Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — When the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced the recipients for its highly competitive Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship on May 12, 2022, one Santa Barbara City College student appeared on the list: Cameron Black. Cameron, who majored in both psychology and communications, was also an SBCC Associated Student Government (ASG) officer committed to nurturing equity and inclusion within the SBCC community.
“Today, almost half of all college students begin their academic career at a community college,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “We know our community colleges are full of high-achieving students, and we’re committed to playing our part to ensure those students succeed. Congratulations to a cohort of students who have persisted in the midst of such unprecedented disruptions in our lives.”
Hailing originally from a small town in Idaho, Cameron’s challenges included an abusive childhood environment, which prompted him to make his way to Santa Barbara in 2020 to live with his uncle and his uncle’s partner (whom he calls “Soul Mama”). Inspired by the two of them to earn his GED and enroll at SBCC through the SBCC Promise, he achieved a 4.0 GPA his first semester, which he maintained throughout all four semesters at SBCC.
As the ASG Vice President of Internal Affairs, Cameron was praised by ASG President Allegra Kabukapua Kalombo for being “a straight-up leader and someone always available to help. He knows what he wants in life and where he wants to be in the future. I admire his capacity to overcome adversity and use that as fuel to achieve greater things.”
Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars will receive comprehensive educational advising to guide them through the process of transitioning to a four-year college and preparing for their careers. Along with financial support, the Scholars will also receive opportunities for internships, study abroad and graduate school funding, as well as connection to a thriving network of over nearly 3,000 Cooke Scholars and Alumni.
In a recent interview, Cameron expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the support he received from SBCC, and for the honor of receiving the Cooke Undergraduate Scholarship:
“Less than a month before the application deadline, my mentor and friend Joyce Coleman, Vice President of SBCC’s School of Extended Learning, encouraged me to apply for the nationally prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. I spent the next three weeks absorbed in the extensive application process, and here I am today, utterly speechless.
“I cannot express enough gratitude, appreciation and love for the amazing support I have received from the SBCC community and beyond. I would say that receiving the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship is a dream come true – but it isn’t. To be honest, in my wildest dreams I never imagined I could accomplish what I have today, and I am honored to be awarded this extraordinary scholarship. Coming from a challenging childhood of abuse and living on the streets, it hasn’t been easy. I have pushed more limits than I thought were possible, all with a lot of support and love from the amazing people in my life. Without the financial support from the SBCC Foundation’s Promise Program Scholarship, I would have never been able to pursue a college education. I am so grateful and do not take the opportunity for granted.
“I was also honored to find out that I have been accepted to continue my education at Stanford University. I am beyond excited to continue my journey to make an impact in the areas of child abuse prevention and child safety advocacy. I am excited to be pursuing a degree in psychology and contributing to the field a new model for understanding the systemic etiology of intergenerational sexual abuse, with applications for both trauma treatment and longterm societal prevention. In addition, I look forward to completing a second degree in public policy to impact health systems through a multidisciplinary, cross-cultural perspective and develop myself as an effective spokesperson and social advocate in the global arena.”