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A pair of Troup County School System seniors have been named semifinalists for the highly competitive Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship.

LaGrange High senior Yashvi Modi and Troup High senior Eva Carnes were among 571 high school seniors recently announced as semifinalists for the Cooke College Scholarship Program.

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Cooke Scholarship provides students with up to $55,000 per year to pursue a bachelor’s degree and graduate with as little debt as possible.

To be eligible for the scholarship, high school seniors have a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.75.

Students from more than 4,200 different high schools applied for the scholarship from all 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the US Virgin Islands.

“These students have shown remarkable dedication to their academic pursuits, and we’re honored to recognize their achievements as we continue our mission of making college accessible to exceptional students with financial need,” said Seppy Basili, Executive Director of the Cooke Foundation.

Eva and Yashvi said they were grateful for the opportunity to potentially receive the scholarship awards.

“I am so honored to be recognized as a semifinalist for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship,” Carnes said, “I could not have made it this far without the Lord and the support of my family, particularly my mom, Brittany Lassetter; my administrators, media specialists, and teachers at Troup, and especially my recommenders, Mr. Paul Hammock and Mr. Chance Giddens; as well as my guidance counselor, Mrs. Catherine Pleasants.” 

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be selected as a semi-finalist. I was actually surprised to find out—I didn’t even know I had been chosen until two of my teachers messaged me about it,” Modi said.

“This scholarship not only helps ease the financial burden of pursuing my education but also inspires me to encourage others to seek similar opportunities. I know many people who struggle with financial challenges when it comes to their education, and I want to remind them to keep striving and exploring every opportunity available. Hard work and persistence can open doors, and I hope my journey can serve as motivation for others to do the same,” she said.

The 2025 Cooke College Scholarship recipients will be announced in late March.