Paducah Tilghman High School Senior Paige Lauren Kight Awarded Four-Year College Scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Paducah Tilghman High School senior Paige Lauren Kight has been selected from a pool of 5,300 applicants across the nation as one of the 100 graduating high school seniors to be named a Cooke College Scholar and receive a four-year college scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. This year’s recipients will receive up to $55,000 annually to cover costs associated with their undergraduate education as they go on to attend some of the nation’s top colleges and universities next fall.
The Cooke College Scholarship Program seeks to help high-achieving students with financial need earn a college degree. In addition to substantial financial support, Scholars also receive ongoing academic coaching and advising, graduate school and career advising, and access to a network of over 2,800 active Cooke Scholars and Alumni. Scholars will receive opportunities for internships, study abroad, and access to graduate school funding.
Kight is a National Merit Finalist, an AP Scholar with Distinction, U.S. Presidential Scholar Candidate, a Paducah Bank Teen of the Week, and has been recognized for receiving a perfect 36 on all sections of the ACT. Through the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation young scholar program, she has been involved in extensive summer research and field studies programs at the University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Northwestern University, Brown University, University of Connecticut, and MIT.
She is Varsity Captain of the Varsity Academic Team, having previously held positions of JV Captain and Varsity Leader, and was named to The Paducah Sun’s inaugural All-District 3 Academic Team. She has won numerous state and regional awards in individual and team academic team competition, including Top 5 district and regional individual rankings in Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, and Arts in Humanities; top 10 state individual ranking in the General Knowledge category; top 2 district and regional team rankings in Quick Recall; top 16 state team ranking in Quick Recall; the DOE Regional Science Bowl Champion Team; and the DOE National Science Bowl Participating Team.
She is a four-year member of the PTHS Concert Band and has performed as principal clarinetist. She has chaired in KMEA’s All-District Concert and Symphonic Bands, Murray State University’s Quad-State Honor Band, and the Western Kentucky University Honor Band. Kight is also a four-year member of the Speech Team and was named a state quarterfinalist in Radio Broadcasting, state qualifier in Prose, invitational finalist in Prose and Radio Broadcasting, regional champion in Program Oral Interpretation, and state semifinalist in Program Oral Interpretation.
Since 2018, Kight has served as a member of the Youth Advisory Board for the Center for Parent and Teen Communication. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, PT Pageturners Club, and Dungeons & Dragons Club and participates in the Paducah Symphony Orchestra Youth Chorus. She serves as a summer camp reading counselor and during the pandemic has sewed and distributed over 400 cloth face masks to schools, ministries, and individuals across the state.
Kight will be attending MIT after graduation, with plans to major in molecular biology and computer science. She is the daughter of Kelly and Robert Kight of Paducah.
“Our country is full of bright and motivated students. We want to make sure those with financial need have the opportunity to succeed,” said Seppy Basili, Executive Director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “We admire the determination displayed by the finalists this year, and we’re extremely proud of these students’ achievements. We look forward to witnessing their future accomplishments.”
This year, students applied for the Cooke College Scholarship from all 50 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Marianas, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. The Foundation evaluated each submission, and selected Scholars based on their academic ability, persistence, leadership, and financial need. Scholars will go on to study in fields such as biological science, engineering, computer science, fine arts, and political science.