Our Alumni

Meet Our Alumni

With over 6000 alumni nationwide, C5 boasts a thriving community of individuals who are not only excelling in their personal and professional lives but also actively contributing to the betterment of their families, communities, and society at large. Here are just a few remarkable success stories from our alumni.

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OLIVIA UMOREN

Class of 2012

Olivia Umoren is a graduate of North Quincy High School in Quincy, MA and is a C5 alumni from C5 New England. Following high school, Olivia attended Penn State and received a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and a Master of Public Health from George Washington University.
Olivia began her professional career at Massachusetts General Hospital and is now a Director of Public Policy at USAging in Washington, DC. In this role, she directs the association’s legislative affairs and maintains congressional and Biden Administration relationships to advance federal policies that address the needs of older adults. Olivia is also the Founder & CEO of LIV Consulting & Career Services, a business that provides career and professional development services to public health students and professionals.

ALY LAKDAWALA

Class of 2015

Aly Lakdawala, a driven individual who is a proud graduate of the C5 Georgia Class of 2015.  During his time in C5, Aly demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, notably leading the charge at the 2014 National Youth Summit and serving on the national summit planning committee. His commitment to excellence was further evidenced by his participation in the C5 tour of China, where he represented the organization at Yangzhou University, fostering international connections and cultural understanding. Following his C5 experience, Aly pursued his academic endeavors at the University of Georgia, where he double majored and earned BBA degrees in both Finance and Economics. Aly's professional journey began to flourish during his junior year summer when he interned at Strategic Blueprint, immersing himself in the world of wealth management. Currently Aly works as a senior financial analyst with Sage Mountain Advisors, a burgeoning wealth management startup spun off from Goldman Sachs. His goal is to one day be a fully-fledged wealth advisor.

Throughout his remarkable journey, Aly remains deeply grateful to C5 Georgia, acknowledging the organization's profound impact on his personal and professional development. Now, Aly serves on the C5 Georgia Board as well as being a member of the C5 National Alumni Committee.

Aly Lakdawala
Bryan Natividad

DR. BRYAN NATIVIDAD

Class of 2012

Bryan Natividad, Ph.D., began his academic journey in 2012 after graduating from C5 Los Angeles and enrolling at Emory University, where he completed his Bachelor's degree in African-American Studies in 2016. Following his undergraduate studies, he spent two years at IBM, applying his analytical skills to enhance productivity and sales.

Currently, Dr. Bryan Natividad, serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Management and Data Analytics at the University of Rhode Island's College of Business. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology and a Master's degree in Data Science from Brown University as an Open Graduate Fellow. His scholarly work has focused on the impact of support services on the academic trajectories of students with disabilities. This blend of corporate and academic expertise underscores his dedication to C5's mission of understanding and enhancing the educational and leadership potentials of students from under-resourced backgrounds.

JESSICA VALDEZ

Class of 2011

Jessica Valdez is a graduate of the  C5 Los Angeles class of 2011.   Following graduation, she attended UCLA where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Spanish.  Throughout her college career, Jessica remained connected with the C5LA program as she worked summers as a Counselor In Training, a Camp Counselor and an Intern.
Since graduating from UCLA, Jessica has been working for C5LA full-time Over the course of her 8 years since graduation, she has held the roles of Program Supervisor, Program Director, and Senior Program Director. Currently Jessica works as the Chief Operating Officer for C5LA where she oversees the successful delivery of all programs. Jessica also serves on the C5 National Alumni Committee.
Jessica Valdez
Clare Marshall

clare marshall

Class of 2012

After graduating from West Forsyth High School and C5 Georgia in 2016, Clare set off to study at UGA. While at UGA, Clare studied business and social work. Clare now works in software sales as an Account Executive with Lattice which has given Clare the opportunity to spend time in Austin, New York, and San Francisco. In addition to excelling in her sales career, Clare has been fortunate enough to stay highly involved with C5 through the years and continues to work with their year-round programming and summer experiences as a Program Director in Georgia.

Lakshita Lopez Lopez

Class of 2017

Lakshita attended South College where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Science. Currently, Lakshita works as a Neuro-Oncology Clinical Research Coordinator at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). She also oversees various brain tumor clinical research studies and biorepository studies at CHOA. Before joining CHOA in November 2022, she made significant contributions as a Research Specialist in the Pediatrics Infectious Disease laboratory led by Dr. Ann Chahroudi at Emory University’s School of Medicine. Her impactful work included multiple research studies utilizing non-human primates, with a specific focus on pediatric HIV pathogenesis and cure. Notably, she has a published work from her time at Emory in December 2022, titled "Elucidating the effects of combination therapy with Venetoclax and IAP inhibitor AZD5582 in SIV-infected, ART-suppressed macaques," which was published in the Journal of Virus Eradication. Dedicated to advancing pediatric brain tumor research, Lakshita finds inspiration from committed patients and families. Motivated by this commitment, she aspires to become a neonatologist, contributing to the field's progress and positively impacting the lives of young individuals affected by brain tumors.

"C5 instilled in me the confidence to believe in myself and pursue my dreams, and today, I attribute my current position in life to graduating from C5."

Lakshita Lopez Lopez

MEET A FEW OF OUR 2024 C5 GRADUATES

AND CHECK OUT WHERE THEY WILL BE HEADING TO SCHOOL THIS FALL

Basmala Ibrahim
Chelsea Ezeako
Chibuzo Amobi

BASMALA IBRAHIM

CHELSEA EZEAKO

CHIBUZO AMOBI

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

EMORY UNIVERSITY

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

COMPUTER SCIENCE

HUMAN HEALTH/PRE-MED

ECONOMICS & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

Juan Araujo
Khenya Robinson
Michelle Garcia-2

JUAN ARAUJO

KHENYA ROBINSON

MICHELLE GARCIA

YALE UNIVERSITY

DUKE UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

GLOBAL AFFAIRS & HUMAN RIGHTS STUDIES

INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE STUDIES

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Testimonials

"C5 has taught me the importance of making yourself heard and your presence known. Prior to C5, I tended to shy away from certain opportunities because I didn't want to take the risk of failing; however, C5 has taught me that to enact change in your community, sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone is necessary and that the greater the risk, the greater the reward. I am now attending Brown on a full scholarship."

Brown University

Malana
Class of 2020

"Thank you to C5 for providing me with the opportunity to make something of my life and break generational curses/cycles. For five consecutive years they exposed me to the world and limitless opportunities, and invested in my future."

 

 

Ma'Ronda X (1)

Dr. Ma'Rhonda

Class of 2012