by Dia Gill | Editor-in-Chief

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Every year the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation awards more than $3.55 million in scholarships to over 1,400 college students.  After being chosen from a pool of over 90,000 applicants, 1,936 seniors, including Avon High School seniors Delaney Butler and Caroline Wadley, will compete to advance to be named one of 250 Regional Finalists. In the end, 150 students will become Coca-Cola Scholars.  

According to Wadley, a second application is required to continue on as a Finalist.  

“This includes elaboration on our previous activities listed as well as three short answers and three essays. We also need recommendations from a teacher and someone within the community,” she explained. 

Wadley credits not only her strong academic performance, but also extracurricular involvement and employment as helping her stand out.  

“I think my academics and my role as a Team Leader at Chick-fil-A helped portray me as a ‘well-rounded’ applicant,” she said. “There was one section to include accomplishments and awards, and I highlighted my Outstanding Student Awards and my Outstanding Girl awards at Hoosier Girls State. I’ve been in Writing Club since freshman year, and I’m currently president. I formed Knitting Club last year after learning to knit and realizing how stress relieving it is. In Spanish Honor Society, I’m a part of the leadership team.”

Butler also believes her strong academics helped her stand out, as well as her involvement in theater.

“I mostly highlighted my academic achievements and my achievements in theater,” she said. “I’m in the top 40 of the class right now as well as a state Thespian Officer, the president of our Thespian troupe, and I’ve been the lead in all of our competition shows since sophomore year.”  

Butler’s future is at IU Bloomington. She was recently directly admitted into the School of Art, Architecture, and Design, and received a full scholarship through the Selective Scholarship Application.  

“I plan on majoring in Comprehensive Design and double minoring in studio art and theatre,” said Butler. “My dream job would be to work at the children’s museum to be the person who helps design sets and displays.” 

Wadley has dreams of one day taking her love for engineering and STEM to Disney.  

“I plan to go into civil engineering. I hope to travel a lot throughout my career, but I also want to work with Disney as an Imagineer at some point,” she explained.  

Wadley and Butler will learn if they’ve achieved Finalist status early next year.