August 2023
Thrive Together Brunch in Houston with the Texas Regional Chapter
Compass Feature: Melissa Osborne
2010 Transfer Scholar, 2013 Graduate Scholar, University of Chicago
Melissa became a Cooke Scholar in 2010, and studied Sociology as a Transfer Scholar at the Reed College. She then went on to the University of Chicago as a Graduate Scholar, where she earned both her Master of Arts and PhD in Sociology. Melissa now works as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Western Washington University.
In the below video, Melissa shares what the Cooke community means to her and the value that came with becoming a Scholar. You can check out more of Melissa’s videos here.
Compass Feature: Alum Interviews
Check out the next installment of our Cooke Alum Interviews featuring Munira Alimire, a 2018 College Scholar from Stanford University, who currently works as the Community Development Director for the City of Zumbrota, MN. Watch the video below as they discuss mental health, student advocacy work, and abolitionist efforts within her current career role.
Dee Baskin
2010 Transfer Scholar, 2015 Graduate Scholar, University of North Texas Health Science Center
Dee was awarded the Hennepin County Bar Association’s Excellence Award for Improving Access to Justice. As the executive director of Loan Repayment Assistance Program of Minnesota, they have been a champion for legal aid attorneys seeking public service loan forgiveness. Dee has helped Minnesota attorneys navigate each pause on student loan payments through articles, CLE presentations, and social media updates.
Dee shared, “Access to Justice is everyone's work, and I'm happy to support our public servants in whatever ways I can.” You can read the official announcement here.
Abigail McFee
2008 Young Scholar, 2013 College Scholar, 2020 Graduate Scholar, University of Michigan
Abigail recently started a new position at the University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI) as the Marketing and Communications Writer. She’s excited to write about the work and research being done by UMSI students and faculty, “I love the storytelling this team does, and their passion and care were so clear to me throughout the hiring process”
Learn more about Abigail’s academic and professional journey here.
Angel Monroy Aparicio
2013 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, San Diego State University
Angel just started a new position as an Inside Sales Representative of Whova, Inc., an event management software company based in San Diego, CA.
A former higher education professional, Angel is very excited for this career pivot. He shared, “I am looking forward to learning how to be a successful tech sales representative, learning new professional skills, and helping customers connect with our products. I am also excited for the career opportunities and growth, as well as enrolling in a software engineering boot camp in the future to really up my techie skills.”
To learn more about Angel’s academic and career journey, click here.
Lucy Marcil
2008 Graduate Scholar, University of Pennsylvania
Lucy is one of six health professional selected for the highly prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows Program at the National Academy of Medicine. Beginning in September, Lucy will spend a year in Washington, D.C. working on health-related legislative and regulatory issues with members of Congress and the executive branch.
It has been a dream of Lucy’s to work on federal health policy, and as she shared, “I am honored to have the opportunity to learn how to create equitable policies to help children and families thrive.”
You can read the full article here.
The Latest from the CookeAlumni.org Blog
Thrive Together Information Session
Date: Tuesday, August 29 at 12:30 p.m. ET
Are you interested in hosting a regional Thrive Together event?
Join our Thrive Together Information Session to learn best practices for hosting events, hear about updates to the reimbursement process, and connect with other Regional Chapter leaders!
Register here.
Career Perspectives in Climate Change and Sustainability
Date: Wednesday, September 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET
Are you interested in working to fight against climate change?
This Cooke Alum Virtual Chat will offer attendees career perspectives in climate change and sustainability. Cooke Alums Joel Charles, Sharmen Hettipola, Daniela Martinez will share their experiences and insights in a conversation moderated by fellow Alum Patrick Soltis.
Register here.
Seeking Regional Chapter Leaders!
If you are located in any of the following regions, and/or if you are interested in organizing Alum meet ups in your area, consider becoming a Cooke Regional Chapter Leader:
Minneapolis, MN
New Orleans, LA
Denver, CO
Phoenix, AZ
Seattle, WA
Austin or Dallas, TX (we are looking for a co-Chapter leader to join Houston-based Chris Chen)
Any other region where we don’t have an organized chapter
Please email alumni@jkcf.org if you want to learn more about becoming a regional chapter leader. We will have an onboarding and regional chapter leader meeting this summer to share best practices and updates from the Foundation!
FINAL CALL to Join the 2023-2024 Alumni Engagement Council
Are you looking to become more involved in the Cooke Alum community? Do you want to participate in quarterly meetings to brainstorm ways to further engage the Cooke community? Join the Alumni Engagement Council (AEC) for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Join a group of 20 fellow Alums to provide feedback on Alum engagement, help program and plan activities, participate in Cooke events, and serve as a liaison between the Foundation and the community.
Submit your application to join the 2023-2024 AEC here.
Join the Cooke Outreach Representative Program
Are you interested in helping share information about our Cooke Scholarships to current high school and college students? We would like to invite you to join the Cooke Outreach Representative Program (CORP)!
CORP is the most popular and largest group of Cooke Scholar and Alum volunteers, and it provides you the opportunity to conduct outreach for our scholarship programs and share your experiences with potential applicants. Everyone here at the Foundation strongly believes that no one can speak more authentically about the impact of our scholarships than Scholars and Alums like you.
If you're interested in joining CORP, please fill out this application by Thursday, August 31. You can also email alumni@jkcf.org with any questions.
Share an update with us!
Alums, do you want to be featured in an upcoming Alumni Buzz? Do you have an academic, professional, or personal update to share? We would love to hear it!
Throwback Photo: Scholars Weekend