3 BASIS Charter School Students Named 2025 Coca-Cola Scholars

We are proud to announce that the BASIS Charter Schools network has three 2025 Coca-Cola Scholars. Congratulations to Ashton D., Emilia K., and Sophia L.! 

As Coca-Cola Scholars, Ashton, Emilia, and Sophia will receive a $20,000 college scholarship. Additionally, they will join a network of over 7,000 Coca-Cola Scholar alumni who are engaged in leading positive change across the country.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Program is highly competitive, with only 1/6 of 1% of all applicants ultimately becoming Scholars. This year, 150 high school seniors received this award. It’s an honor to have three winners from BASIS Charter Schools!

Coca-Cola Scholars are chosen for their commitment to leadership, service, and positive change within their communities. Learn more about how our winners from BASIS Scottsdale and BASIS Oro Valley are making a difference!

Ashton D., BASIS Scottsdale

Ashton is a civic advocate for different policy issues in his community. Serving on FEMA’s National Youth Preparedness Council and Phoenix’s Youth & Education Commission, Ashton ensures that young people’s voices are heard.

As the founder of the Phoenix chapter of the Sunrise Movement, Ashton has lobbied officials, held rallies, and contacted voters about climate advocacy. His work with the Sunrise Movement led to the creation of Phoenix’s Extreme Heat Youth Council.

In college, Ashton plans to major in Public Policy or Political Science.

Emilia K., BASIS Oro Valley

Emilia is passionate about civic engagement and criminal justice. She has interned with the Pima County Attorney’s Office as well as a local law firm. She is the co-chair of the Governor’s Youth Commission on Substance Abuse, the president of the Pima Metropolitan Education Commission, and the co-director of the Arizona Youth Climate Coalition. Working with her local legislative district, she has hosted several voter registration drives.

Additionally, Emilia is very involved in the BASIS Oro Valley community. She is vice president of the BASIS Oro Valley chapter of She’s the First—a group centered on advocacy for women and girls—and the co-founder of the BASIS Oro Valley student newspaper. She is also an active member of the school’s Model UN and Mock Trial teams.

Emilia plans to major in Political Science in college.

Sophia L., BASIS Scottsdale

Sophia is a passionate advocate for education equality. She serves as the Governor’s Youth Commission Vice President, the Scottsdale Mayor’s Youth Council President, and an Arizona student advisor for both the State Board of Education and the State Board for Charter Schools. She has also interned for Congressman Stanton.

Sophia co-founded the 400+ member education nonprofit iReach, which empowers youth through community service programs. She has delivered and hosted TEDx talks and has even created an AI model to predict high school dropouts. 

Sophia is the Voice of Democracy audio essay National Champion, a Diana Award Recipient, a US Senate Youth Program Delegate, the Distinguished Young Woman of Arizona, and a top 11 National Speech and Debate Association speaker. She plans to study Public Policy and Data Science in college.

Congratulations again to our three Coca-Cola Scholars! We know you are going to go on to do amazing things.

We love celebrating student accomplishments from the BASIS Charter Schools network! To see what else our students have been up to lately, check out our latest news.