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Gerald Richardson III has come a long way from being the “invisible” high school student in a hostile, unwelcoming environment that prevented him access to learning and pushed him into the school-to-prison pipeline. Today, he’s a prominent role model: a 4.0 GPA graduate of Moorpark and Oxnard colleges headed to Stanford University as a 2021 Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholar. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship provides up to $40,000 a year for up to three years for Richardson to pursue his bachelor’s degree.
Richardson, who graduated with five associate degrees, was one of over 1,300 students from 370 community colleges nationwide to apply for the scholarship. A total of 72 students were selected based on academic ability and achievement, financial need, persistence and leadership.