During the recent 46th annual Commencement Ceremony, Dr. Conway A. Jeffress, President of Schoolcraft College, announced before a crowd of approximately 3,500 graduates, family members, faculty and staff that Matthew Cornett of Northville was the recipient of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.

     This scholarship is the largest and most prestigious transfer scholarship in the nation. Among 785 applications received from community college students across the country this year, only 60 awards were made. Cornett is the first Schoolcraft College graduate to receive the scholarship, and one of only four Michigan residents to ever receive this recognition.

     The scholarship provides up to $30,000 per year of study and is intended to cover a significant share of the student's educational expenses including tuition, living expenses, books and required fees for the final two to three years necessary to achieve a bachelor's degree.

     Cornett has overcome life-threatening health challenges that caused him to re-evaluate his life and re-focus on his dreams of a college education. He began at Schoolcraft as a part-time student in fall 2007, and soon became a full-time student.  This past year, he worked in the Learning Assistance Center, tutoring students in math, physics, and computer programming courses.  He is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the Math and Physics club. On April 30 during the Commencement Ceremony held at Compuware Arena in Plymouth he received an associate degree in engineering. His future plans include completing his studies at the University of Michigan.