March 2021

Cooke Scholar Alumni Buzz

Hello Cooke Scholars and Alums!

We hope that this message finds you well. In particular, our hearts are with scholars and alums who have been impacted by the tragic events in Atlanta, GA and Boulder, CO that has caused grief and pain for so many in those communities and across the United States. It was good to check in with a number of you with ties to those regions and learn that you and your families are safe. If you are looking to support the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community to Stop AAPI Hate, the Foundation recently sent an email which included ways you can get involved and support the cause.

Here’s an update on what’s going on at the Foundation and some of the great things your fellow Cooke Scholars have done recently. Alums, please reach out and send us your updates so we can feature you and your work! Just send us an email at alumni@jkcf.org.

Foundation Buzz

Alumni Trivia Night!

On what date was Jack Kent Cooke born? That's just one of the questions you might have to answer when you join your fellow alums from around the world for Trivia Night on Wednesday, April 14 at 8:30 p.m. EDT! So many of you have told us how much you're missing casually getting together with your "Cookie Cousins" for relaxation and a good time, so our alumni team at the Cooke Foundation thought what better way to check in and catch up than bonding over some virtual fun. There are limited slots available; therefore, please complete this registration form at your earliest convenience as we expect availability to be reserved quickly by the alumni community. Please note that this event is for alumni only.

Scholar Virtual Chat: Internships - The Starting Point of a Career

On Wednesday, March 24th, Cooke Scholar Alum Luis Veloz moderated a conversation with fellow scholars Adhitya Jayasinghe, Karen Herrera, and Shari Evangelista on the topic of internships. These professional experiences have a significant impact on our career trajectory and opens doors to various career pathways; therefore, it's important to have a strong game plan for them. The panelists shared their own internship experiences, tips and strategies that made their experiences successful, and how their internships informed their professional decision making. This discussion is particularly helpful to scholars who are seeking for and working at an internship. Check out the video below!

March Alumni Career Pathways Virtual Chat: Financial Literacy – Getting Your Money Right

On Wednesday, March 31st, Cooke Scholar Alum Alessandro Bailetti moderated a chat with fellow alums Jennifer Lyu, Manuel Ruiz, and Menachem Sahler to discuss the essentials of financial literacy, managing money, and building wealth. This conversation will be helpful to those who have years under their belt working full-time, the recent college graduate who is now making money and looking for the best ways to invest and save, and even those still in school who want to learn from those who went before them. You can watch the video of the event below.

April Alumni Career Pathways Virtual Chat: Consulting 101

Do you like identifying and dissecting complex problems and then creating a strategy to implement a solution? If working on projects with creative teams to address critical issues in our communities and businesses gives you excitement, you should consider a career in consulting! Join us on Thursday, April 29th, as Cooke Scholar Alum Stephani Calderon discusses the consulting field with a panel of alums. We will be discussing ways to build your resume and experience to get into this line of work, important life and career lessons learned as consultants, and much more. A formal invitation will be sent in the coming weeks, but you can register for the event right now here, we look forward to seeing you there!

Alumni Buzz

Gabby Nicholas

2014 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, University of Florida; 2019 Graduate Scholar, Northwestern University

Gabby recently started a new job pursuing her passion for education access and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion work as the Assistant Director of the Center for Cultural Liberation at at Dominican University. Also join us in celebrating Gabby for graduating from the Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy with her Master's in Higher Education Administration and Policy! While there, she studied the issues of accessibility and representation in higher education and her research focused on student community building and scholar support within private scholarship foundations.

Etaba Assigana

2003 Young Scholar; 2008 College Scholar, Georgia Institute of Technology

"Philosophy" is a song concerning the problem of racism as a philosophy that Etaba created for his album “If This Is My Time” which was released last year. He recently launched the music video for the song and describes it as a piece he “created in the midst of the unrest of summer 2020, when cities across the nation filled their streets with people who know and recognize the institution of race as a system of oppression, abuse, and control.” If you enjoy the music video below and Etaba’s artistic work, check out and support his other powerful music video for his single “Equity”.

Phuong-Nghi Pham

2009 Young Scholar & Young Artist; 2014 College Scholar, Amherst College

Phuong-Nghi first learned about the Cooke Foundation through From the Top, a music non-profit best known for its National Public Radio show promoting young classical musicians. Things have come full circle as she is now working at From the Top alongside fellow Cooke Scholar Alum and show host Peter Dugan! Phuong-Nghi loves collaborating with her colleagues in different departments, and is particularly proud of how her team moved so quickly and creatively at the start of the lockdown to expand all the ways that From the Top can continue to showcase and support the next generation of talented young people. Her podcast playlist includes: Twenty-Thousand Hertz, No Stupid Questions, and the Infinite Monkey Cage. If you also love being at the intersection of fields and working in cross-functional teams, feel free to reach out to her!

Brielle (Tucker) Bell

2006 Young Scholar; 2011 College Scholar, University of Tampa

Brielle recently joined the Journey to Esquire podcast to discuss her journey to become a lawyer and gives invaluable advice to those considering the legal field as a career. While at Stetson University College of Law, Brielle interned with the Honorable Charlene E. Honeywell in the Middle District of Florida and clerked with the Honorable Roberta A. Colton in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida. Brielle was one of the inaugural scholars in the Diversity Access Pipeline Program which aims to diversify the legal profession by expanding opportunities for women of color law students. Currently, Brielle is an Associate at Bush Ross, P.A. practicing Bankruptcy and Commercial Litigation.

Hannah Kang

2001 Young Scholar; 2006 College Scholar, Brown University; 2013 Graduate Scholar, University of Wisconsin

Hannah recently moved into a Chief of Staff role at Axis Talent Partners in February after a 10-year career in public education. Axis Talent Partners is an executive search and talent strategy firm, founded and led by women of color, and partners with social impact organizations to provide talent solutions that are grounded in relationship building and centered in equity and inclusivity. Hannah is also a Board Member at the Baltimore Abortion Fund, an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to people who live in or travel to Maryland for abortion care. Her work at BAF has kept Hannah centered and feeling purposeful during a time of such increased violence against marginalized groups, including but certainly not limited to Black, Indigenous, Asian, immigrant, and/or LGBTQ folks.

Joshua Elmore

2014 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, University of California, Berkeley; 2016 Graduate Scholar, Columbia University

In May 2020, Josh completed his PhD in Social-Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Since then, he’s launched a start-up, SuperFunky.io, which specializes in people analytics software. Josh hopes to help organizations leverage their human resources data to make strategic business decisions. While it has been a challenge to build his business, Josh explains that “hard work ensures that his learning continues.”

Throwback Photo of the Month

Cooke Scholars at Scholars Weekend 2003