Cerritos College Student from Cambodia Named One of Nation's Top Scholars

Vannaren Long, a Cerritos College honors student, has been named one of the nation's top scholars by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Program.

Long, who is from Long Beach, was among 74 students chosen from nearly 800 applicants from two-year colleges nationwide. The scholarship, which is one of the most competitive undergraduate transfer scholarships in the nation, will provide Long with up to $30,000 per year to complete a bachelor's degree.

He was also been named to the All-California Community College Academic First Team, an acknowledgement of academic distinction by Phi Theta Kappa, the premier two-year college honor society.

Having grown up in a remote village in Cambodia with daily challenges of living without electricity, he hopes to become a nuclear researcher and make electrical energy more plentiful and accessible to everyone in society. He is transferring to the University of California, Berkeley this fall where he will study nuclear engineering to make his dreams come true.

"With encouragement, counsel, and support from Professor Juntilla, I applied for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship and surprisingly was selected," said Long. "I would like to thank Professor Juntilla and Professor Jim Henriques, my physics professor and my mentor. This honor belongs to all of us."

- Cerritos College Media Relations Dept.