Coca-Cola Names 2024 Class of Scholars, Emphasizing Youth Impact and Brand Engagement
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has announced its 2024 class of Coca-Cola Scholars, recognizing 150 exceptional high school seniors nationwide, including a standout Georgia student from North Cobb Christian School. Each winner will receive a $20,000 college scholarship, reflecting the beverage giant’s ongoing investment in community engagement and youth development.
Selected from a pool of over 103,800 applicants, this year’s cohort marks one of the most competitive selections in the program’s 36-year history. To date, the foundation has awarded $84 million in scholarships to more than 6,900 students across the U.S., reinforcing Coca-Cola’s brand equity by aligning its image with empowerment, education, and leadership.
Scholarship recipients are chosen not only for academic excellence but also for their leadership, commitment to service, and ability to make a global impact. As the only independent scholarship supported by the Coca-Cola system, the program strengthens brand loyalty and reinforces core values shared across the Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners.
For FMCG leaders, this initiative showcases Coca-Cola’s strategic use of corporate social responsibility to deepen consumer trust and long-term brand engagement. Investment in education acts as both talent cultivation and a brand-building tool, appealing to younger demographics and socially conscious consumers.
This type of high-visibility program also represents a broader trend within FMCG: positioning sustainability and social impact at the center of brand narratives. With Gen Z placing high importance on brand values and transparency, programs like Coca-Cola Scholars help future-proof legacy brands in an increasingly values-driven market.
The 2024 Coca-Cola Scholars will be celebrated in Atlanta this April during Scholars Weekend, an annual event including leadership development activities and a gala awards banquet. As these rising leaders step into influential roles over time, the program’s ripple effect may extend to advocacy, innovation, and future partnerships aligned with Coca-Cola’s global ethos.