Student receives Coca-Cola scholarship

A Kankakee Community College student, Allie Kohl of Herscher, has been selected as one of 213 Phi Theta Kappa members nationwide receiving a $1,000 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise scholarship.

The scholarships help new Phi Theta Kappa members defray educational expenses while enrolled in associate degree programs. Scholars are selected based on scholastic achievement, community service, and leadership potential. Nearly 1,100 applications were received.

Kohl, who participates in the Early College Program, is taking KCC courses during her junior and senior years at Herscher High School. She is on course to graduate from both KCC and high school in May 2024. She is taking general education courses, and plans to transfer to Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais to study social work.

“Being selected as a 2023 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar is an honor,” Kohl said. “I am extremely grateful for the financial investment Coca-Cola has made in my future. Since I began my college journey as a junior in high school, it’s been challenging to find the financial means to further my education at such a young age. Receiving this scholarship encourages me to continue the future I have paved for myself.”

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation provides $200,000 in funding for the scholarships, with $25,000 for members who are veterans or active members of the United States military. The remaining amount is supported by donations to the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation.

“The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,” said Jane Hale Hopkins, president of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa to make it possible for more deserving students to achieve their educational goals and support tomorrow’s leaders of the global community.”

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The honor society has more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at www.kcc.edu/ptk.

Photo credit: Jillian Wright Photography.