With the release of this year’s Pepper Prize finalists, it’s an apt time to take a look at what some recent Pepper Prize winners are doing. From PhDs to nonprofit work, what are they up to now?
Remy Oktay ‘24
“I don’t think any college, university or anything can fully prepare you,” Remy Oktay ‘24 said about the transition out of college. “I was as prepared as I could be.”
At Lafayette College, Oktay designed and built well-used swings around campus. After earning his degree in engineering studies and environmental studies, he’s continued to grow his swing business. To dry the wood to build more swings, he’s currently building his own vacuum kiln out of material he finds at construction sites.
Oktay, now living in his home state of New York, said his life is much less structured now. He’s started journaling daily and he keeps track of how he spends his time to “develop good adulthood habits.”
He called this stage of his life a “quiet season” after the fast pace of life at Lafayette.
“It feels like nothing is really happening right then,” Oktay said. “But there’s a lot of thinking and planning and development happening internally.”
Fatimata Cham ‘23
Fatimata Cham ’23 is developing her nonprofit Climate 4 Sisterhood, which she founded “to address the impact that climate change is having on women globally,” with a focus on West Africa. The organization provides $250 to $500 grants to women launching their own climate solutions.
“Ghana is going to be the first region or country that we cover, so I’m super excited about that,” she said.
Cham is also an inclusion talent coordinator at Bloomberg. She teaches potential Bloomberg employees, like college students, about recruitment opportunities and supports various inclusion events and programs.
She earned her bachelor’s in Government & Law and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and now lives in New York City.
“I was doing a lot of different things that prepared me well for the real world,” Cham said about her time at Lafayette.
Cham, a Truman Scholar, said that she plans to attend graduate school to study subjects related to the climate, women and sustainability.
Alex Ashley ‘22
“A PhD is really not easy,” Alex Ashley ’22 said. “It’s really hard for everybody.”
After majoring in chemical engineering and mathematics at Lafayette, Ashley now studies solar energy at Drexel University. He is in his third year of his five-year PhD program.
Alongside his studies, Ashley has been part of the team creating a board game called “Fate of the Feds,” which he has brought to the Lafayette campus on several occasions.
“Developing this board game gave me some newfound motivation for my PhD, too, because I found a way to connect my research to the board game,” he said.
Ashely encourages students to embrace Lafayette’s network of alumni and “always ask for help if you need help.”
He hopes to continue working on Fate of the Feds and open a research institution in his home country, Jamaica.
Basit Balogun ‘21
“Post-grad is a lot more chaotic for better or worse,” Basit Balogun ’21 said. “Mostly better than undergrad, where things are a lot more structured.”
Balogun, a computer science major, is a quantitative strategist at Goldman Sachs in New York City, where he helps develop stock trading algorithms and works with institutional investors.
In 2023, Balogun participated in Goldman Sachs’ Analyst Impact Fund, where he competed to earn funding for a chosen nonprofit. His team selected Trickle Up, an organization dedicated to supporting women in extreme poverty.
“Their mission is very, very dear to me, and I actually continue to remain very, very involved in the Trickle Up work,” Balogun said.
His team placed second, securing $100,000 dollars for Trickle Up and another $25,000 for earning “Fan Favorite.”
In the future, Balogun said he may pursue graduate school or continue the work he began at Lafayette, creating scholarships for undocumented students.
“The goal is to position myself in a manner in which I’m driving the most impact by doing something I’m passionate about,” he said.
Yet another proud alum • Apr 24, 2025 at 6:38 pm
It would be very interesting to continue this series further back in time. I saw, for instance, that the 1970 recipient passed away fairly recently, so maybe not go back that far 🙂