Alumna receives prestigious graduate scholarship

Emily R. Adelman '05 has received a 2009 Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarship. She is one of only 30 Cooke Scholars selected this year from 678 applicants across the country.

The Cooke Foundation seeks college seniors and young alumni with outstanding academic records who have also demonstrated service, leadership, community involvement and an interest in the arts.

Adelman graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Spanish and a concentration in Latin American studies. A Tanner Dean's Scholar and a Milstein Scholar at Cornell, she received the John F. Kennedy Memorial Award for Public Service and the J.G. White Prize for Excellence in Spanish. She was active in Teatrotaller, Cornell's Spanish language theater troupe; New York Campus Compact; and the Community Learning and Service Partnership. After spending a semester at the University of Salamanca (Spain), she conducted independent research in Argentina, interviewing government officials as well as members of a grassroots social movement. This research led to her honors thesis, an analysis of the connections between adult literacy campaigns and popular movements in Latin America.

Since graduation, Adelman has worked in Washington, D.C., at the Latino Economic Development Corp., most recently as a program manager supporting an alliance of local small businesses in the areas of advocacy, economic growth and environmental sustainability.

The scholarship enables her to return to school full time this fall to earn a master's degree in Spanish bilingual/multicultural education at George Mason University. Upon completing her degree, Adelman plans to work in the Washington-area Latino community as a teacher, policy advocate and change agent strengthening literacy programs.

The scholarships provide up to $50,000 per year for up to six years for graduate or professional study.

Media Contact

Nicola Pytell