Seniors Named Coca-Cola Semifinalists

Out of 107,215 applicants to the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, 1,238 students, approximately one percent, became Semifinalists. Among them are two seniors at the high school, Noori Choudhary and Collin Hu, who have earned an accomplishment that represents their remarkable leadership and service.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting to get it. I was really excited,” Choudhary said after seeing her acceptance email. The process requires applicants to list their high school activities. Choudhary’s application revolved around Speech and Debate, where she competes in the Extemporaneous Speaking category. She is also the creator of The Extemper’s Bible Podcast, a platform providing free resources for coaches and competitors in the Extemp category, including weekly practice questions, current event articles, podcast episodes, and strategy discussions. Her podcast has reached over 30,000 listeners. Beyond Speech and Debate, Choudhary has worked with several local politicians, including State Senator John Kane and State Representative Christina Sappey, supporting their political campaigns.

She is also a member of New Voters, an organization that provides political voices to youth by funding voter registration initiatives in high schools. “Advocacy and pushing equity” define her motivation, she explained, with her work in politics advancing advocacy and her Speech and Debate involvement supporting equity. Looking ahead, Choudhary hopes to become a lawyer. However, her “dream career” would be a presidential speechwriter or White House Press Secretary. She is preparing to submit her Regional Finalist application, where she has the opportunity to elaborate on her impact, goals, and accomplishments.

The second Semifinalist, Hu, also centers his achievements on service in the humanities. Confident in his application, he said, “I expected to get it,” citing the community service section as the reason for his success. He combines his passion for geography and history to create interactive experiences for others, such as hosting GeoGuessr sessions at nursing homes and leading public workshops.

To add to his impressive list of accomplishments, Hu is also a member of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, where he organizes monthly meetings with history professors, including a recent interview with Civil War professor David Plight. The initiative aims to make history more appealing for young people. Hu’s activities crystallize around a central theme, which he verbalizes as “using history and geography in engaging ways to make them more applicable.” One of his ideas involves Google Maps being made more interactive by connecting geography with historical landmarks. That way, elderly people could travel the world without leaving their residences. Hu does not have a defined dream career, but he plans to pursue the field of history, possibly as a professor.

Coca-Cola Semifinalists submitted their Regional Finalist applications by November 5. 25 students from each region will advance to the Regional Finalists stage, followed by interviews by an admissions panel to select 150 Finalists. Those chosen earn a $20,000 scholarship and a lifetime connection to an alumni network.