October 2026
Cooke Alumni at Scholars Weekend 2026.
Special Edition of the Alumni Buzz: The Cooke Career Network
The Cooke Career Network works to forge connections between Cooke Scholars and organizations where Cooke Alumni are employed or connected to secure career-advancing, full-time summer internship opportunities for current Scholars. Read our special edition below to learn more about the Network and how you can get involved to support our Scholars!
Hear From Alumni Sponsors
The Career Services Team is grateful to all Alums who have shared opportunities and sponsored interns. We deeply appreciate the time and effort you have dedicated to our program. Below are testimonials from Alum sponsors and the Scholars who interned with them this past summer.
Open Goal Project
Cooke Alum Michael Wallace-Bruce
2014 Young Scholar; 2019 College Scholar; 2026 Graduate Scholar, Johns Hopkins University
“Nathanael was exceptional. He brought a high level of professionalism and a deep interest in our kids. He also led research for our inaugural tournament which helped us bring together different groups in the community. As a Cooke Alum, bringing over a current Scholar and helping them make a deep impact was great. Nathanael went above and beyond in his work.”
Michael is a Master's candidate in International Economics and Finance at Johns Hopkins SAIS.
Cooke Scholar Nathanael Heath
2023 College Scholar, Amherst College
“This internship deepened my understanding of the nonprofit sector, expanded my research and project management abilities, and strengthened my confidence in working with diverse teams. Personally, it reinforced my commitment to community service and my interest in pursuing a career that combines strategic planning with social impact.”
Nathanael served as the 2026 Summer Intern at Open Goal.
Nathanael with his colleagues at Open Goal Project
OutCare Health
Cooke Alum Dustin Nowaskie
2004 Young Scholar; 2009 College Scholar; 2014 Graduate Scholar, Indiana University Bloomington
"Hosting four Cooke Scholars this summer was a truly rewarding experience for OutCare Health. Each Scholar brought fresh perspectives, curiosity, and genuine enthusiasm to their work, while making meaningful contributions to our mission of advancing LGBTQ+ health equity. We were especially grateful for the opportunity to support their professional growth while learning from their ideas and experiences in return. We’re proud to have been part of their journey and deeply appreciate the Foundation for connecting us with such talented young people."
Dustin serves as the Associate Director of Psychiatry at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, President & CMO at OutCare Health.
Cooke Scholar Helena Chaine
2025 College Scholar, Yale University
“This internship provided me with the opportunity to assist in the development of an expanding directory of affirming providers and clinics at OutCare as well as contributing new, research-based content to their ongoing public education initiatives via my blog post. The experience enhanced my abilities to collect, organize and utilize data independent of others and write clear communications of complex research findings.”
Helena served as a 2026 Intern at OutCare Health.
Engineering for US All
Cooke Alum Katie McKeown
2010 Young Scholar; 2015 College Scholar; 2019 Graduate Scholar, University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa
“e4usa's two Cooke Scholar summer interns, Marissa and Nabilah, went above and beyond to support our organization in ways that will be seen throughout this academic year and beyond. I always knew that I could trust they would do a stellar job at any task assigned. Moreso, they were always both on the lookout for opportunities to make existing e4usa processes better, and when giving the go-ahead, they were happy to manage implementing those changes!”
Katie serves as the Business Operations Coordinator and Director of Assessments at Engineering for US All.
Cooke Scholar Marissa Graham
2025 Undergraduate Transfer Scholar, Tennessee Technological University
“This internship strengthened my ability to manage multifaceted projects with clarity and consistency; personally, it reinforced my commitment to equitable engineering education and helped me grow into a more organized, adaptable, and impact-driven emerging engineer. This internship showed me that I thrive in roles where thoughtful systems-building and meaningful impact intersect, and it pushed me to seek future opportunities that align more closely with electrical engineering.”
Marissa served as a 2026 Operations & Assessments Intern at Engineering for US All.
Cooke Scholar Nabilah Nazar
2020 Young Scholar; 2025 College Scholar,
Cornell University
“Through this internship, I helped improve several internal processes, particularly by developing more efficient systems for tracking information and communicating with teachers. I gained experience enhancing existing processes. Professionally, the experience strengthened my communication, organization, problem-solving, and technical skills while giving me a better understanding of how a nonprofit organization operates behind the scenes.”
Nabilah served as a 2026 Operations & Assessments Intern at Engineering for US All.
Sponsor an Intern
We are now accepting submissions for Alumni-sponsored summer 2027 internships. Once submitted, we will advertise your opportunities with our Scholar community. By sharing internship opportunities, Alums help Scholars gain hands-on experience that will shape their professional development. In return, your organization will gain valuable support from exceptionally talented Scholars.
There are many ways to join the Cooke Career Network, including:
Hosting an internship opportunity at your organization
Sharing internship opportunities hosted by connections in your field
Connecting Scholars with hiring managers in your organization
Supporting Scholars through the application process
Why Share an Opportunity?
Sponsoring an internship is an effective way to advance your organization’s goals while supporting the next generation of Cooke Scholars. Welcoming a Scholar is an opportunity to strengthen the Cooke network and invest in its future.
Cooke Scholars are uniquely qualified to provide meaningful support to you and your organization. Our Scholars:
Graduate with an average GPA of 3.67
Attend over 190 colleges and universities, including HBCUs, minority-serving institutions, Ivy League colleges, and other top-performing institutions across the nation
More than 55% identify as first in their family to attend college
Major in a diverse array of disciplines with computer science, political science, and economics being most popular
Benefits for You and Your Organization:
Pass the baton: Share your expertise and personal journey, guiding a Scholar as their professional chapter begins.
Build your legacy: Leave a lasting mark at your organization by helping shape the careers of future leaders.
Gain fresh energy: Scholars bring new ideas, perspectives, and enthusiasm to your team or project.
Grow as a leader: Hosting offers valuable experience in mentorship, supervision, and professional development.
Strengthen Cooke connections: Deepen relationships within our lifelong community of Scholars and Alums.
Shoutout to Cooke Alums Michael Cash, Francesca Raoelison, Shariar Zamani, Joe Thornton and Cynthia Cassell who have already shared or connected us to summer 2027 internships.
Job Board for Cooke Alums
Welcome to our new job board for the Cooke community! If you’re looking for a new job opportunity, check out the ones below:
Job Opportunities
Via - Various Roles
Via, a leading transportation technology company, has opportunities ranging from early career to senior leadership:
Recruiter | 0–3 years
Associate Principal | 3–5 years
Principal | 5–8 years
Director | 10+ years
General Manager | 10+ years
Interested? Email your resume and the role(s) of interest to kdickerson@jkcf.org. She’s curating candidates to share directly with Via’s Global Talent leader and hiring team.
DTCC - Product Owner Principal
The Principal Product Owner drives Platform FinOps activities and owns the Cloudaware product for cloud cost management and evidence enablement across AWS and Azure. Partnering with Central FinOps, IT Service Owners, and Engineering, Finance, Governance, Audit, and Application teams, this role provides FinOps expertise and executes key aspects of the cost management program, keeping cloud spend visible, optimized, and well governed while owning the Cloudaware roadmap, adoption, and lifecycle end to end.
Shared by Cooke Alum Michael Cash.
CornerStone Partners - Client Reporting & Accounting Associate
As part of CornerStone’s collaborative Client Operations & Accounting Team, the Client Reporting & Accounting Associate plays a key role in supporting nonprofit investment portfolios through performance reporting, financial analysis, and client service. This position is ideal for accounting or finance professionals who want to apply their technical accounting skills while developing expertise in investment reporting and portfolio analytics. The role provides exposure to a wide range of investment operations activities including portfolio performance analysis, private equity reporting, risk and liquidity monitoring, and investment-related audit and tax support.
CornerStone Partners - Investment Analyst
CornerStone’s Investment Analyst program offers a unique opportunity to work closely with the senior members of an investment organization while completing meaningful investment work. CornerStone’s Investment Analyst program is anchored in building strong technical skills and investment judgment. This is achieved through training and development programs (both internal and external) as well as through project-based staffing CornerStone currently requires Investment Analysts to relocate to the Charlottesville area during the first year of employment.
If you have a job opportunity to share with fellow Cooke Alums, please email alumni@jkcf.org.
Announcements
We are looking for volunteers to review Scholar resumes. This is a flexible volunteer opportunity that can be completed on your own schedule. If you are interested, reach out to Dorothy at dneher@jkcf.org for more information.
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.