Jenning Chen, a student at Spring Valley High School has been
named a Regional Finalist for the 2017 class of the Coca‑Cola Scholars Program.
As one of 250 high school seniors selected nationwide as Regional Finalists, Jenning
Chen will receive at minimum a $1,000 educational stipend from the Coca‑Cola
Scholars Foundation to use at the college of her choice next fall thanks to the
generous support of The Coca‑Cola Company and Coca-Cola bottlers throughout the
country. Students are selected as Regional Finalists based on academic
excellence, leadership, and achievement demonstrated in school and community
activities.
Jenning Chen was among over
1,900 Semifinalists who were selected from more than 86,000 initial
applicants and is now one of just 250 students who will move on to the final
selection phase, regional interviews. After these interviews are conducted in
early February, 150 of the Regional Finalists will be designated as Coca-Cola
Scholars and each will receive a $20,000 scholarship to be used at the
student’s college of choice. Collectively, the Coca‑Cola Scholars Foundation will
award $3.1 million in college scholarships to these outstanding young leaders.
“As a premier scholarship provider, we recognize our role in
helping young people achieve their college goals,” said Mark Davis, President
of the Foundation. “The economy continues to affect many students’ ability to
attend the college of their choice, so it is critical we continue to stay the
course. The Coca‑Cola Scholars Foundation received over 87,000 applications
this year, and the Regional Finalists are truly some of the most accomplished
students in the country.”
In addition to receiving college scholarships, those selected as
Coca-Cola Scholars will be welcomed into a vibrant and growing family of over
5,550 alumni that foster lasting connections with each other and the Foundation.
No other scholarship program maintains such lifetime connections or nurtures
such a unique culture. Coca-Cola Scholar alumni stay in touch through regional
councils, special events, and their local Coca‑Cola bottling facilities. In
2006, a Coca-Cola Scholar Alumni Advisory Board was created so that alumni could
make an even greater positive impact together.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, a joint effort of Coca-Cola
Bottlers across America and The Coca‑Cola Company, is one of the largest
corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship programs of its kind in the
United States. The program recognizes a diverse group of extraordinary high
school seniors who are socially-conscious, service-minded leaders with a
passion to make our world a better place. The Coca-Cola system believes that
investing in students who are leaders, both academically and in service to
others, will result in positive, lasting change and sustainable communities. Since
inception, the Foundation has awarded over $63 million in scholarships,
enabling a brighter future for each awardee.