Jacqueline Coelln-Hough was used to seeing many girls in her science classes at Arthur L. Johnson (ALJ) High School in Clark, and nearly half of her peers were women when she attended the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science.
Significant numbers of women were also entering the workforce when she became a pharmacist in the 1980s. But, not many of them were pursuing science professions or ascending to the highest levels in the field.
Decades later, the Princeton resident decided to do something to support and encourage more women to pursue STEM careers by establishing the Jacqueline A. Coelln-Hough Women in Science Scholarship.
“I would just like to see more women, especially if they have the aptitude, go into science,” Jacqueline said.
Scholarship Fund Awards $20K to Clark High School Students
A love of science runs deep in Jacqueline’s family.
Her grandfather, Truman, was a chemist who graduated from Penn State. And her grandmother, Marie — who had her own car at a time when many women didn’t even drive — was a traveling nurse.
Marie’s independence and strength ended up inspiring Jacqueline as she became a young adult, and she believed establishing a scholarship fund would be a good thing to do — especially since she benefited from receiving a college scholarship when she graduated from ALJ in 1978 and federal scholarship opportunities are currently dwindling for students.
Over the years, Jacqueline’s fund has awarded $20,000 in scholarships to five female graduates from her alma mater. Applicants must be a young woman who is currently living in Clark, has attended ALJ all four years, and plans to major in and pursue a career in any science discipline except computer science.
The scholarship has supported young women majoring in nursing, biology/biological science, and rail transportation engineering so far.
Penn State Student Takes On Rail Transportation Engineering Major
Isabella Grogan, who received a scholarship from Jacqueline’s fund in 2023, is majoring in rail transportation engineering at Penn State.
“My third year of college was my favorite so far. I finally started taking classes that are specific to my major such as Railroad Operations, Communications and Signals, and Track Construction and Maintenance. It was exciting to get to work hands-on in the field and experience new things,” Isabella shared. “Some highlights of these classes were visiting short line railroads in Pennsylvania to see how they operate and a tour of a steel mill.”
Isabella recently interned at Union Pacific, where she learned about different aspects of the railroad industry — including analyzing tie cycles and ways to help railroad companies be more efficient. She has also been traveling around the country to tour a machine shop and testing facility, see construction projects and learn to inspect diamonds, and perform safety audits on a rail grinding train.
“All of these trips have taught me so much more than I ever expected and are helping me feel prepared for a future career in engineering,” Isabella said. “This whole year has been an extremely positive experience. I have learned so much from school and my new internship, and I am excited to see what the future will bring.”
If you’re interested in applying for a Coelln-Hough scholarship or learning more about establishing a scholarship fund at CFNJ, contact Faith Krueger at [email protected].