Cooke Alumni Currents - July 2026
Over 25 years, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has served nearly 3,900 high-achieving Scholars, with Alumni now pursuing careers across a wide range of fields. Check out some recent accomplishments and updates from members of the Cooke Alumni community!
Yesmene Chikha – 2022 Transfer Scholar, Syracuse University
Yesmene is a Customer Experience Analyst at Deloitte, where she combines her background in communications design with customer experience strategy to translate data into actionable recommendations for executive decision-making. She recently conducted an Alumni Wisdom Workshop titled “Being a Creative in Corporate” for Cooke Scholars and Alums. During the webinar, Yesmene shared her career journey, expectations she had entering the corporate space versus reality, and her thoughts on what it means to bring creativity into corporate spaces without losing your voice in the process, as well as insight on how to make creativity thrive with business, not against it. Learn more about what Yesmene’s experience by watching the Alumni Virtual Chat recording.
Katie Robinson – 2005 Young Scholar; 2010 College Scholar; 2014 Graduate Scholar, New York University
Katie recently accepted a new position at the Mount Vernon School, a PK – 12 private school in Atlanta, as their new Director of Academic Resource Services. In this role, she will be advocating for students of all ages and providing any academic support needed. This includes implementing accommodations for neurodivergent students, communicating with parents on the support students will receive, and training staff members on topics related to brain development. In this new leadership position, Katie will be able to utilize her clinician background in an educational setting.
Matthew Werneken – 2015 Young Scholar; 2020 College Scholar; 2025 Graduate Scholar, Harvard University
Matthew is studying Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and was recently awarded the 2026 Hertz Fellowship in the applied sciences, engineering, and mathematics. The Hertz Fellowship is the nation’s most selective doctoral fellowship in science and technology, and Matthew was selected as one of just 19 recipients. He was chosen by the Hertz Foundation for his work in astrophysical instrumentation and studying the Milky Way through observational surveys. Matthew’s ultimate goal is to design the next generation of on-ground and space-based observations to unravel the mysteries of galaxy formation and evolution. The Foundation’s full press release on Matthew’s award can be accessed here.
Shahriar Zamani– 2016 Transfer Scholar; 2019 Graduate Scholar, University of Cambridge
Shahriar is a 4th year postdoctoral Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and has recently released a new publication of his team’s research. This study pools data on nearly 12,000 childhood cancer survivors to examine the effects of rare, pathogenic genetic variants and the risk of subsequent tumors. The team’s research may provide a potential basis for further risk stratification and long-term clinical surveillance for childhood cancer survivors. Shahriar shared that his passion for this work was inspired by Alena Frey, a childhood cancer survivor and his former partner, who passed away in 2020. Shahriar welcomes Scholars to reach out to him if they have any questions about graduate studies or an internship at NCI.
To read more about what Cooke Alumni have been up to this month, check out the July edition of the Alumni Buzz!