Individually Strong, Collectively Epic

Coca-Cola celebrates 150 impactful high school seniors with $20,000 scholarships

“Oh my god,” Brandy gasped as she opened the letter. She ran to her mother nearby and hugged her – “Mom, I got the scholarship.”

Brandy Rodriguez from Edinburg, Texas, had just found out that she was one of the 150 high school seniors selected this year to receive a $20,000 Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship.

“[Texas] A&M, it’s expensive, and it’s my dream school – it’s always been my dream school. And now I have the means to get there. I’ll get my bachelor’s in biomedical science, go to PA school, and I want to stay here in the [Rio Grande] Valley, where my roots are. I’m going to break our cycle of poverty that I had growing up.”

This year, 200,000 students started an application to be a Coca-Cola Scholar. Just over 95,000 submitted applications, and after several stages of selection, only 150 were chosen to receive this prestigious scholarship. Coke Scholars not only excel in academics, but they also lead through service and drive real, positive change in their communities.

A joint effort of Coca-Cola bottlers across the United States and The Coca-Cola Company, the Coca-Cola Scholars Program is one of the largest corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship programs of its kind. With the addition of the 2019 class, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation will have provided more than 6,150 Coke Scholars nationwide with over $69 million in scholarships over the course of 31 years. The 31^st class of Scholars alone will collectively be awarded $3.1 million in scholarships.

“We believe that identifying these young leaders throughout the country and encouraging their passion for serving others not only empowers the students, but also lifts up those around them.” said Jane Hale Hopkins, President of the Foundation. “The Coca-Cola system is dedicated to giving back to the communities they serve, and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation is proud to be a part of that commitment.”

Scholars Weekend

A little over a month after being surprised with the good news, Brandy and her fellow Scholars came to Atlanta for Scholars Weekend April 4-7, 2019, for a crash-course in what it means to be a Coca-Cola Scholar.

IT’S HERE! #2019CokeScholars are arriving in Atlanta and Scholars Weekend has officially begun! So looking forward to celebrating these incredible young leaders at our banquet tonight. pic.twitter.com/i5oRkYMuI2

— Coca-Cola Scholars (@cokescholars) April 4, 2019

31st Annual Scholars Banquet

Thursday, April 4, Coca-Cola leadership, sponsors, program alumni, and community dignitaries applauded as the 2019 class of Coca-Cola Scholars walked across the stage at the 31^st annual Scholars Banquet. The evening celebrated the new class and welcomed them to a family of alumni 6,000+ strong, full of leaders who are driving positive change in their respective fields all over the world, each one of them connected by Coca-Cola.

“This is not just a group of talented and dedicated people. It really is a family. A family that will be with you, grow with you and learn with you for many, many years to come.” Julie Hamilton, CCSF Board Chair and Senior Vice President, Global Chief Customer & Commercial Leadership Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, shared with the new class of Scholars.

Coke Scholar alumni were featured throughout the banquet. 2003 Scholar Nicki Lehrer performed several classical guitar pieces, and Kate Sullivan, 1994 Scholar and host of PBS’s To Dine For with Kate Sullivan, hosted a panel of with three fellow alumni:

• Samuel Alemayehu, 2004 Scholar who is turning trash into treasure by creating Africa’s first waste-to-energy facility
• Adan Gonzalez, 2011 Scholar who is uplifting underprivileged students in inner city public schools through his nonprofit, Puede Network
• Kavita Shukla, 2002 Scholar who is eliminating food waste through her invention, FreshPaper

“When I think about Coca-Cola Scholars and what this movement, this community, really means to me, I think of it as an investment into the future… one you will all shape and build. And the positive impact of this investment is not confined by city limits, state lines, or even our international borders. On the contrary, the good done by you and your predecessors is destined to multiply and spread around the world.” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman of The Coca-Cola Company.

Leadership Development Institute

The Friday and Saturday mornings following the banquet, the new Scholars participated in the Leadership Development Institute – an opportunity designed exclusively for Coca-Cola Scholars.

In this experience, 5 new Scholars are paired with a trained Coke Scholar alumni facilitator to explore an inside-out leadership concept through small and large group work. The idea is that better understanding themselves will empower them to be even more effective leaders.

Kirk Tyler, Chairman and CEO of the Atlantic Bottling Company, was able to visit with Scholars Friday morning. “I always enjoy seeing Scholars interact during the Leadership Development Institute. The staff and the alumni do such a fantastic job of pushing the Scholars to think beyond their comfort zones. We’re proud to support them not only with a scholarship to help them go to college, but also with an experience and helpful tools to maximize the amazing work they are doing in their communities,” he said.

Scholars were further inspired at the Center for Civil and Human Rights and toured the World of Coca-Cola.

“Through the Leadership Development Institute, I’ve been learning more about what my values are, who I am as a person, and what I want to achieve in the world.” said Grace Kim, a 2019 Scholar from Germantown, Maryland.

Service Project: Making a House a Home

Saturday afternoon, the Scholars partnered with Hands on Atlanta to build furniture and create home décor for the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta. In teams of 4, the students assembled 35 dressers, 20 nightstands, and 4 dining table sets outside. Inside, they created no-sew rugs and blankets, painted on canvases, and stuffed teddy bears – each with their own name and shirt.

The Furniture Bank’s vision is for all individuals and families to have the furniture necessary to create a safe and secure environment that contributes to health and well-being. They recycle gently-used furniture by collecting it from the community and give it to individuals and families moving out of homelessness and fleeing domestic violence, as well as countless others struggling to make ends meet.

With the help of @HandsOnAtlanta, the @cokescholars foundation just built, created, and donated 35 dressers, 20 nightstands, 4 dining table sets, wall art, pillows, and blankets!

WOW! Thank you for making a house a home for our families! pic.twitter.com/N5Vb3ZPlIi

— Furniture Bank ATL (@furniturebnkatl) April 8, 2019

To cap off their experience, the 2019 Scholars had a closing celebration at Coca-Cola headquarters. The closing marks a beginning of sorts – graduation, college, and a future with their new Coca-Cola Scholar family.

“We’re not a one-off, there’s 150 of us. And that’s incredibly inspiring to realize that there’s a community throughout the country our age who are going to use our lives to improve the world.” said Joel Kiernan from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

“When I look at this new class of Scholars, I am struck and I am thrilled by the diversity and the unity. They are proof that the two can walk hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder. Hopefully what we do is provide more opportunity – that we open the door just a crack to a different future and they’ll step through it.” said Jane Hale Hopkins.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation celebrates and empowers visionary leaders who are refreshing the world. With its 31st class of Coca-Cola Scholars, the Foundation has provided more than $69 million in scholarships to over 6,150 program alumni who together have become a powerful force for positive change.