Student Spotlight: Aleksandra Hovsepyan

ECC biology major Aleksandra Hovsepyan was named a semifinalist for 2019 The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship! This year's semifinalists were chosen from a pool of nearly 1,500 applicants attending 369 schools in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Scholarship recipients will be announced in April.

The prestigious Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship 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. Cooke scholars have access to generous financial support for two to three years, college planning support, ongoing advising, and the opportunity to connect with fellow scholars.

"It is an honor to be a semifinalist for this scholarship and to represent El Camino College, which has helped me find success," said Hovsepyan, who has earned a 4.0 GPA each semester at ECC. She plans to graduate this spring and transfer to a University of California campus in the fall.

When she first enrolled at El Camino College, Hovsepyan appreciated all the assistance she found as a new student.

"It took some time to adjust and also extra effort to learn English well enough to succeed in my classes," she said. "When I first came to El Camino College, I didn't always know what to do next, so I got plenty of help. That contributed a lot to what I have been able to achieve."

Since then, Hovsepyan has learned a great deal about navigating the college environment and now she shares her knowledge with new students as an ESL paraprofessional/mentor. She also contributed to improvements in the orientation and designed a handout that offers information for first-time college students.

"This is the perfect job for me because now I have an opportunity to help new, incoming students," Hovsepyan said. "I can share my experiences and also work one-on-one with students in case they need extra help. El Camino College offers a lot of opportunities – all the programs and services are really impressive, and people are very helpful. There are so many ways to succeed!