Student Spotlight
William “Liam” Lotz
Liberal Arts Major
Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship semifinalist
Born and raised in Sheepshead Bay, Liam Lotz returned to education in spring 2023 after graduating high school in 2019 and briefly working in retail at Home Depot. Referring to himself as a “proud legacy child,” he follows in the footsteps of his mother, a KCC alumna who attended while pregnant with him.
Liam’s greatest challenge was resetting his negative mindset toward education, believing he would never see himself back in a classroom setting. Fortunately, he enrolled as an ASAP (Accelerated Study in Associate Programs) student, a program designed to help students earn an associate degree quickly by providing comprehensive financial, academic, and personal support. “The ASAP program has been monumental in helping me succeed. I never felt supported by my educational institution before,” he shared. “I have my own personal academic advisor who makes it her responsibility to speak to me at least once a month about all of my classes and making sure that I have everything I need to succeed.”
Originally planning to major in computer science, Liam chose liberal arts to keep his options open. “I love the professors and the amazing courses that are offered to me as a liberal arts student. I was genuinely able to explore myself and my personality through my coursework at Kingsborough.”
He’s excelling as a student—and paying it forward. The honor student and president of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society regularly speaks to students in classes to provide peer perspectives. He also serves as a peer mentor in KCC's ASAP office. “I want to continue and give back to them and to the new students who join as ASAP students at Kingsborough.”
Liam was among the 467 nationwide semifinalists selected by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation for its prestigious Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The highly competitive scholarship includes up to $55,000 per year to attend any four-year accredited undergraduate school in the U.S. and pursue any area of study. The finalists will be announced in May.
In addition to being a Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship semifinalist, Liam was named a Kaplan Leadership Scholar this year—the first Kingsborough student selected in four cohorts—which he said boosted his confidence immensely. He has also been marked a finalist for the Point Foundation Wells Fargo Transfer Scholarship.
He feels the true value of Kingsborough is the connections he’s made, not only with students but also with his professors, most notably Dr. Luz Martin del Campo and Prof. John Acosta. “They've really been monumental in my progress here as a student, and as I get ready to transfer and start my professional career. Dr. Luz told me about programs and opportunities like the Kaplan Leadership Program and the Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship, and Prof. Acosta helped me gain firsthand experience and exposure to what I would like to do for my career in the future.”
Liam plans to pursue cinema studies or media and popular culture at a four-year university. His career goal is to become a media archivist to preserve important cultural history. His top choices are the University of Southern California, DePaul University, Yale University, and Wesleyan University. “Receiving a Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship would make transferring and affordability a dream come true for me.”