Flinn Scholar returns home to Arizona and the Flinn Foundation

Joanna Yang Yowler, Ph.D., a Class of 2008 Flinn Scholar, joins the Flinn Foundation as a Bioscience Program Manager starting Monday, Aug. 19.

Joanna will support Flinn’s translational research seed grants and entrepreneurship programs and play a pivotal role in next year’s update of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap. Joanna will also be active in the community as she helps to foster Arizona’s bioscience ecosystem.
 
The Desert Vista High School graduate has spent the past two years in San Francisco as program director for the R&D Impact Foundation, developing STEM programming for students in the Tenderloin district. She previously worked for the InSciEd Out Foundation, in partnership with Mayo Clinic. She earned her doctorate in biomedical sciences, clinical and translational science from Mayo Clinic in 2017. As a Flinn Scholar, she graduated from Arizona State University with a major in biological sciences, genetics, cell and developmental biology with a minor in architectural studies.

Joanna joins Chief Administrative Officer Matt Ellsworth as Flinn Scholars who have returned to work at the Foundation. That’s 10% of the Flinn staff!

Feel free to welcome Joanna starting Monday at [email protected].

Celebrating 40 Years of Flinn Scholars with art and stories

As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Flinn Scholars Program, we are collaborating with the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA) to create a unique art exhibit to celebrate the incredible journeys, evolution, and accomplishments of our Scholars. 

A big thanks to the nearly 60 alumni who expressed interest in our annual alumni survey. 

Selected alumni will have the opportunity to collaborate with artists (which include fellow Scholars), to create original visual, literary, musical, or other forms of art. The final artworks and storyboards will be displayed in a temporary installation at the Flinn Foundation starting in January. We will be inviting the entire alumni community to this special exhibit, showcasing some of the inspiring stories and achievements of the Flinn Scholars. Stay tuned for further details.

We look forward to working with SAACA, including Director of Programs and Flinn Scholar alum Matt Rolland, on this special project.

Flinn Scholarship application opening soon

In less than a month, Arizona high-school seniors will start their journey to becoming Class of 2025 Flinn Scholars.  

The Flinn Scholarship application opens Thursday, Sept. 12. The deadline to apply is Monday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m.

We could use your help in promoting the benefits of the Flinn Scholarship. Perhaps you know a student who should apply? Or you could share the news with your former high school counselor?

The application requirements are posted on the Flinn website. This year, note the return of minimum standardized test scores.    

The opening of the application may remind you of that busy time in your life when you chose to apply, despite the long odds, for the Flinn Scholarship—and the impact that decision has made on your life.

Congrats Class of 2023

The location of the annual Flinn Scholars retreat may have shifted this year from Prescott to Oracle, but one longstanding tradition remained as competitive as ever.

Congratulations to the Class of 2023 on winning the tug-of-war competition and entering the new academic year with bragging rights.

A new addition to the Scholars team 

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of a new addition to the Flinn Scholars team! Program manager Haydee Kukowski and her husband, John, welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Mila, on July 25, and the proud first-time parents are overjoyed. Please join us in sending warm congratulations to the happy family as they embark on this wonderful new chapter in their lives.

Come join us

Breanne Bushu is a Class of 2002 Flinn Scholar and chair of the Flinn Scholar Alumni Council.

In 2011, former program director Michael Cochise Young saw an opportunity to utilize the strength of our alumni community to provide feedback to the Foundation. Initially, a group of alumni worked as a sounding board for ideas from the Flinn staff. 

Five years later, alum Susan Luu asked if this advisory council could evolve into more than just advisers and, instead, serve Scholars and alumni through more tangible actions. 

The Flinn Scholar Alumni Council was born.

The group meets throughout the year to help the Foundation keep Scholars connected. We have two flagship programs. Care packages are delivered to first-year Scholars at the end of their first semester. Life Hack Day is a sort of career day-meets-“how to adult” day where Scholars meet with alumni for tips and tricks on navigating life. 

Last year, we launched the peer mentorship program, connecting every first-year Scholar with an upper-year buddy. We also helped Foundation staff plan the December 2023 reunion. We have also created mentorship opportunities for alumni, supporting smaller scale meetups around the globe, and profiling the exciting lives of our alumni. If you are a recent graduate, you now receive a formal welcome to the Flinn Scholars alumni family from the Council. Our current Scholars are finding more connection to each other, alumni, and the Foundation because of our efforts. We hope that leads to increased connection among the greater alumni community as well.

We are always looking for more alumni to join our group, both as Council members and volunteers on individual projects. If you are interested in joining our mission, but don’t usually express so on the alumni survey, please reach out to Anne or a Council member and we can connect you with the right opportunity.