South Fayette Township School District is proud to share that senior student Alekhya Buragadda has been named one of the 2024 Coca-Cola Scholars and recipient of a $20,000 scholarship.
“This is an incredible honor and opportunity,” said Buragadda. “There are many deserving students doing amazing and inspirational work. My focus has been to do the best that I can to help where I see a need and to stay motivated toward my career goals. I have been so fortunate to have a supportive family, especially my mom who has really been able to provide guidance with my non-profit organization, and teachers who truly care about helping me succeed.”
Buragadda was notified in October that she was a semifinalist in the Coca-Cola Scholars program, making her one of 12 in Allegheny County and 84 in Pennsylvania, but she chose not to share the recognition publicly, preferring to wait in the hope that she would be ultimately named a scholarship recipient.
“I have had the privilege of really getting to know Alekhya this year as she serves as the student representative on our School Board and co-facilitator of the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michelle Miller. “She is an inspiration to our Lion Learners in academics and service as well as being humble, friendly, and kind. I cannot think of a more deserving recipient of this scholarship and all that she has achieved.”
Notification of this scholarship is the culmination of a string of recent achievements for Buragadda who was named the winner of the Challenge Program Inc.’s Commitment to Community Service competition and part of Junior Achievement of Western PA’s 18 Under Eighteen presented by EQT honoree class of 2024.
According to the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, “less than 1/6th of 1% of applicants were chosen to receive this extremely competitive award. These 150 students, who were selected from an initial pool of 103,800+ applications from across the country, not only exemplify superior leadership, service, and academics, they are change agents, positively affecting others in their communities.”
Buraggada and the other recipients are invited to attend a Coca-Cola Scholars Weekend in Atlanta in April. They are now part of a “vibrant and growing Coke Scholars family that has become a powerful force for positive change in the world….Every 5 years, all alumni are invited to a Coca-Cola Scholars Leadership Summit.”
About the Coca-Cola Scholars Program
A joint effort of Coca-Cola bottlers across the country and The Coca-Cola Company, the Coca-Cola Scholars Program is the largest corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship program in the United States. With the addition of the 2024 class, CCSF will have provided more than 6,900 Coke Scholars nationwide with over $84 million in scholarship over the course of 36 years.