July 2026
Bay Area Cooke Scholars and Alums at an event hosted by Cooke Alum Chrissie Li in February for Lunar New Year.
Compass Feature: Lucy Marcil
2008 Graduate Scholar, University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University
Lucy Marcil is a pediatrician, a social entrepreneur, and a Cooke Scholar. In addition to her work at the Boston Medical Center (BMC), Lucy is an associate professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and the co-founder of StreetCred, a nonprofit organization that provides financial services in pediatric clinics for families with financial need. Learn more about Lucy and StreetCred in the below video!
You can connect with Lucy on LinkedIn here.
Alumni Updates
Cooke Alum Katie Robinson
Katie Robinson
2005 Young Scholar; 2010 College Scholar; 2014 Graduate Scholar, New York University
Katie just started a career with Mount Vernon School, a pk-12 private school in Atlanta, as their Director of Academic Resource Services.
“My role will be to serve the students across grade levels as their advocate in all things academic support, “Katie shared. “Predominantly, I'll facilitate the implementation of accommodations for neurodivergent students (tutoring, learning intervention, OT, speech, and social-emotional wellness-related) by the school's amazing support staff. I'll also collaborate with families to help them understand how new diagnoses are supported in the learning environment and how progress is monitored, as well as train support staff and teachers on all things brain development and learning.
It'll be a lot to do, and I'm hopeful a transition to something leadership oriented helps me use my background as a clinician for something new!”
You can connect with Katie on LinkedIn here.
Shahriar Zamani
2016 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar; 2019 Graduate Scholar, University of Cambridge
Cooke Alum Shahriar Zamani
Last month was National Cancer Survivors Month, and Shahriar, a 4th year postdoctoral Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), released a new publication of his team’s research. The publication examines the effects of rare, pathogenic genetic variants and risk of subsequent tumors by pooling together nearly 12,000 childhood cancer survivors from two of the largest North American cohorts, the Childhood Cancer Survivors Study (CCSS) and the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort (SJLIFE). Within the NCI, the Office of Cancer Survivors shares more information about the ongoing and published research for cancer survivors.
“Our findings may offer a potential basis for further risk-stratification and long-term clinical surveillance for childhood cancer survivors,” Shahriar said. “Professionally, this work was a great effort and collaboration between outstanding researchers from my early postdoc fellowship years, for which I'm grateful to have played a small part.”
He also shared his personal connection to this important work, “Personally, the importance of this work is only amplified because of Alena Frey, a kidney and heart-transplant recipient and a childhood cancer survivor who passed on June 19th, 2020. She was also my partner and the main reason for my motivation behind my work. Although our time together was rather short, due to grad school and the pandemic, her life left a lasting legacy for the way that I think about the true impact of our work as researchers- she was a fierce advocate for cancer patients, often acting on her frustrations with the slow pace of science by advocating to bring together clinicians, patients, and scientists to work towards new ways to treat and prevent cancer. Her mission continues at our alma mater, USF, where the Women in Leadership & Philanthropy-Alena Eftihia Frey Memorial Scholarship funds undergraduate students who are pursuing their scholarly work at the College of Public Health.”
You can connect with Shahriar on LinkedIn here, and you can read the full publication here. He is open to sharing his experiences and advice with any Scholars interested in pursuing graduate studies or an internship or postbaccalaureate at the NCI.
Matthew Werneken
2015 Young Scholar; 2020 College Scholar; 2025 Graduate Scholar, Harvard University
Cooke Alum Matthew Werneken
Recently, the Hertz Foundation announced 19 recipients of the 2026 Hertz Fellowship in the applied sciences, engineering, and mathematics. Cooke Graduate Scholar Matthew Werneken, studying Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, is among the distinguished awardees.
The Hertz Fellowship is the nation’s most competitive doctoral fellowship in science and technology and offers up to five years of financial support as well as mentorship, collaboration opportunities, and partnerships with influential science and technology organizations. Werneken was recognized by the Hertz Foundation for his work in astrophysical instrumentation and observational surveys studying the Milky Way and its neighbors. He shared with the Foundation that his goal is to design the next generation of observatories on ground and in space and to solve the mysteries behind how galaxies form and evolve.
You can connect with Matthew on LinkedIn here. You can read the full Foundation’s press release here.
Recent Events
In case you missed it, you can watch a recording of last month’s Alumni session “Being a Creative in Corporate.”
Cooke Alum Yesmene Chikha, a Communications Design graduate from Syracuse University, 2022 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, and current Customer Experience Analyst at Deloitte, shared her journey navigating the intersection of creativity, strategy, and business. Yesmene answered the question, What does it actually look like to bring creativity into corporate spaces and not lose your voice in the process?”
Whether you’re a designer or even a creative thinker exploring corporate paths, this conversation offers an honest look at how to make your creativity work with business, not against it.
You can watch the recording here.
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.