Alumni News | 05/08/2025

By: Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation

May 2025 Scholar Accolades

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Joel Bervell (2013) won a 2024 Peabody Award for his series, What Does Racial Bias in Medicine Look Like? The Peabody Awards honor the year’s most captivating and inspiring stories released in broadcasting and streaming media.

Rita Ng (1996, bottom right) was inducted into the Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s 2025 Alumni Hall of Fame. Rita was a Boys & Girls Club of Tracy member since its inception in 1989, where she taught free piano lessons.

“Communal caregiving is highly valued in Asian American families, and for me, the Boys & Girls Club was my extended family. My siblings and I were exposed to art, music, sports and mentors. Everything that helped me become who I am as an adult.” – Rita Ng

Ari Krasner (2014) released a new song, Abyss, with Belgian bass duo Ganja White Night and Mr. Bill as part of Ganja White Night’s new album, Sprouted.

Michaella Gallina (2006) was featured in Vanity Fair magazine in an article about empowering women through financial literacy.

“She offers practical tools and relatable advice that scale to any income level. She aims to help women move beyond merely surviving to finding themselves through financial freedom. After all, while men attribute the emotion of money confidence, women report being overwhelmed as their top associated emotion.” – Vanity Fair

Michaella is available for speaking engagements. If interested, send her a message through LinkedIn or Coke Scholars Connect.

Talia Fradkin (2016) was recently awarded a Distinction in Research from FAU College of Medicine and inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Scheduled to graduate in May 2025 with her M.D. degree, Talia plans to pursue a residency in diagnostic radiology.

Heather Tell (1992) was recognized for being the #3 Agent by Sales Volume out of nearly 3500 HomeSmart residential real estate agents in Georgia in 2024. A realtor for 18 years, she says her favorite part about her job is helping people through life transitions.

Lucas San Miguel (2020)  won the Robert T. Jones Scholarship, a national award commemorating the internationally renowned golfer Bobby Jones. The award comes with a fully funded master’s degree in the UK, and Lucas will be pursuing a MSc in Global Sustainable Development at the University of St Andrews. He’ll also be learning how to golf and will attend several golf competitions.

Prior to moving to the UK, Lucas was also awarded the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship, a national award which will fund 2.5 months of Portuguese study in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this summer at Pontifical Catholic University.