Three El Camino College Students Named Semifinalists for 2026 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship
Three El Camino College students were recently named semifinalists for the highly selective 2026 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The prestigious national award supports exceptional community college students working to complete their bachelor’s degrees in any area of study.
The El Camino semifinalists are outstanding students who have also demonstrated exceptional academic ability and achievement, leadership, and perseverance. Semifinalists include Yerania Celeste Armira, Yehor Kalmykov, and Kai Navratil.
“El Camino’s three Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship semifinalists demonstrate how hard work and determination can lead to success,” said El Camino College President Brenda Thames. “Congratulations to these students and thank you to the dedicated staff and faculty members who helped them set and achieve their academic goals.”
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation named 485 community college students as semifinalists for 2026, selected from more than 1,300 applicants representing 224 community colleges across 37 states. The scholarship enables recipients to complete their bachelor’s degrees debt-free at any accredited four-year college or university in the United States and provides last-dollar funding of up to $55,000 per year for two to three years. Access to transfer and career advisement is also offered to students.
Undergraduate Transfer Scholars will additionally receive opportunities for internships, study abroad, and graduate school funding, as well as a connection to a network of over 3,800 fellow Cooke scholars and alumni. Scholarship finalists will be announced in May.
El Camino College’s 2026 Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Semifinalists
Yerania Celeste Armira plans to pursue a career at the intersection of public policy, community development, and advocacy with a focus on creating enhanced equitable access to resources and opportunities. She is majoring in political science and studio arts and is involved in multiple organizations and leadership positions on campus. “What I like best about El Camino College is the community I have built and the support programs that helped bring that community together.”
Soon after Yehor Kalmykov began taking classes at El Camino, he found opportunities to put his studies into practice. As a student worker in ECC’s Honors Transfer Program office, the business major noticed that many tasks were done manually, so he created Excel tools with formulas and macros that organize data and speed up key processes to help improve workflow efficiencies. “This experience showed me how I can use my background in business automation to help organizations work more effectively.”
Kai Navratil is a computer science major who wants to design technology and products that help others. He is president of ECC’s Computer Science Club and is an active member of ASO. Off campus, he is a lead software engineer at a company building an AI-powered skincare platform. His calendar is full, but he likes being busy, motivated by making sure others have access to all that El Camino has to offer. “I found so much support and things to do at El Camino, and I want to help others have that as well.”