May 2021
Cooke Scholar Alumni Buzz
Hello Cooke Scholars and Alums!
We hope you are excited for the summer as much as we are! 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
Welcome New Scholars to the Family
The end of the academic year comes with welcoming new Cooke Scholars to the community! In the past couple months, the Foundation announced that 61 graduating high school seniors received the Cooke College Scholarship along with the 43 Young Scholars who are rising College Scholars and 72 community college students were selected as Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars. This year’s recipients will receive up to $55,000 annually to cover costs associated with their undergraduate education.
Although the pandemic made in-person surprises difficult, many community colleges still managed to make the announcement special with surprise video conferences from school leadership and faculty! You can watch them here.
Stay tuned for more information soon on how you can help welcome the newest scholars to our wonderful community!
Connect with Tech Company Salesforce
We have heard good feedback from Cooke Scholars on their experience with our Salesforce career development partnership. So, we are launching another round of dedicated "office hour" appointments where you and your fellow scholars can connect with Salesforce staff to discuss career topics within the tech industry. Whether you use the time for resume review, internship planning, or seeking guidance on finding the right career or company fit for you, these virtual meet-ups are excellent opportunities to learn from representatives of this industry leader. Take a moment now to schedule your appointment.
May Alumni Career Pathways Virtual Chat: Mental Health & Wellness
On Wednesday, May 26th, Cooke Scholar Alum Jacobi Alvarez moderated a discussion with fellow alums Dr. Dustin Nowaskie, Katie Robinson, and Sofia Medina-Pardo on Mental Health and Wellness. As part of our series to explore different career pathways, we discussed different ways to get into this important work, and how Cooke Scholar Alums are expanding access to and supporting mental health and well-being services in their communities. You can watch the video of the event below.
Wrapping Up Career Pathways Exchange Virtual Chats for 2020-21
The May virtual chat concludes our series for this academic year. We’re planning to resume things after Scholars Weekend. We hope that you enjoyed and learned as much as we did; we could not have hosted these engaging conversations without the leadership and support from our Alumni Engagement Council and alum panelists! You can watch recordings of any of the past discussions here - we look forward to seeing you again in the fall to explore more interesting topics and career pathways!
Alumni Buzz
Nandjui Richard Koutouan
2013 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Kettering University; 2018 Graduate Scholar, University of Rochester
Join us in congratulating Richard in completing his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), and for receiving the University of Rochester’s Graduate Student Employee of the Year award. As a Benet Career Peer at Simon Business School, Richard provided career search assistance and guidance to fellow MBA and MS students looking for full-time employment or internships. Richard is an experienced engineer, entrepreneur, leader and project manager, and has collaborated with engineering teams from the biggest name in the area of life, safety and security fields like Honeywell, Samsung, and many others.
Melinda Hornback
2007 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Indiana Wesleyan University; 2010 Graduate Scholar, University of Michigan
Melinda recently received a promotion to clinical supervisor for AbleTo, a telehealth company that provides “high-quality behavioral health care delivered virtually from the comfort, privacy, and convenience of your home.” She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and in her current position supervises a team of 40 therapists. Prior to her transition to telehealth, Melinda worked in foster care, acute child and adolescent behavioral health hospitals, community mental health, and she has specialized in the treatment of trauma.
Elizabeth Simoens
2005 Young Scholar; 2010 College Scholar, Butler University ; 2014 Graduate Scholar, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
MCV/DEVELOP, the leading media outlet for the UK games industry, recently recognized Elizabeth in their 2021 30 Under 30, where they highlight the best young talent in the games industry. Six years ago, she started as a game designer, and now has over 20 commercially shipped games under her belt – across PC, mobile, VR, AR, street games, audio-only games and even installed games in both museums and raves. Over the years, Elizabeth has worked for several studios such as Fire Hazard, Thunkd, Int/Night and PRELOADED. You can read more about Elizabeth and her peers recognized for their accomplishments here.
Omar Escamilla
2015 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, DePaul University; 2017 Graduate Scholar, New York University
Omar recently started a new job at Adobe as an Associate Program Manager for Diversity & Inclusion. Omar’s personal background as a first-generation Latino immigrant has influenced his work as an activist and advocate for unrepresented communities. Spawning from this, he has worked and traveled around the world to address critical global issues and advance movements to build a more inclusive and equitable world. Driven by his passion for social good, Omar has dedicated his career to building sustainable and scalable solutions to social issues through technology and innovation. Omar has managed and developed social impact partnerships & initiatives for various nonprofits and companies around the world including Good Deeds, Give Lively, Flocabulary, and the Institute of International Education. You can read more about Omar here.
Courtney Thurston-Del Buono
2015 College Scholar, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach
Courtney got married in March to her partner Matthew, and they had their wedding and love story featured in the New York Times! Out of all places, guess where and how they first met? They met online through Wikipedia where they were frequent contributors to the free online encyclopedia. To make things more in the spirit of romance and brains, Matthew and Courtney held their wedding on March 14th. They tied the knot on Pi Day (3.14) and the two Microsoft software engineers opted for apple and lemon meringue pies instead of the typical wedding cake.
Throwback Photo of the Month
Cooke Scholars at Scholars Weekend 2004