10/29/2026
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.
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.
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.”
Read more about Isabella and the scholarship at: https://cfnj.org/news/cfnj-fundholder-establishes-scholarship-to-uplift-women-in-stem-careers/
