Coca-Cola UNITED Welcomes Class of 2024 Coke Scholars
As graduation day approaches, seven outstanding high school seniors from across the Coca-Cola UNITED bottling territory have some exciting news to toast with their favorite soft drink. They are among just 150 young leaders across the U.S. selected to join the 2024 class of Coca-Cola Scholars out of nearly 104,000 applicants.
Cheers to the following honorees:
- Anika Alla of Shreveport, La.; Caddo Parish Magnet High School
- Olaoluwa Oguneye of Decatur, Ga.; Decatur High School
- Taylor Petrofski of Suwanee, Ga.; Lambert High School
- Sofía Polar of Brookhaven, Ga.; Atlanta International School
- Sohum Trivedi of Duluth, Ga.; Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
- Anjali Veerareddy of Shreveport, La.; Caddo Parish Magnet High School
- Bo “Mandy” Yang of Duluth, Ga.; Lambert High School
Now in its 36th year, the Coca-Cola Scholars Program is a joint effort between The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola bottlers nationwide. It is the largest corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship program in the U.S. – providing, to date, more than $84 million in scholarships to nearly 7,000 college students.
Funded by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, each scholar is awarded a $20,000 college scholarship to use at the accredited college or university of their choice, as well as leadership training, college success coaching and mentorship. They also join an elite network of program alumni, with whom they will be invited to engage throughout the rest of their careers.
“We would like to congratulate all the Coca-Cola Scholars selected for this prestigious program within our company’s footprint,” said Mike Suco, president and CEO of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. UNITED. “They represent the best and brightest among the Class of 2024, and I look forward to seeing all that they will accomplish in college, in their careers and in their communities in the years ahead.”
Coca‑Cola UNITED’s history with the Coca‑Cola Scholars Program dates back to former UNITED CEO Crawford Johnson III, who, in his role as chair of the bottlers’ association, led the creation of the Coca-Cola Scholars Program to honor the 100th anniversary of Coca‑Cola in 1986.
Applications for the 2025 Coca-Cola Scholars Program will be available on the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation website on Aug. 1-Sept. 30 for those graduating from high school in 2024-2025.