SAC SGA President Wins Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship

Youngseo Yoon, who also goes by the name Erin, has been awarded an Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. The award is a highly-selective scholarship for the nation’s top community college students seeking to complete their bachelor’s degrees at four-year colleges or universities.

Yoon will receive up to $40,000 per year to use toward tuition, books, academic fees, and living expenses while she pursues a bachelor’s degree. In addition, she will be eligible to apply for scholarships for graduate school from the Foundation.

An international student from South Korea, Yoon, a sociology major, is the first member of her family to attend college. She served as the president of the Student Government Association (SGA) and was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society.

With fellow student Dylan Villalon, who served as the vice president of the SGA, she co-founded the First Generation College Student Union to support the first-gen student community on campus. She has also been a member of the Student District Council of Alamo Colleges.  

In a letter of recommendation, Dr. Robert Vela, President of SAC, recognized Yoon’s contributions to the college as SGA president and a student leader.

“She has met every challenge; from transitioning into our remote learning environment, to creating new avenues for student support, and even helping lead the charge of our historic school mascot change,” he wrote.

Though she spent the last academic year in South Korea due to the pandemic, Yoon continued to attend classes and stayed involved in student issues at SAC. She graduated in May and intends to return this fall to the United States to resume her academic career. She is in the process of choosing a college to attend for her bachelor’s degree.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Since 2000, the Foundation has awarded over $222 million in scholarships to over 2,800 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive educational advising and other support services.

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