September 2025
Cooke Alums at Scholars Weekend 2025
2025 Scholar & Alumni Award Recipients and Semi-Finalists
In this special edition of the Alumni Buzz, we recognize and celebrate the recipients and semi finalists of the 2025 Scholar & Alumni Awards. Each year, these awards honor Cooke Scholars and Alumni who embody excellence, leadership, and a commitment to making a difference in their communities and fields. From groundbreaking research to dedicated service, the impact of their work is felt far and wide. This year’s recipients and semi-finalists represent the incredible talent, resilience, and vision within our community. Join us in celebrating their achievements and the inspiring paths they continue to pave.
Read all about these extraordinary individuals here.
Nasim Nia and Alborz Jelvani
2014 Undergraduate Transfer Scholars; 2017 Graduate Scholars, University of California at San Diego
Nasim and Alborz just launched Pebble Circle, a passion project they’ve been pouring their hearts into for a while now. Pebble Circle is an online educational service that simulates real-world interdisciplinary science and engineering research experiences for high school students, with a big focus on critical thinking, mentorship and career coaching to inspire and train our future decision makers.
They partner with parents and educators to create learning paths that empower students to tackle real-world challenges through STEM Career Coaching and immersive science and engineering projects.
Alborz shared the following on working side-by-side with a fellow Cooke Alum, “If you’ve ever met Nasim, you know how her kindness and energy light up a room. Co-founding and collaborating with her at Pebble Circle has been an inspiring journey. Her brilliant mind, boundless creativity, and infectious enthusiasm bring a vibrant pulse to everything we do. We are united by a shared commitment to expose learners early to critical and higher-order thinking in STEM, while fostering a strong sense of belonging and self-efficacy so that they can confidently envision themselves in STEM careers.”
You can connect with Nasim on LinkedIn here, and Alborz on LinkedIn here.
Rex Ledesma
2010 Young Scholar; 2015 College Scholar, University of Maryland
After leaving Dagster in late 2024, Rex took a leave from work to exercise new freedoms or travel and employment.
During his sabbatical, Rex was able to finally visit his homeland in the Philippines. In addition, he traveled across Korea, Japan, and New Zealand. He was also a resident at the Recurse Center, where he led a reading group focused on studying and implementing modern language modeling systems from scratch.
You can read about Rex's sabbatical here, and visit his website here.
Chris A. Nelson, PhD
2013 Graduate Scholar, University of Arizona
Dr. Chris Nelson began her role as Department Chair for the Higher Education Department of the University of Denver last month. She previously served at the Associate Department Chair.
In this role, she will oversee operations of the department, including faculty support and development, student enrollment and well-being, and advancing college-wide initiatives that support inclusion and equity. She will also continue her role as an Associate Professor in the department, where she teaches critical theory, Indigenous higher education, program evaluation, and research methods. Dr. Nelson’s research focuses on Indigenous methodologies and perspectives in higher education, student college pathways, and institutional responsibility toward Indigenous communities.
She shared that she looks forward to meeting the incoming students and continuing the great work of the previous department chair.
You can connect with Chris on LinkedIn here.
Tho Tran
2015 College Scholar; 2019 Graduate Scholar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Earlier this year, Tho joined Schneider Electric as a software engineer. In this role, Tho focuses on developing and implementing AI-powered solutions that help optimize energy management.
Tho is really enjoying the role so far, and shared, “What excites me most about continuing my career here is the opportunity to work alongside experienced colleagues who are applying AI in innovative ways. I'm looking forward to working on projects that help businesses improve their efficiency and sustainability. It's a great environment to develop my skills while working on meaningful technology solutions.”
You can connect with Tho on LinkedIn here.
Scholar & Alum Call for Graduation Photos
As part of our upcoming 25th anniversary celebration this October, we’re asking Alums and Scholars to share graduation photos (or videos!) you might have from any commencement ceremonies you’ve experienced as a Cooke Scholar. You can email all pictures to studio@jkcf.org, and send any videos to that same email address via WeTransfer.com. Thanks!
Compass Feature: Ousmane Kabré
Ousmane Kabré is a 2013 Transfer Scholar who attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting. In 2015, while still a student, Ousmane founded his first non-profit organization called Leading Change Africa, which provides educational and leadership opportunities to students from Africa. Ousmane recently added to his passion for equitable education by creating an ed-tech startup called YAM Education, which is a self-paced platform designed to equip students with the skills and on-demand certifications they need to compete in today's work environment. Ousmane was our 2025 Scholars Weekend keynote speaker, and we think his advice and experience around transferring from community college to his four-year university would be the perfect way to kick off the academic year!
You can connect with Ousmane on LinkedIn here.
Introducing the Campus Hunger Relief Fund
Based on research by Cooke Alum Dr. Melissa Osborne, the Foundation’s Researcher in Residence, the Cooke Foundation is developing new interventions to better support Scholars facing emergency financial need including the launch of the Campus Hunger Relief Fund.
“[This fund] will allow [the Foundation] to address acute needs while working with Scholars to connect them to sustainable supports on or near their campuses. The goal is not only to provide funds, but to lower the threshold for asking. To create a system where gratitude and support can coexist. Where strength isn’t defined by silence.”
You can read the full report here.
More Opportunities to Connect with the Community
Looking for another way to connect with fellow Cooke Scholars and alumni? A group of alumni has created an unofficial Discord channel where you can chat, share opportunities, and stay in touch with the Cooke community. While this is not an official Foundation space, we’re excited to see alumni taking the lead in building new ways to connect. Join the conversation to exchange advice, share resources, and strengthen the Cooke community beyond formal events and regional meetups. Join the channel here.
Upcoming Events
Staying Authentic Through Interviews and Recruitment
On Wednesday, October 8 from 6:00-7:00 p.m ET, Cooke Alum Carrie Moore will give a presentation around staying authentic during the interview and recruitment processes.
Most job seekers want the same thing. We hope to find a role that is satisfying, pays well, and fits with who we are as unique individuals. Presenting our authentic selves during the recruitment process is vital to finding such a position.
Everything from nerves to personality types, however, can hold us back. We should also remember that we, as job seekers, are interviewing the company as much as the company is interviewing us. Accurate assessments of the organization are just as important to finding that fulfilling position as presenting our authentic selves.
Take a look at how we can manage nerves, tap into our personality superpowers, and pick up on red flags in the recruitment process at this workshop appropriate for people just entering the job market as well as seasoned professionals.
Register for the session here.
We’re kicking off year two of our internship campaign - Share an internship for Cooke Scholars!
Whether you are the CEO, a hiring manager, or a staff member shaping the future of your organization, you have wisdom and influence to help Scholars building their careers. You know what it is like to be a Cooke Scholar and may relate as a first-gen professional.
Going into the second year of the Alumni-sponsored Internship Campaign, we are calling on Alums to give back to the community by connecting Scholars to career-building internships for our anniversary year and beyond.
Hire. Mentor. Champion. Together, we will build our future.
Not sure if you have an internship opportunity to share? Have questions about how to connect Scholars to internships in your company? Contact us below to brainstorm ideas and answer questions.
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.
Cooke Scholars and Alums from Stevens Institute of Technology celebrating graduation and the end of the year!