ATLANTA – A Lake City High School student was notified this week that he earned a four-year renewable scholarship worth $20,000 a year from Coca-Cola.
A press release from Florence School District Three says Jeremy Evans received an email from the Coca-Cola Foundation Wednesday informing him that he is one of 150 recipients of the Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship.
“I was so ecstatic,” said the Lake City High School senior. “It is really unbelievable.”
Evans said he was told notifications would be sent Friday, and initially thought he was not selected to receive the scholarship when he got an email two days before the announcement was supposed to be made. “I was afraid to look at it at first,” he said.
Evans was named a semifinalist in January. From the semifinalists, 250 regional finalists were selected to be flown out to Atlanta to participate in a 20 minute interview. Now that he’s been selected for the prestigious scholarship, Evans will return to Atlanta in April for four days where he will attend a banquet and will have the opportunity to meet previous scholarship recipients, the release said.
“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 86,000 applications this year, and the Semifinalists are truly some of the most accomplished students in the country,” said Mark Davis, President of the Foundation.
Scholarship recipients are selected based on academic excellence, leadership and service demonstrated in school and community activities.
Evans said he plans to attend either Coastal Carolina University or Appalachian State University and major in biology with plans to attend medical school and specialize in oncology. Both universities have offered him tuition incentives to attend, the press release said.
Evans said ASU offered a full academic scholarship pending an interview at the university, but that interview was scheduled for the same day as his interview for the Coca-Cola Scholars Program. Evans said he hopes to be able to reschedule his scholarship interview at ASU.
In addition to tuition incentives, Evans said Coastal Carolina told him with his dual credits earned through Lake City High’s Early College program, he will be only one course shy of entering the university as a sophomore. As a result, Evans said university officials told him he could complete his pre-med coursework and earn a master’s degree in business administration in four years.
School officials say Evans is active in extracurricular activities at Lake City High School as well as in the community while maintaining a 4.8 GPA. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club and participates in the school’s Teacher Cadet program. He also was selected as one of 24 participants for the Junior Leadership Program of Florence County, a nine-month program for rising sophomore and juniors. The program dedicates one day a month to learning about a certain aspect of the community and incorporates site visits and team-building exercises. Evans also serves as president of Dramatic Coffee Beans, an interactive drama club that provides a way for teenagers to discuss issues in their community. During the summers, Evans volunteers at St. Joseph of the Pines, an assisted living facility in Southern Pines.
