Four MDC Students Win $55,000 Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship

Velourde Borgella, Javier Cuñat, Eddie Fordham, Jr. and Maria Gabriela Cardenas were awarded the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship on May 9. 

The prestigious honor awards each scholar up to $55,000 annually to cover living expenses, tuition, books and other fees at a transfer institution. 

In addition to the four Miami Dade College winners, 56 other scholars were selected from a pool of nearly 1,700 applicants from more than 380 community colleges.

Applicants had to be sophomores or recent graduates of a two-year institution in the United States, have at least a 3.5 GPA and show financial need. They could not have previously been enrolled at a four-year university and must pursue a bachelor’s degree in the fall.

Velourde Borgella

Velourde Borgella has always loved taking care of people.

When she was eight years old, she helped her paralyzed grandmother Octavie—feeding her, giving her massages and helping her use the restroom.

In high school, she carried a small bag containing first aid essentials, such as pain medication and bandaids; her friends always came to her whenever they needed help.

Three years after immigrating to Miami from Haiti, Borgella became a full-time insurance agent to financially support her mother Marie, who could no longer work because of severe arthritis. Despite the workload, she continued to pursue an associate’s degree in the Honors College. 

“The Jack Kent Cooke scholarship just changed my life,” Borgella said. “I will be able to pursue my education in my dream school debt free.”

At North Campus, the 24-year-old served as the public coordinator of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), an organization focused on promoting mental health awareness, and vice president of the Haitian IBO Club. 

In April, Borgella graduated with an associate’s degree in nursing with a 4.0 GPA . She has committed to Emory University in Atlanta, where she will pursue a bachelor of science in nursing. 

Javier Cuñat

During an introduction to computer applications course at the Kenwood K-8 Center in Miami, Javier Cuñat, then a sixth-grader, accidentally turned off his teacher’s promethean board using his computer. 

That moment ignited a curiosity for computer science in Cuñat’s heart that continues to grow today. 

“It was a moment of shock, realizing how powerful [computers] are and how cool it could be to know how to do stuff [on them],” he recalls.

At Kendall Campus, Cuñat founded CyberSharks—now known as INIT—a cybersecurity and computer science club aimed at helping students kick-start their career in the tech world. 

The 19-year-old, who was named a Hites Transfer Scholar in February, also served as secretary of the Student Government Association and as vice president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. 

Cuñat also became an instructor at the Everglades Correctional Institution, where he taught a 15-week course on the fundamentals of technology for incarcerated men. 

Outside of MDC, the tech-fanatic founded CryptoKids, a non-profit organization aimed at  providing children in low-income communities with computers and technology.

Cuñat, who was born in Valencia, Spain, graduated with an associate’s degree in computer science with a 4.0 GPA from the Honors College in April. He has committed to Stanford University in California, where he plans to continue studying computer science.

Eddie Fordham, Jr. 

In 1991, Eddie Fordham, Jr. was convicted of first-degree felony murder, armed robbery and grand theft for driving a get-away car in an armed-robbery homicide and was sentenced to life in prison.

While incarcerated, he realized he was a course short of graduating high school. That changed the trajectory of his life.

Fordham earned his high school diploma in 1993 while at the Apalachee Correctional Institution. He became a tutor, helping others learn to read, write and do math at 17 maximum security prisons in Florida. 

Twenty-eight years later, Fordham joined MDC’s College in Prison pilot program, an initiative aimed at helping incarcerated people earn college degrees, while he was stationed at the Everglades Correctional Institution. 

During his time at MDC, Fordham served as the senior counselor of the Dr. Regina B. Shearn Corrections Transition Program and led the development of the Pre-CTP Mentorship Program.

The 51-year-old was released from prison in April of 2022. He graduated from the College’s Prison program last summer with a 4.0 GPA. 

“I have a tremendous responsibility now to do my best, not just for myself, but for all the others that I’m paving the way for that are currently incarcerated or justice impacted,” Fordham said. “I want them to know that if God can do it for me, he can certainly do it for them.”

Fordham is a member of the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network, National Society for Leadership and Success and was invited to be an advisory member of the Florida Foundation for Correctional Excellence.

He has committed to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where he will pursue a bachelor’s degree in communications and public administration. He aspires to become a policy analyst and work on prison policy reforms.

Maria Gabriela Cardenas

She grew up watching her father Douglas, a goldsmith, create earrings, necklaces and bracelets at their family business, M&D Joyeros, in Venezuela. She often tinkered with her dad’s supplies, using malleable silver to make necklaces and wax to make ring molds. 

As she grew older, Cardenas developed a love for science that grew alongside her passion for art, culminating in a desire to become a dentist. 

Ironically, that dream was challenged when her family immigrated to the United States in 2018. She struggled to learn English and navigate through the education system.

However, with the support of her family, she pressed onward.  

“Don’t give up, keep pursuing your dream, because it is possible,” Cardenas said. “Do not let your thoughts or the barriers that hinder [your] potential to be bigger than [you.]”

At Kendall Campus, Cardenas worked as a part-time chemistry tutor and founded the Pre-Dental Club, an organization to help students attain experience in the dental field. Last year, the club partnered with the Florida Baptist’s Ministry Dental Unit to offer free dental services to low-income communities.

The 19-year-old also served as vice president of the Letter Exchange for Awareness and Progress (L.E.A.P.) Club, a PenPal initiative that aims to promote awareness on the hardships incarcerated women face.  

Cardenas graduated with an associate’s degree in biology with a 3.9 GPA from the Honors College in April. She hopes to attend Johns Hopkins University in Maryland or Vanderbilt University in Tennessee to pursue a career in dentistry. 

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