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Arts Academy senior Emily Pickering named 2024 Coca-Cola Scholar

The creative writing major is one of just 150 students selected from a pool of more than 100,000 applicants to receive the prestigious $20,000 scholarship.

Emily Pickering

Photo courtesy of Emily Pickering.

Interlochen Arts Academy senior Emily Pickering has been selected as a 2024 Coca-Cola Scholar.

A creative writing major from Memphis, Tennessee, Pickering is one of just 150 students chosen from an initial pool of more than 103,000 applicants—less than one-sixth of one percent—to join the program’s 36th class. Coca-Cola Scholars are selected based on their leadership, service, academic success, and demonstrated role as change agents—those who are positively affecting others in their community.

As a Coca-Cola Scholar, Pickering will receive a $20,000 college scholarship and attend the Coca-Cola Scholars Weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. During the four-day event, which runs April 25-28, Pickering will be a guest of honor at the 36th annual Coca-Cola Scholars Banquet and participate in the Coca-Cola Scholars Leadership Development Institute.

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. The Coke Scholars family boasts more than 6,900 alumni, who strive to make a greater collective impact through networking opportunities, collaborations, friendships, and a coaching program that pairs seasoned members with first-year Scholars.