June 2026
Cooke Scholars and Alums at the University of Southern California’s Career Center during a Cooke Connections event.
Compass Feature: Amy McMillen
2009 Young Scholar; 2014 College Scholar, University of Virginia
Amy became a Cooke Young Scholar in 2009, and studied Engineering as a College Scholar at University of Virginia. In addition to being an author, Amy now works as a senior project manager at Betterment, an investing and savings app. In the below video, Amy discusses the importance of caring for yourself as a Scholar.
You can connect with Amy on LinkedIn here.
Alumni Updates
Colby King
2018 College Scholar, Columbia University
In 2025, Colby founded the Kiki Arts Collaborative, an organization that creates economic opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults of color (18–30) in the Kiki Ballroom Scene by reducing barriers to entry into art spaces and creative careers. Soon after its founding, the Kiki Arts Collaborative received a David Prize, a $200,000 award given to five New Yorkers who are implementing incredible ideas for extraordinary change.
The organization was featured in Forbes a couple months ago, and as Colby shares, “This Forbes article aligns closely with my wider goals of creating opportunities for young LGBTQ+ people of color to be share their perspectives and visions for the future. The Kiki Arts Collaborative’s vision is a cultural landscape where young artists from the Kiki scene’s contributions are recognized and lead to sustainable careers.”
To learn more about Kiki Arts Collaborative, click here. You can connect with Colby on LinkedIn here.
Cooke Alum Elizabeth McCarthy
Elizabeth McCarthy
2007 Graduate Scholar, University of Oxford
In February, Elizabeth was promoted to Deputy Director, Head of Content and Digital Communications at the University of Oxford. In this new role, Elizabeth leads digital publishing and content strategy across the University.
“My work focuses on a large-scale digital transformation – right now, knees deep in the launch of a new website, intranet and CMS platform – alongside shaping how we tell stories about Oxford’s research,” said Elizabeth. “I love what I do; it’s always exciting to work with people who are literally changing the world. It’s a fascinating time to be working in this space, particularly given the pace of change in digital and higher education, and I’m looking forward to what comes next.”
You can connect with Elizabeth on LinkedIn here.
Wyatt Deihl
2018 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar; 2022 Graduate Scholar, Yale University
Cooke Alum Wyatt Deihl
In March, Wyatt presented at SYNChronicity, the national conference for HIV, HCS, STIs, Drug User Health, and LGBTQ+ Health, on media bias and stigma in news coverages of HIV-related arrests.
He shared, “My presentation at SYNChronicity examines how Florida news media framed HIV-related arrests from 2010–2020, highlighting patterns in tone, representation, and the ways coverage can reinforce stigma and misconceptions about HIV transmission. It also explores how these narratives may shape public perception, influence policy conversations, and ultimately impact public health outcomes.”
This research closely aligns with his role as Community Affairs Manager at CAN Community Health. Wyatt shared that in this position, “I work to strengthen CAN’s national presence in HIV policy and advocacy and to elevate the organization’s voice in national forums. The insights from this analysis directly inform how we engage with media, policymakers, and community partners to promote accurate, stigma-free messaging and support evidence-based approaches to HIV criminalization and public health.”
You can connect with Wyatt on LinkedIn here.
Carlos Biaou
2012 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar; 2014 Graduate Scholar, University of California at Berkeley
Cooke Alum Carlos Biaou
Last month, Carlos joined Arinna, a space research and technology company, as their Head of Systems Intelligence where he will help build the physical and digital infrastructure to power the next space economy.
"Arinna is developing an ultra-lightweight solar device that’s 10x lighter than current technology, which will significantly reduce the cost of powering satellites, space-based data centers, and spacecraft for the next phase of space exploration,” said Carlos. “In my new role, I'll be combining my solar expertise with cutting-edge digital tools to accelerate our pace of innovation and drive data-backed decision-making across the organization. I am most looking forward to assembling the team that will build out our data pipelines—from R&D metrology to manufacturing quality assurance to supply chain analytics—and leveraging AI modeling to ensure Arinna consistently delivers the best product at its best value."
You can connect with Carlos on LinkedIn here.
Upcoming Events
Join Cooke Alum Maile Harris on Thursday, June 18 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET for a session on “Innovative Techniques to Think Differently.”
In this energetic hands-on ideation workshop, participants will get to explore several human-centered design and innovation techniques for brainstorming solutions to challenges, downselecting candidate ideas, and prioritizing goals to find a course of action and successfully lead teams by practicing a variety of LUMA design thinking techniques.
Ideation challenge topics will be accessible to Scholars in all fields of interest/levels of expertise, and techniques can be applied to all disciplines of academic work, professional tasks, personal challenges, and more. This will be a variation of a workshop I routinely facilitate for APL technical professional staff, and this is one of my most favorite sessions to lead!
Foundation News
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Announces 2026 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Recipients
The Foundation announced last month that 60 community college students will receive the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. This year’s selection process drew more than 1,300 applications from community colleges across the country. The 60 new Scholars were selected from a semifinalist pool of 485 students. Applicants were evaluated based on academic achievement, perseverance, and leadership.
You can read the full press release here.
Add “Jack Kent Cooke Foundation” to the Education Section of LinkedIn
Do you have a LinkedIn profile? We’re encouraging all Scholars and Alumni to add the Foundation to the Education section of their LinkedIn. LinkedIn now has the functionality for users to use the “Alumni” section of education profiles as a directory.
Scholars and Alumni are easily able to sort through the “Alumni” listed and search via employer, location, college major, and field.
Click here to access the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation education page.
For instructions on how to add education to your LinkedIn, click here.
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.
Share Your Big News!
Have you landed an amazing new job, published groundbreaking research, or welcomed a new addition to your family this year? We want to celebrate your incredible personal, professional, and academic achievements! Share your exciting updates with us by submitting your news below or emailing our Alumni Engagement Manager Gabby Nicholas.