In the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the CDB Class of 2021 was “flying blind” as they applied to colleges and universities amid a rapidly changing higher education landscape. IEA’s Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Manager, Bonnie Raskin, previously wrote about this experience and the schools the Scholars ultimately chose to attend.
Four years later, we checked in with the Class of 2021 to hear how their college experiences have unfolded, what they’ve learned along the way, and where their journeys are taking them next. We heard back from six alumni and unsurprisingly, each of their paths has been as unique as they are.
Their fields of study span Neuroscience, Education, Computer Science, Psychology, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, and Philosophy. Half pursued double majors. Many shared their favorite classes within their areas of study, such as Black Pedagogies in the Americas; Sleep, Learning, & Memory; Marine Engineering; Quantum Field Theory 2; and Abstract Algebra. One alumnus described their “most fun class period ever” in an interdisciplinary course on historical pandemics, where “we hotly debated whether the severity of the 1918 Spanish Flu should be attributed more to biological or historical factors.” Others highlighted general education that stretched their thinking, including an extensive humanities colloquium and an exploratory art history course.
While at their universities, these scholars also took advantage of remarkable opportunities. One managed a stage production of The Winter’s Tale in collaboration with a university in South Korea. Another completed a concurrent master’s degree alongside their bachelor’s degree. One Scholar served aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter POLAR STAR, the nation’s only heavy ice breaker, and earned the Coast Guard Auxiliary Medal of Operational Merit (the highest award available) for his work successfully incorporating and writing standard operating procedures for integrating ice information into the ship’s information systems. Another completed their degree in just 2.5 years and received an MIT Outstanding UROP (Undergraduate Research) Award, a Hertz Fellowship, the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, and the NSF GRFP.
Today, members of the Class of 2021 are continuing their journeys in diverse ways, as a life science teacher in a Massachusetts public school, a software engineer, an officer in the U.S. Navy, a Computer Science Ph.D. student researching AI at Stanford, and one taking a gap year to focus on academic, creative, and spiritual pursuits, including completing a Russian language program.
Each alumnus shared that the CDB Scholars Program was foundational to their college and career paths. As one reflected:
“Thinking back to my experiences in college and high school, if I trace back many of my major decisions as a student, I inevitably return to CDB and how the program’s mentors gave me the impetus to spread my wings and approach my academic exploration boldly. I am so grateful and proud to be a CDB scholar and alumna, and to be connected to the community today.”
Our wise alumni also offered advice for current CDB Scholars:
- “Genuine excitement is not worth hiding—find people who appreciate that you love the world and want to understand it.”
- “Embrace every opportunity to learn and to be open to new academic and extracurricular experiences.”
- “If you know what field you want to go into, that’s great! However, if you don’t, that’s normal! It’s totally okay to switch your major, career goals, interests, etc. even if it’s a complete 180. College is also a time of exploration, so take those classes you are curious about and even those you think you might not like.”
- “The job market right now is really bad for recent college graduates, especially with the onset of AI replacing many jobs. It is critical right now to have a plan in action before starting college in order to secure a job before you graduate college.”
- “Don’t be afraid to push yourself and take courses without prerequisites.”
- “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.”
Thank you to the CDB Class of 2021 Alumni Dante Holmes, Esther An, Owen Dugan, and others for sharing your stories and your continued support of IEA’s CDB Scholarship Program. We look forward to hearing more about your journeys as you continue to thrive.
