January 2026 Scholar Accolades
Coke Scholars on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List! This annual compilation showcases young entrepreneurs, artists, and more.
- Joel Bervell (2013)- Content Creator in the Social Media category
- Molly Cantillon (2021) - Founder, NOX, in the AI category
- Brent Comstock (2013) - Founder, BCom, in the Marketing & Advertising category
- Jonah Liss (2021) - Cofounder, MeetYourClass, in the Education category
- Emily Zhen (2014) - Principal, Zeal Capital Partners, in the Venture Capital category
- Mary Zhu (2017) - Founder, Develop for Good, in the Social Impact Category
- Sophia Lin (2025) - Education Policy Advocate in the Education category
- Grace Magny-Fokam (2023) - Founder, Folia Technologies, in the AI category
- Nyamekye Wilson (2014) -Founder, Black Sisters in STEM, in the social impact category
Emily Deng (2020), Rishika Kartik (2022), Lucas San Miguel (2020), and Kaitlyn Tran (2022) have been named as Schwarzman Scholars. The Schwarzman Scholarship is a fully-funded, one-year master's degree program in global affairs at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. See their bios here.
When Lucas posted about receiving the award, he wrote that he learned about this opportunity in an informational session led by 2012 Coke Scholar and Schwarzman Scholar Kiera Peltz for Coke Scholars in 2020.
“I first learned about Schwarzman Scholars over six years ago from Kiera Peltz, and ever since I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it,” Lucas wrote.
Carrie Regan (1989) started the Female Founders Project, dedicated to empowering women to transition from unfulfilling careers to successful entrepreneurship, providing inspiration, information, and guidance. Search for her podcast, My Great Pivot with Carrie Regan, to hear the latest episodes which include 3 Coke Scholars:
- Alice Park (1999), Founder of Park Studios – Episode 101
- Kacie Darden (2001), Founder of Blue Pineapple Travel – Episode 103 (coming in February)
- Erica Tuggle (2001), Founder of home chef service, Livin – Episode 105 (coming in March)
Heather Tell (1992) was recognized as a Hometown Hero by the City of Decatur, Georgia, a community she has served for more than two decades as an elected official on the Board of Education, a member of the Decatur Family YMCA Board, the Decatur Education Foundation Board, and more.
"This may be the most meaningful award I’ve ever received,” she wrote on LinkedIn.
Nicole Thompson's (2010) feature film directorial debut Suitcase Killer was just added to Netflix and was ranked #2 in Movies.
“I loved it! It’s a true crime thriller with twists and turns you won’t see coming,” said Carolyn Norton (CCSF)
- See behind the scenes footage of Nicole directing the film.
- See more of Nicole's work and connect with her on Instagram and Twitter @filmdreamz.
Alumni News
December 2025 Scholar Accolades
Accolades featuring Florence Onyiuke (2022), Sophia Wang (2020), Alina Wilson (2019), Kashish Bastola (2022),
November 2025 Scholar Accolades
Accolades featuring Coke Scholars Linda Yao (2006), Dr. Scott Hale (2004), Brandon Cardet-Hernandez (2003), Leia Schwartz (2014), TJ Abrams (2001), and Olivia Sally (2020).
August 2025 Scholar Accolades
Celebrating Crystal Sanders (2001), Lydia Hollon (2017), Mukta Dharmapurikar (2022), Shiva Rajbhandari (2023), Cordelia Van der Veer (2022), Joelle Murchison (1991), David Spicer (2019), Nzinga Tull (1993),