September 2024
Cooke Alums during the Scholars Weekend 2024 banquet.
Compass Feature: Dina Asfaha
2007 Young Scholar; 2012 College Scholar; 2016 Graduate Scholar, University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University
Dina became a Cooke Young Scholar in 2007, and majored in African Studies as a College Scholar at Barnard College. As a Graduate Scholar, she earned her master's degree in Oral History from Columbia and then went on to the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her PhD in Anthropology. Dina is now working as a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT's Department of Anthropology, and her work and interests focus on the social, political-economic, and cultural factors that shape health, medicine, and medical humanitarianism in Africa and the African diaspora. In the below video, Dina shares how her dissertation focus evolved the more she learned about the Eritrean liberation struggle.
You can connect with Dina on LinkedIn here.
Compass Feature: Wadzanai Ndambakuwa
Check out our latest Cooke Alum Interview featuring Wadzanai Ndambakuwa, a 2021 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar from Smith College. She is currently a researcher at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. In the below conversation, Wadzanai shares her academic experience as a transfer and international student from Zimbabwe, including her current neurology and neuroscience research.
You can connect with Wadzanai on LinkedIn here.
Meelod Waheed
2022 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Pomona College
After graduating from Pomona College earlier this summer, Meelod started a career with Nascent as a Software Engineer. Nascent is a team of builders who back early-stage founders creating products and primitives for an open financial world.
He shared his excitement around this new role, “I will be working with a talented team to develop innovative solutions in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space. My role involves building and refining our trading platforms to support our team's investing strategies. I am particularly looking forward to driving technological advancements that will foster the growth of the DeFi ecosystem!”
You can connect with Meelod on LinkedIn here.
Tomi Adelusi
2014 College Scholar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
After departing from Apple in 2023, Tomi recently joined the team at Pattern Data to help bring data-driven insights to legal tech. Pattern Data is an AI-driven platform transforming mass tort case evaluations and settlements. The company’s software analyzes medical records, swiftly categorizing documents and surfacing key information to streamline case reviews and preparation for MDL settlements.
“My year-long career break gave me time to truly rest and reprioritize my mental health. I did a lot of traveling and had a lot of downtime to reflect on what I wanted next, leading to the ultimate realization that I wanted to work at a small company or startup because they really give you a space to explore your interests. In this new role, I’m most looking forward to gaining exposure to all parts of a functioning company, and getting some entrepreneurial experience.”
You can connect with Tomi on LinkedIn here.
Melissa Cunningham
2015 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, 2018 Graduate Scholar, University of Southern Maine
Melissa Cunningham (left) and one of her peers at Pine Tree Recovery Center
Melissa Cunningham was recently featured in an article published by her community college, Seminole State College. The article digs into Melissa’s academic and professional journey, and her current role as a medical psychiatric provider at Pine Tree Recovery Center, an inpatient substance use treatment center in her hometown of Portland, Maine.
Melissa said, “One of the things I enjoy most [about my current job] is having the opportunity to show respect and compassion for individuals experiencing a highly judged and stigmatized health condition. I appreciate the trust and human connection that forms with each interaction, and the ability to use my strengths to help others heal and meet their goals of long-term remission from addictive substances. I enjoy helping people identify their strengths, challenges, boundaries, and forming new perspectives about life and personhood. It’s an honor and privilege to do this work.”
You can read the full article here.
The Latest Alumni Website Feature
Introducing your 2024-2025 Alumni Engagement Council
We are excited to introduce the Alumni Engagement Council members for the 2024-2025 year! This dedicated group of Cooke Alums brings together diverse backgrounds, strengths, and experiences from across our scholarship programs. Meeting quarterly, they will drive meaningful discussions on engagement opportunities and initiatives. Together, they help foster a strong and connected Cooke Scholar and Alum community, serving as Ambassadors, Mentors, and Champions for all. You can read more about them here.
Scholars Weekend 2024 Recap
We had such a wonderful time last month welcoming our newest Cooke Scholars into the community. Between the Career Pathways Exchange and the Alumni Wisdom Workshops, to Cooke Alum Melissa Osborne’s book talk and our new Alum-to-Scholar Buddy System, SW24 was a blast!
Thank you to the more than 80 Alums who shared their time and energy to mentor and engage with Scholars throughout the weekend. If you’re interested in volunteering at a future Scholars Weekend, keep an eye out for the Alum Mentor application that goes out in the early spring.
You can watch the Scholars Weekend 2024 Slideshow Video here.
Save the Date for Cooke Connections: New York City, October 10-11
The Foundation is headed to New York City for our next Cooke Connections event! Scholars and Alums who attend Cooke Connections events will have access to unique, in-person professional networking and community building opportunities, including company tours at Microsoft, the Durst Organization, Amazon, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. A huge thank you to the Cooke Alums who are helping make this event a success!
Mark your calendars for October 10-11, 2024. Updates and registration links will be shared here.
Do you want to share your work in our “Cooke Career Snapshots” blog?
We are looking for folks who would be interested in writing a blog about their current careers for CookeAlumni.org. The purpose of these blogs is to introduce our Scholars and Alums to as many career paths as possible, from the perspective of fellow Cooke Alums who are leaders in the field. Our most recent Cooke Career Snapshots blog was written by Aaron Fulkerson and featured key lessons from his professional journey. You can read the blog here.
If you’re interested in writing a blog, please send a message to alumni@jkcf.org.
Connect with other Cooke Scholars and Alums in our private LinkedIn Group
Are you a member of the private LinkedIn Group “Cooke Scholars & Alumni”? Join our group to expand your network and discover professional opportunities. Together, we foster a vibrant community where we exchange insights, support each other's endeavors, and unearth exciting professional prospects. Request to join the group here.
We want to hear from you!
Have you recently changed jobs? Did you have your research published this year? Is your family growing? We would love to hear your personal, professional, and academic updates! Feel free to submit your news below or email Alumni Engagement Manager Gabby Nicholas.
Cooke Alums at Scholars Weekend 2024.