Bossier Parish Community College is proud to announce that dual enrollment student Brianna Cooley has received two prestigious national academic scholarships.
Brianna has been selected as a member of the 2022 All-USA Academic Team and named a 2022 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar. Both honors come with scholarships totaling $7,250.
Brianna, 16, began taking dual enrollment courses at BPCC in spring 2020 and has earned more than 35 college credit hours. She will graduate from Parkway High School (Bossier City) in May and plans to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham to pursue a degree in healthcare administration.
As a military child, Brianna says the community college system has greatly benefited her, allowing her to work at a pace that provides an opportunity to graduate high school early and the rigorous coursework she desired.
“I started the dual enrollment program in ninth grade to make sure I was taking the courses needed to transfer to a four-year university,” she explained. “Then COVID happened and things began to look different for me…I saw the possibility of me graduating early. I’ve really enjoyed my time at BPCC.”
Brianna is one of 20 college students named to the prestigious All-USA Academic Team and will receive a $5,000 scholarship. More than 2,200 students were nominated for this award. Brianna is the first student from BPCC to ever receive the accolade.
“I am so excited to represent BPCC at the national level,” she said. “My mom was actually nominated for the all-academic team in college so it’s cool for me to continue that legacy, too.”
Her selection as a New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar was based on the score she earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition, for which Brianna was the top scoring student from the state of Louisiana. The honor comes with a $2,250 scholarship.
Brianna will be recognized during the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) convention in New York City, NY in May. In addition to the scholarship funds, recipients are presented with commemorative medallions, and their college presidents will receive commemorative obelisks.
The All-USA program is widely recognized as the most prestigious academic honor for students attending associate degree-granting institutions. The program also recognizes students who extend their community college education to better themselves, their schools, and their surrounding communities.
Bossier Parish Community College’s dual enrollment program allows high school freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors the opportunity to complete college-level academic courses, developmental courses, and career and technical education courses while still in high school. Click here for more information.