One Springdale and Four Fayetteville High School Students Chosenfor Final Selection Stage in Prestigious Scholarship Program

Fayetteville, AR – Four students at Fayetteville High School and one from Har-Ber High School in Springdale, AR have been included in a nationwide group of 253 high school seniors selected as Regional Finalists for the Coca‑Cola Scholars Program class of 2018. Each student will receive at minimum a $500 educational stipend from the Coca‑Cola Scholars Foundation to use at the college of their choice next fall, thanks to the generous support of the Coca‑Cola Company and Coca-Cola bottlers throughout the country. The five were selected as Regional Finalists based on academic excellence, leadership, and achievement demonstrated in school and community activities. Fayetteville High School is the only school in the U.S. with four students on this year’s list.

The student from Har-Ber High School is Pablo Manon, and the Fayetteville students are Sara Gardner, Jordan Marsh, Naomi Michael, and Ty West. The five were among more than 1,900 Semifinalists who were selected from nearly 140,000 initial applicants. Each one will take part in the final selection phase, which includes regional interviews to be conducted in late February. 150 of these Regional Finalists will be designated as Coca-Cola Scholars and will receive a $20,000 scholarship to be used at their college of choice. Collectively, the Coca‑Cola Scholars Foundation will award $3.1 million in college scholarships to these outstanding young leaders. Fayetteville High School student Katie Gardner was also a 2017 recipient of the scholarship award.

Ozarks Coca-Cola Dr Pepper has a proud tradition with the national program. There have been multiple Regional Finalists from high schools in our distribution area, including 2015 Coca-Cola Scholar Meredith Waites from Glendale High School in Springfield, MO.

“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 nearly 150,000 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 more than 5,900 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.

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About
Ozarks Coca-Cola Dr Pepper Bottling Company is a third-generation, family-owned bottler operating in Missouri for 98 years. Founded by the Rice family in 1920, Coca-Cola products are manufactured in Springfield, with sales and distribution branches in Springfield, Bolivar, Rolla, Joplin and West Plains, MO, and Northwest Arkansas. Ozarks Coca-Cola employs over 700 associates and serves more than one million consumers through local, regional and national customers. More information about Ozarks Coca-Cola Bottling Company is available at www.cocacolaozarks.com

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 $66 million in scholarships, enabling a brighter future for each awardee.