The Alumni Engagement Council

Chris Chen

2015 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Georgetown University

Chris is a research professional, focusing on investments and tech. While in undergrad, he was chosen along with a select few students to manage a portion of the university’s endowment fund. Professionally, he has worked in several investment funds. He is passionate about investing, renewable energy, and helping people with personal finance. In his free time, Chris enjoys playing sports and musical instruments, flying helicopters and planes, as well as water-related activities like parasailing. He is also the Regional Chapter Leader for the JKCF Houston, TX Chapter.

yanelle cruz bonilla

2017 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Tufts University; 2020 Graduate Scholar, Oxford University

Yanelle is a Qualitative Research Analyst at Rewiring America. She works on research supporting the organization's mission of electrifying every American household while pursuing environmental justice and also leads the organization's program monitoring and evaluation. She has a BA in sociology from Tufts University, an MSc in Migration Studies, and an MPhil in Evidence-Based Social Integration and Policy Evaluation from the University of Oxford. Born in Honduras, Yanelle resides in Washington, DC. In her free time, she enjoys going to the movies, seeing live theatre, making pottery, going to museum events, and going on walks all around the city.

Marie febrillet

2020 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Columbia University/School of General Studies

Marie graduated Columbia University with a degree in Sustainable Development in 2023. Before Columbia, she attended Passaic County Community College in New Jersey, and was actually the first person from her school to become a Cooke Scholar. Marie is currently based in New York City.

Josue Fernando Luna

2018 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar; 2024 Graduate Scholar, University of Southern California

Josue is an engineer with experiences in optics research, materials science research, and industrial product development. Josue's recent professional experience was working and studying abroad in Germany through a fully-funded fellowship. His research experience while in Germany, was in the field of 3D Nanometrology, an area that focuses on precise measurements at the nanoscale level. Josue has succeeded in government-funded educational programs including the McNair Scholars Program and the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals. As a strong believer of paying it forward, Josue has done many mentorship roles throughout many educational programs in community college and undergraduate studies. He intends to continue this passion throughout his professional career. During his free time, Josue enjoys photography, reading comics, online gaming, and marathon training.

JONATHAN FINNERTY

2015 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Rutgers University; 2017 Graduate Scholar, University of Tennessee

Jonathan is currently a faculty member at Middlesex College, where he teaches philosophy. Prior, he worked at Princeton University's Department of Art & Archaeology as an administrator. His teaching experience includes courses on philosophy, ethics, and history. Jonathan has been an advocate for making higher education more accessible to marginalized communities and works with colleges and universities to develop and maintain diversity and inclusion initiatives. Through mentoring and advising, Jonathan also directly serves the student populations that he advocates for.

Brittany fischer

2015 College Scholar, university of florida

Brittany is a Child and Family Therapist based in the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina. She is also the Regional Chapter Leader for the area. Brittany is a multilingual psychotherapist providing therapy in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and they’re passionate about leadership, advocacy, and mentorship on behalf of marginalized populations.

Maile harris

2018 College Scholar, Yale University

An avid maker, science communicator, and astronomy enthusiast, Maile was inspired to pursue a career in physics because of her love of Star Trek. Throughout her undergrad, she prototyped novel telescope calibration systems in a radio astronomy instrumentation lab at Yale, and worked to increase accessibility of STEM education for young learners by developing planetarium show content and at-home science demonstrations for the Smithsonian. Currently, she is a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, contributing solutions to critical security challenges facing the nation. Outside of the lab, Maile can be found ballroom dancing, or in a tree.

xavier medina

2015 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Columbia University

Xavier currently works in the field of international and immigration law. Xavier will start law school in the fall of 2024. Prior to his current position, Xavier worked as a paralegal with a criminal law firm where he worked with individuals, attempting to navigate the criminal justice system during COVID, while trying to move on with their lives. Xavier is also interested in immigration and in advocating for undocumented students to have more opportunities for higher education. He also advises and mentors community college students so that they too can realize their educational potential. Xavier is a single dad to his 5 year old daughter and enjoys going on adventures with her into NYC. During his free time he loves to read and spend time with his dog Junior.

Santiago potes

2016 College Scholar; 2023 Graduate Scholar, Yale University

Santiago Potes is 2016 College Scholar and a 2023 Graduate Scholar. He is currently studying at Yale Law School.

sakshi sehgal

2018 College Scholar; 2021 Graduate Scholar, Medical College of Georgia

Sakshi Sehgal (she/her) is a third-year medical student at the Medical College of Georgia. She graduated in 2021 from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's and Master's of Arts in Philosophy with a Minor in Chemistry, and in 2022 from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University with a Master's in Public Health in Healthcare Management. She is passionate about mentorship and public service and enjoys mentoring younger students and Jack Kent Cooke Scholars, particularly those interested in medicine and public health. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, family, and her dog, as well as painting and trying new restaurants.

BÉRÉNICE SYLVERAIN

2018 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Columbia University; 2021 Graduate Scholar, University of Southern California

Bérénice Sylverain is a 2018 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar and a 2021 JKCF Graduate Scholar. She currently works in the finance, ESG, DEI, and philanthropy sectors. Bérénice received her Bachelor’s from Columbia University in the City of New York (Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa). She majored in English and Comparative Literature as an undergraduate and is also a graduate of the University of Southern California (USC) where she earned a Master of Management and a Master of Library and Information Science. Bérénice was a Marshall Scholar at the University of Oxford where she completed her studies in Latin American Studies, focusing on rule of law, democratic governance, international relations, and human rights. In her free time, she enjoys equestrian sports such as polo, reading beautiful literature, traveling, and luxuriating in the jazzy and eclectic culture of New Orléans.

nadia vaso

2017 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Columbia University/School of General Studies

2017 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Columbia University Nadia was born and raised in Italy from Albanian parents and moved to the United States right before college. After being awarded the scholarship, she transferred to Columbia University where she studied political science and graduated in 2020. Upon graduating, Nadia joined and is still employed at CornerStone Partners, an outsourced chief investment office that serves a number of endowments, nonprofits and foundations, including the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. She is currently an investment associate, and her role primarily entails evaluating investments in private markets investment managers, more specifically in the venture capital space. Nadia loves spending her free time with her two dogs Mimi and Coco, going to Pilates, or watching movies and tv shows.

HOLLIE JOY WAGNER

2013 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, 2018 Graduate Scholar, University of Washington

Hollie is a public philosopher and nontraditional educator serving communities of all ages across the world. She has taught in independent schools, colleges, public schools, edtech companies, and nonprofits. Currently, she is a teacher and program developer at Synthesis and Nxtlvl - two innovative, international Edtech startups that utilize game-based learning, collaborative teamwork, and advanced critical thinking skills which foster robust civil dialogue for students ages 7-15. She also interned with Young Invincibles as a Policy Fellow advocating for college access for low-income and marginalized students. In addition, Hollie loves working with theater organizations that promote social change. Outside of these passions, you can often find her in a hammock reading science fiction novels.

AMAN WAHEED

2017 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, University of Virginia

Aman is a senior business analyst focused on cloud computing, DevOps, and scrum. He is a first-generation Afghan-American, raised in Northeast Philadelphia. He founded The Caring Consultants to help build bridges for low-income, first-generation, and nontraditional students to pursue the future career they desire. In his free time, Aman loves to run, train, and create delicious protein snacks.

meelod WAHEED

2022 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Pomona College

Meelod Waheed is a first-generation Afghan-American who graduated from Pomona College with a B.A. in Computer Science. During his time in school, he interned at NASA, where he developed simulation models to help students and educators learn more effectively. Meelod also explored his passion for technology by building a VR game that combines an immersive experience with fun physical activity. Today, he works as a software engineer at Nascent, a multi-strategy investment firm, focusing on building and creating tools within the decentralized finance space. With a background in product management, Meelod is committed to using his skills to drive innovation and make a positive impact. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and discovering new challenges.