemical Sciences Certificate
On top of that, she participates in the CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP), the QCC NSF S-STEM Scholars Program in Smart Energy, and the Collegiate Science Technology Entry Program (CSTEP). Furthermore, she has been conducting research at Brookhaven National Laboratory for one and a half to two years where she is mentored by Dr. James Wishart in the Chemistry Division.
She even works in the Advocacy Resource Center (ARC)!
“I’m truly grateful to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation for believing in me and investing in my future. My success can only come from Allah Almighty. In Him I trust and unto Him, I look. But this success isn’t mine alone — it reflects the unwavering support and love I have received from those around me, including the prayers of my parents and the guidance of my mentors, Dr. Sharon Lall-Ramnarine and Dr. James Wishart, Dr. Matthew Emerson, and Professors Dr. David Sarno, Dr. Stephanie Rost, Dr. Emily Tai, Dr. Zhou Zhou, and Dr. Paul Sideris, Dr Regina Sullivan for their support."
Meanwhile, De-Sosoo is a Computer Science and Information Security major who is just as busy on campus as she is off it.
A few to get started:
- Participated in the Collegiate Science Technology Entry Program (CSTEP)
- Completed two (soon to be three!) internships at the Brookhaven National Lab
- Serves as the Vice President of the Science Research Alliance
- Named to the Phi Theta Kappa ‘25 All-New York Academic Team
- Earned the Pak Kuen Wong Endowment Award in 2024 and 2025
- A member of the Sideris Research Group at Queensborough
As for what she does off-campus, she's currently a student ambassador for the New York Jobs CEO Council, sharing the story of her college career for students in NYC to aspire to, conducts research at Brookhaven National Laboratory for one and a half to two years (just like her co-finalist) where she's mentored by Dr. Andrea Mattera at the National Nuclear Data Center; and most impressively, is the Co-Founder of Uniplus Street Foundation, an NGO in Ghana which provides enhanced learning opportunities for at-risk youth, and improved learning environments for trained educators and mentors to utilize their talents.
“I am deeply grateful to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation for this opportunity. Their support empowers students like me to pursue ambitious goals and make meaningful contributions to our fields. I also want to specially thank my mentors Dr. Paul Sideris and Dr. Sharon Lall Ramnarine, advisors Rosanna Fenandez, Dr. Emily Tai and Francesca Berrouet, and professors who have guided me along the way and helped shape my academic journey.”
With this, the two join an elite list of Cooke Transfer Scholarship recipients from Queensborough, including Chemistry majors Daisy Proano and Silvia Salamone, and Political Science major Kyle Chin-How in 2015, as well as Chemistry major Biling Chen in 2020.
From all of Queensborough, congratulations!
A complete list of the 2025 Cooke Transfer Scholar finalists and their respective community colleges can be viewed here.
To learn more about the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, visit the website here.
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