January 2021

Cooke Scholar Alumni Buzz

Hello Cooke Scholars and Alums!

We hope that 2021 is treating you and your family well so far! We here at the Foundation are hopeful as we welcome in this new year and the possibilities that await us. Here’s an update on what’s going on at the Foundation, some new career advancement opportunities for both scholars and alums, and the great things some of your fellow Cooke Scholars are doing. Alums, we’d love to feature you and your work, so please reach out and let us know what you’re up to – please send us your updates to alumni@jkcf.org.

Foundation Buzz

New Blog: How We Repair It

In the latest blog, members of the Alumni Engagement Council reflect on the fight for and pursuit of social and racial justice in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and other Black Americans in the hands of police. The authors draw inspiration from “The Hill We Climb” performed by Amanda Gorman, the first US National Youth Poet Laureate, at the 46th United States’ Presidential Inauguration. Learn more about how we can learn from the past and take actionable steps moving forward to promote racial justice in our communities.

Thank You CORP Members

The Cooke Scholarship outreach season for both the College and Undergraduate Transfer Scholarships have closed and we could not have reached applicants throughout the country without the support of our Cooke Outreach Representative Program (CORP) Members. You reached over 1,150 students across the country through over 54 different virtual presentations conducted by at least 35 Cooke Scholars and Alumni volunteering their time to support these efforts. Thank you very much to everyone who presented information sessions, spoke with and mentored applicants, and shared information about the Cooke Scholarships. We look forward to welcoming new members of our community later this spring!

February Career Pathways Virtual Chat: How Falling in Love Can Help Your Career

On Wednesday, February 17th, the Alumni Engagement Council is hosting a virtual event with a panel of alumni to discuss everyone’s favorite (or least favorite) topic: Love! In the spirit of Valentine's Day, alums will be sharing how their relationship with their romantic partner has supported their professional and career growth. We hope you can join us to discuss the intersection of romantic relationships and professional journeys, and how romantic partners can challenge us to do better, provide different perspectives, and comfort us during tough times. A formal invitation will be sent in the coming weeks, but you can register for the event right now here.

Career Pathways Exchange Opportunities

Along with a new year comes with opportunity for new career possibilities. Many of us are looking to make career moves and advancements, and we are offering a few opportunities to support our scholar and alumni professional journeys.

Career Pathways Connections

We recently launched Career Pathways Connections - a Cooke Foundation campaign that is a bridge for scholars and alumni to cultivate mentor relationships. This is a great opportunity for current scholars and newer alums to meet more established members of our alumni community who are further along in their professional lives and are in a position to provide valuable career guidance and mentorship. Those who participate can also get a very cool piece of Thrive Together swag! Get started connecting today.

Get Career Advice from a Leading Tech Company

We recently partnered with Salesforce to dedicate "office hour" appointments where scholars and alumni can connect with Salesforce staff to discuss career topics within the tech industry. These virtual meet-ups are excellent opportunities from a leading company in the tech industry to receive resume reviews, guidance on finding the right company, internship planning, and much more. You can schedule a virtual meeting with Salesforce here.

January Career Pathways Virtual Chat: The Art of Getting the Dream Job - Resumes, Interviews, and Networking

On Wednesday, January 27th, Cooke Scholar Alum Jacobi Alvarez moderated our most recent virtual event with fellow alums Aman Waheed, Derrick Arthur-Cudjoe, and Danna Culhane. The panel discussed effective strategies and approaches to put together a compelling resume, present your best self at interviews, and make networking opportunities both meaningful and fun. The conversation offered powerful advice as we further pursue our academic and professional aspirations especially as we continue to battle a pandemic and rebuild our global economy.

Alumni Buzz

Andrew McAllister

2007 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; 2010 Graduate Scholar, New York Medical College

Andrew and a group of colleagues recently founded the Innovation Forest School based in the United Kingdom. The organization supports the development of 21st Century Life, Learning, and Literacy Skills in children through experiences including camping trips, family education programs, experiential learning opportunities, and outdoor expeditions. The Innovation Forest School is still finishing planning stages and anticipates to officially start its programs in summer 2021. Andrew is an educator at the American School in London, and a National Board-Certified Teacher with ten years of experience with math, science, health, physical & outdoor education with students between ages 2 and 18. He has lived and worked in the United States, Latin America, Africa, and Europe.

Neveen Mahmoud

Click to Play Video

2002 Young Scholar; 2007 College Scholar, Stanford University

This month, Neveen recently joined tennis legend Billie Jean King and fashion designer Tory Burch for a conversation about “Making ‘Her-Story’” and to celebrate the 151st anniversary of their shared alma mater, the Agnes Irwin School. Over the course of the panel and live Q&A, panelists touched on defining their sense of purpose, reflecting on their personal values, important figures in their lives, and much more. In the conversation, Neveen noted that “I have learned in my work as an entrepreneur that you have to be unapologetic... If you're going to want to do something in this world, you have to ask people to join you." You can watch the conversation here. In addition, Neveen continues her work with the Young Vets, the nonprofit she cofounded that designs high-quality learning experiences and prepares student-athletes to build a legacy off success outside of sports. To find out more about her academic and professional journey, you can watch this video.

Manuel “Manny” Ruiz-Ramos

2013 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Southern Polytechnic State University

Join us in congratulating Manny in his recent promotion to Vice President at Goldman Sachs in the Core Engineering Division! He joined Goldman Sachs back in 2015 as an analyst where he has more than five years of experience as a software engineer. Manny continues to be an excellent mentor to many Cooke Scholars. His experience in conducting interviews and hiring processes at various levels in the tech industry helps him offer invaluable insight to undergraduates interested in technical careers. Manny is also involved with I.M. Beyond Borders and SHPE-NYC (The New York City Chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers).

Chelsea Hipwell

2009 Young Scholar; 2014 College Scholar, Lehigh University

Chelsea (pictured right) and her mom on their way to Welcome Weekend 2009

Since graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Global Studies in 2018, Chelsea has made the most of her time working in the nonprofit and education space in Philadelphia by administering scholarships for students attending under-resourced Philly schools. If you’re interested in this kind of work, she wanted us to let you know that Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia is hiring! Chelsea plans to start graduate school in fall of 2021 to pursue a master’s in public health, with a concentration in global health. She is definitely a student at heart and can’t wait to get back to school after a three-year hiatus. In addition to writing for the Cooke Scholar Alumni blog and working towards her certificate in trauma-informed practices, she recently completed a virtual painting class that resulted in some great new art for her apartment-turned-office-turned-yoga space. 

Shrochis Karki

2009 Graduate Scholar, Oxford University

Shrochis and his team at the Samaanta Foundation in Nepal had to do things differently in 2020 to continue their work during a global pandemic. The foundation, which promotes equality and empowerment by providing quality higher education to students from low socio-economic backgrounds in Nepal, went virtual in many regards of their work including recruitment, selection, and student support services. This past year, the organization was able to interview 72 finalists and select 11 new Fellows for their ninth cohort where each Fellow receives up to seven years of comprehensive funding and support for their higher education pursuits. There are currently 42 active Fellows including 4 on international scholarships - totaling support for 62 Fellows since the program’s establishment. You can read more about the Samaanta Foundation and the stories of the Fellows on their website.

Throwback Photo of the Month

College Scholars at Scholars Weekend 2017