MCC alum receives prestigious national scholarship

July 23, 2008

Amanda Lassetter, a recent graduate of McLennan Community College and a resident of Abbott, Texas, has been named a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. She is one of only 46 students in the country to receive the award, which is designated for students who attended two-year institutions last year and will transfer to four-year colleges.

Lassetter studied theater at MCC and graduated in May with high honors to receive an Associate in Arts degree. She will use the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship at Baylor University, where she plans to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater design.

One of 723 scholarship applicants, Lassetter was selected by the Jack Kent Cook Foundation on the basis of academic ability and achievement, unmet financial need, will to succeed, leadership and public service, critical-thinking ability, and appreciation for or participation in the arts and humanities. With this scholarship, she is eligible to receive up to $30,000 per year for tuition, fees, books, and room and board.

"I think many of my experiences at MCC contributed to my strength as a candidate for the scholarship," Lassetter said. "I have been taught, mentored and encouraged in all my endeavors by a number of faculty members all across MCC's campus."

Among her many endeavors was involvement in a variety of campus organizations. Lassetter was a Tartan Scholar and served as Scholarship Team Leader for Phi Theta Kappa honor society, through which she received the Guistwhite Scholarship. She also worked on a variety of McLennan Theatre productions and was one of eight students in the nation to receive the Student Dramaturgy Award to attend the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Lassetter lives in Abbott with her husband, Larry (who is also an MCC student), and her sons: Damian, 11, and Derian, 7. She currently works at the Waco Children's Theatre as a stage manager.




Amanda Lassetter