We Are Cooke Scholars… Let’s Make It Known!

Author: Sharmen Hettipola (2008 Young Scholar; 2013 College Scholar, Bucknell University; 2018 Graduate Scholar, University of Oxford);

Editors: Chelsea Hipwell (2009 Young Scholar; 2014 College Scholar, Lehigh University); Ernest Dimbo (2016 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Boston University; 2020 Graduate Scholar, University of Cambridge)

Recently I was applying for an opportunity that had a section to enter scholarships I have had received. It was a drop-down menu that had a list of 30 different scholarships, but the Cooke Scholarship was not listed as one of the options. Thankfully, Jack Kent Cooke is not hard to miss on my resume. However, it got me thinking about ways to better market the Cooke Scholarship to become a household name.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is still in its infancy compared to several other prestigious scholarships, but every day, we as scholars and alumni have the opportunity to spread the word about the amazing work of this scholarship. Here are few ways:

Join the Cooke Outreach Representative Program (CORP). CORP provides alumni and scholars the opportunity to participate in the Foundation’s outreach efforts by making presentations about the Cooke Foundation and sharing personal experiences to potential applicants at high schools, community colleges, and other education entities such as nonprofits and community-based organizations. Once you sign up, the Cooke Foundation team will provide you with materials such as flyers and videos about the scholarship program, outreach email templates, and other materials to help with your presentation. I have loved being a CORP member because it not only allows me to speak with talented students, but also with teachers, professors, and principals who promise to carry our message to their networks. I felt like I was already making an impact on students’ lives by spreading the word about the Foundation.

Add Cooke Foundation to your LinkedIn and other professional platforms. By identifying ourselves as Cooke Scholars on resumes, CVs, and biographies, we increase awareness and build the reputation of the Cooke Scholar community. Adding the Cooke Foundation to a professionally visible platform like LinkedIn helps employers associate high-achieving students with the Cooke Foundation, opening opportunities for all Cookies. And did you know the Foundation is set up as an educational institution on LinkedIn? So, it’s really easy to add them as a school in the Education section of your profile. As with CORP, this also brings attention to the Foundation from a wide variety of people, sparking conversations about the work that we do.

Recognize the successes of our fellow Cooke Scholars. The simplest way to spread the word is to share the stories of Cooke Scholars making a difference in the world. There are a number of Cooke Scholars that I admire, follow, and share about whenever I get the chance. A few examples include Lucy Marcil (2008 Graduate Scholar), co-founder of StreetCred, which is an organization that fights childhood poverty, and Monirath Siv (2009 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar), founder of Teach for Cambodia.

So much of who I am and what I have accomplished is because of the Cooke Foundation and I know that rings true for many of my fellow Cookies. I hope that our continued outreach efforts not only help recruit talented students as Cooke Scholars but also help to build the fame that this organizations deserves. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation provides the largest scholarships in the United States. Let’s make it known!