RCC Graduate Wins Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship

ASHEBORO (September 13, 2011)

Amarinh Kongmanivong

Amarinh Kongmanivong of Jamestown, a 2011 Randolph Community College Interior Design graduate, was one of 60 community college students nationwide recently awarded a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation 2011 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship to pursue her bachelor's degree. The Foundation will provide each student with a scholarship valued at up to $30,000 per year for up to three years.

All of the scholars have financial need, have completed their two-year college coursework with honors, and have been involved in service projects both on and off their campuses. "Community college gave them a chance to explore their dreams," said Dr. Lawrence Kutner, the Foundation's executive director. "We're helping them take the next step by removing the financial burden of attending a top-quality school."

Kongmanivong was born in Laos and fled with her family to a refugee camp in Thailand. She barely remembers the ordeal but does remember the joy her family felt when they were sponsored by an American in San Diego. Recalling that she had a diverse upbringing, "our sponsors taught my father English and put him through school." Kongmanivong's dad eventually became a Protestant minister in North Carolina and spends most of his time working with refugees coming into the U.S.

After high school, Kongmanivong joined the Air Force and spent eight years in the service. She calls her Air Force service the chapter of her life "where I learned never to give up and to always have integrity in all that I do." Kongmanivong experienced a lot of soul-searching and weathered many storms over the past decade--in addition to her 10-year marriage ending in divorce, she was faced with being a single mom. "Being a single mother of three beautiful boys, my only option was not to survive, but to succeed." And succeed she has...in college at Randolph Community College where she earned a near perfect 3.9 GPA and in raising her boys.

At RCC, Kongmanivong was a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society, won the Curriculum Award in 2011, and was a recipient of the Jena and Stephen B. Hall Scholarship from WithIt (Women in the Home Industry Today) in 2010. In addition, she was awarded a Merit Scholarship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Kongmanivong says that her most influential teacher, mentor, and friend is Susan Shaw at Randolph. "Ms. Shaw says I have a talent that could not be taught and if I were to combine this talent with higher education, I will be able to do something powerful for my generation." Kongmanivong recently transferred to the School of Art Institute of Chicago and said, "I owe it all to Ms. Shaw...she saw something special in me."

Shaw, an Advertising & Graphic Design instructor at RCC, has equal praise for Kongmanivong. "Amarinh is an extremely talented and self-motivated student. She is dedicated, mature and passionate about every aspect of her personal vision," Shaw said. "She has natural intellectual curiosity and an innovative point of view that compels her to continue to pursue the interdisciplinary aspects of her education."

Kongmanivong's goal is to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus on Designed Objects. "My ultimate goal is to gain a master's degree in Designed Objects. The reason for this pursuit is much greater than me. I want to help lead, educate and introduce our community to a better way of life; a better way of living. Designing 'true' sustainable product is a relatively new field, however I want to be one of the first to help lead the way."

Since the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship program's founding in 2002, approximately 410 students have received more than $17 million in Undergraduate Transfer scholarships from the Foundation.