Senior Richa Shukla is U-High’s first Coca-Cola Scholar award recipient. This program is a nationwide scholarship created by the Coca-Cola company and it awards $20,000 to 150 high school seniors each year. Smaller cash prizes are awarded to those who progress in the early tiers of the competition.
“I get $5,000 each year,” Shukla said. “Every bit helps.”
Shukla went through three stages of the process to be a semi-finalist, finalist, and scholar. Shukla provided the committee with a list of her extracurricular activities, wrote essays, got a recommendation letter, and sent her transcripts and school records. She then interviewed for the scholar level with Coca-Cola scholar alumni and company workers.
“The odds of becoming a scholar were 1/12th of one percent,” Shukla said. “I had no hope for it at all. The funny thing was at the end of my interview, my own interviewer said it was harder to become a Coca-Cola scholar than an astronaut.”
Shukla asked English teacher Cassie Graham to write her recommendation letter.
“Richa was a student in [my] AP Language [class] during her junior year and I was her sponsor for the philosophy club,” Graham said. “Also, I read an article she wrote for a philosophy journal, so I was interested in her academic and intellectual pursuits.”
Graham highlighted Shukla’s unique level of genuine curiosity she has about a vast range of topics. Graham applauded the service work Shukla did and the effort she put into finding relevance in her education.
“I think it is so cool how many things she is interested in,” Graham said. “She could go from talking about Formula One racers to talking about philosophers to major historical figures to the books she was reading.”
One of the activities Shukla felt put her over the top in the eyes of the Coca-Cola search committee was the initiative she created called, “Meet the Stars.”
“Since I want to major in astrophysics, I wanted to introduce young children, especially young girls, to constellations, exoplanets, and naked-eye astronomy,” Shukla said. “Since there is a huge gender disparity in the astrophysics field, I am very thankful I have been able to do this over the past three years.”
Shukla used her passions to make an impact on students and the town of Normal. She created a philosophy club at U-High and is the Vice-Chair of the Youth Council for the Town of Normal. Shukla was able to take one of her proposals for the Town of Normal to Washington D.C. to share with other youth councils.
“Philosophy is so important to youth and so important in shaping critical thinking skills and creating a space for educational discourse,” Shukla said. “It has definitely shaped the way I think, the way I respond to actions, and the way I think about the consequences of my actions. Whether it’s through deontological ethics, consequentialist ethics, or virtue ethics.”
The U-High staff was excited to hear of Shukla’s accomplishment.
“Mr. Headrick and I helped Richa with mock interviews to expose her to some possible questions to be thinking about,” guidance counselor Courtney O’Connor said. “ I think the scholarship speaks to her drive and passion for what she does. She is an amazing student and so deserving.”
Despite the low odds of becoming a scholar, Shukla encourages everyone to apply.
“Even though the odds are slim to none, they are definitely achievable if you put in the work,” Shukla said. “Honesty is the best policy but also brag.”
For more on astrophysics work from Shukla and others, go to meetthestars.space
