#FridayFeature ...Once again, the highly competitive Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship has selected a student from West Los Angeles College (WLAC). The scholarship aims for its scholars to complete their undergraduate educations with as little debt as possible and provides as much as $55,000 per year to complete a bachelor’s degree. Recipient Charles “Spenser” Wilson is one of 90 high-achieving community college students selected from a pool of over 1,600 applicants from 212 community colleges in 43 states. Wilson is also part of WLAC’s Transfer Honors Program. This is the third consecutive year that a West Honors student has been selected for the Cooke award. . Wilson began his college journey unconventionally. He left high school during his junior year to earn a GED while working full-time at a music shop. After initially pursuing a career in audio engineering, he found a deeper calling in healthcare and completed EMT and Phlebotomy training through UCLA’s Center for Prehospital Care. In 2022, he enrolled at West to complete general education and pre-nursing degree requirements. His next stop is UCLA where he will complete his Bachelors of Science in Nursing. . Wilson said it was during the COVID pandemic that he decided to change his path. “I did a lot of soul searching during the early stay-at-home days. I wanted to be part of a solution and also carve a new path in life that I could see concrete results from.” Additionally, Wilson says he sees completing his nursing degree as a way to honor his deceased father who had aspirations of working in healthcare but was never able to do so. #GoWestGoFar Link to full story at WLAC.edu/Westweek (fb)

This week in WLAC.edu/Westweek TUES: Celebrate APDA Heritage Month with food, live music & dance TUES: Art Club & Christian Encounter are meeting WED: Hear comedian D'Lo; What do children's drawing tell us? THUR: Foster Care Youth Resource Fair; Student Art Show Reception INFO SESSIONS: Pharmacy Tech, Paralegal, Dental Assisting (fb)