Working For a Bright Future: Cooke Scholar Lauren Pham
Lauren Pham has dreams of working in sustainable development. And now, thanks to the Cooke College Scholarship Program, she has the opportunity to work toward making those dreams a reality at one of the top colleges in the country.
This fall Lauren began her first semester at Barnard College, where she’ll be studying environmental policy and laying the foundation for achieving her future goals.
“I’m specifically interested in environmental policy because shaping public policy and having that dialog out in our communities and in our country and between our country’s leaders,” says Lauren. “It’s really important to start shaping our culture and what we pass down to our kids and how they think of what is acceptable in our society and what we value.”
As a Cooke College Scholar, Lauren will receive up to $40,000 per year to complete her bachelor’s degree, along with opportunities for internships, study abroad, and graduate school funding. Beyond that, she will connect with the vibrant community of Cooke Scholars.
“There are so many different faces, so many different voices that I just don’t think I’d hear in any other community,” she says. “It’s given me a lot of hope for where we are now as a human race and where we’re going.”