July 2022
Hello Cooke Scholars and Alums!
We hope you are enjoying the summer by finding time to relax and pursuing adventures! 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.
Community Buzz
Record a Welcome Video for the Newest Cohort of Scholars!
Most, if not all of you, are familiar with the Welcome New Scholars video we play at each Scholars Weekend. In fact, some of you have recorded messages for it before! We update it every couple of years and would like to do it again for this year's event. If you're willing to give back in this way, please record a short 30-90 second video welcoming the newest Higher Ed Scholars into our community. You can find recording and delivery tips here, and please send all videos to us at studio@jkcf.org.
New Blog - Working Together to Make an Impact
Victoria Wong Murray and Dr. Anna Fiskin met at a Scholars Weekend event and quickly realized their common interests in medicine, serving immigrant populations and working in mental health. In the Bay Area, Dr. Fiskin became an Assistant Medical Director at a community mental health clinic in San Francisco while Victoria was an Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator at the University of California, San Francisco. Serendipitously connecting at an event on healthcare in unhoused populations, they began chatting about projects of mutual interest to serve the city. To learn more about Victoria and Dr. Fiskin’s friendship and work together, click here.
New Blog - A Pride Month Q&A With Cooke Alums Dee Baskin and Reg Ledesma
It’s been 53 years since the Stonewall uprising in New York City in June 1969, generally regarded as the beginning of the modern Pride movement in the United States. Pride Month is meant to celebrate LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, plus) identities, and also acts as a great time to learn about issues affecting the gay community. This past month, the Cooke Foundation asked two Alums to reflect on what drew them to their respective career fields and, more broadly, their thoughts on Pride Month and issues that affect the LGBTQIA+ community not only during June, but all year round. To read the article with Dee Baskin and Reg Ledesma, click here.
Regional Chapter Events in Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington DC
This past month, Cooke Scholar Alums gathered in Chicago and Philadelphia to catch up about graduate school, professional pursuits, and summer travel plans. Special shout outs to Chapter Leaders Nancy Le and Vesal Stoakley for organizing! Alums in Washington DC will gather on Friday, July 22nd for dinner - more details to come very soon! Please email alumni@jkcf.org if you are interested in attending or organizing regional activities in the fall.
Chicago, IL
Philadelphia, PA
Connect with an Alum
Our Cooke Scholar Alumni network is a vibrant community of more than 2,000 individuals engaged in diverse career and personal pursuits. One way you can Connect with an Alum is to complete this form and let us introduce you to an Alum sharing similar interests and career goals.
Compass Feature: Homero Sosa Mendoza
2015 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Arizona State University
Homero was born and raised in Mexico; however, he completed his high school, college and university years in the United States. He became an Undergraduate Transfer Scholar in 2015 and transferred to Arizona State University, where he double majored in Supply Chain Management and Business Management. He became the Outstanding Graduate for both the W.P. Carey School of Business and Barrett, The Honors College. He now works in People Ops at Google in California and enjoys traveling and helping others.
Alumni Buzz
2016 College Scholar, Northwestern University; 2022 Graduate Scholar, Columbia University
Last month, Nancy participated in an interview on Northwestern Intersections with fellow Northwestern University alumni to discuss their postgraduate journeys. Nancy works at the intersection of healthcare and business, where she is primarily interested in how the private sector can play a role in public health. After graduation, she worked in the COVID-19 response at Harris County Public Health and now works as a life sciences management consultant at Capgemini Invent. Nancy is heading to Columbia University in the fall to earn her master’s in public health.
2012 Young Scholar; 2017 College Scholar, Swarthmore College
Cris recently started a new job at Accenture as an Advanced App Engineering Analyst. Also, Cris serves as the board secretary for the Dara Ashley Foundation - an organization creating a lasting impact with new opportunities for minority college students. He is dedicated to dynamically engaging in both technology and education with the intent of promoting access to STEAM educational opportunities for underrepresented students.
Maria Cielito Robles
2014 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Cornell University
On the 19th anniversary of her family immigrating to the United States, Maria found out that she was selected for the Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program. This past month, she was officially commissioned as a Naval Officer with the US Navy Medical Corps - the day was made extra special as Maria was sworn in by her godfather Alex Lintag, a retired Master Chief!
2016 College Scholar, University of Arkansas; 2020 Graduate Scholar, Yale University
Join us in congratulating Zac for graduating with his MBA from Yale’s School of Management! He is looking forward to returning to the Middle East to begin work in Doha, Qatar with the Boston Consulting Group. Zac has had numerous adventures and professional pursuits abroad working in countries including India, United Arab Emirates, and Mozambique.
2019 Undergraduate Transfer, Stetson University
This past year, Hayley started a new job at Cortex Sustainability Intelligence as a Decarbonization Strategist. Also known as Cortex, the company “harnesses the power of machine learning to deliver a platform that helps commercial real estate owners decarbonize their portfolios in the fastest, and lowest cost manner.” Prior to working at Cortex, Hayley both worked with various nonprofit organizations on building partnerships around solving environmental issues and owned her own business creating websites and content for small businesses. Hayley’s long-term goals include innovating products and developing processes that move current industries toward more sustainable practices.
Throwback Photo of the Month
Scholars solving the Cooke Conundrum at Scholars Weekend 2006