Emilia K. from BASIS Oro Valley is one of three BASIS Charter School students to earn the 2025 Coca-Cola Scholarship. This highly competitive award is only granted to around 150 students nationwide each year. Students are recognized for their academic ability as well as their commitment to leadership and community service.
Emilia is an active member of the BASIS Oro Valley community, with extensive involvement in clubs like She’s the First, Model UN, Mock Trial, and the BASIS Oro Valley student newspaper.
Outside of school, Emilia is passionate about civic engagement and criminal justice. She has interned at local law firms, hosted voter registration drives, and served on several youth councils.
Learn about how Emilia’s experience in criminal justice and political advocacy led to her securing this $20,000 scholarship.
How long have you been attending BASIS?
Emilia: I’ve attended BASIS Oro Valley since seventh grade, so six years now!
You recently became a 2025 Coca-Cola Scholar. What was your reaction to learning you had won this award?
Emilia: When I found out I’d become a 2025 Coca-Cola Scholar, I was shocked. I remember reading the email three times to make sure I read it right. Then, all I felt was gratitude. I was sitting with my friends in the middle of Panera, and I remember jumping up to call my college counselor, Ms. Fluitt. Hearing her pride and excitement was incredibly validating, and I rushed back to school to celebrate with her and my other teachers.
Can you tell us a bit about the college counseling at BASIS Oro Valley? How did your college counselor guide you through the process of identifying and applying for scholarships?
Emilia: There isn’t really another way to put it—college counseling at BASIS Oro Valley is truly exceptional. At the heart of my experience was my college counselor, Ms. Fluitt. She took the time to really understand me—my struggles growing up without a father figure, my passion for politics, and my love for Chipotle. By taking the time to really get to know me, Ms. Fluitt guided me through the process of expressing myself in college and scholarship essays.
I think the best way to describe Ms. Fluitt was the way I did at the Coca-Cola Scholars weekend. There, we did an exercise crafting a vision statement, utilizing characteristics from three people we looked up to. At the top of my list was Ms. Fluitt, and I said this: “I strive to be competent and confident in the things I do, not letting others’ opinions distract from my goals. In the future, I will be grounded and work to constantly improve the lives of the people around me.” These weren’t just platitudes—they genuinely reflect the person I see Ms. Fluitt as.
As I was preparing my Coca-Cola application, Ms. Fluitt was pure encouragement. The scholarship application process is grueling and full of rejection, so having someone who genuinely believes in your potential makes all the difference when your confidence wavers.
You have experience interning with local law firms and the Pima County Attorney’s Office. How did you first get involved with criminal justice, and what do you like about this field of work?
Emilia: Volunteering in the youth-led Pima County Teen Court was my first hands-on experience with legal proceedings and advocacy. Eager to expand my involvement, I began cold-emailing local law firms before I connected with West-Watt Law and the Pima County Attorney’s Office.
Although these two law offices were quite different from each other, there was one constant: working within established systems to create meaningful change. As I studied how laws are formed and implemented, my interest naturally expanded into policy work and social advocacy. I wanted to address the inequalities I witnessed firsthand in our justice system. I believe in working both within and outside the system to drive change. Some days I’ll be collaborating with policymakers, while other days I might be joining protests on the streets of Tucson. What draws me to this field is the opportunity to fight for meaningful change and amplify voices that might otherwise go unheard, including my own.
You’ve been involved with lots of different extracurriculars at BASIS Oro Valley. What was your favorite student club and why?
Emilia: It’s so hard to choose. BASIS makes it easy for students to explore different passions. If there isn’t a club you like, it’s easy to make a club you do, especially given the hands-on support of the administration and staff. For example, I was able to start Mock Trial my sophomore year of high school, after years of its hiatus due to COVID.
We basically started the new BASIS Oro Valley Mock Trial club from the ground up, recruiting teachers, attorneys, and students, forming the curriculum, etc. The process was taxing and really pushed my team and me, but we were able to place third at Regionals last year and first this year. Mock Trial is all about teamwork and community, which is why I think Mock Trial flourishes at BOV—we’re a school built on uplifting and motivating each other.
Can you tell us about your Senior Project? What research question are you hoping to solve?
Emilia: My Senior Project focuses on designing and constructing a detailed architectural model of a sustainable home. I’m researching how we can design residential buildings in a way that minimizes their environmental impact, without sacrificing comfort and affordability.
What makes this project unique is that I’m also looking at the economic and social factors of sustainable housing. I’m conducting a cost analysis comparing initial investments versus long-term savings to challenge the perception that green building is prohibitively expensive. I’m also working with advisors from Habitat for Humanity to understand how sustainable practices can be implemented within real-world construction standards and building codes.
Where would you like to take your criminal justice and political advocacy work next?
Emilia: While I’m not entirely sure what I want to do as a career following college, I do know that I want to continue making positive change through political advocacy. I hope to leave a lasting impact on the people around me.
In terms of what I want to study in college, I am planning to major in Political Science/Government, with an emphasis on climate issues. I am considering a Business minor as well. I’m particularly interested in the intersectionality of these fields—how political systems create frameworks for environmental protection, how business innovations can drive sustainable solutions, and how advocacy bridges these worlds to create meaningful change.
Read about student achievements at BASIS Charter Schools
Congratulations again to Emilia for becoming a Coca-Cola Scholar! She’s made a huge impact on the BASIS Oro Valley community, and we’re sure she’s going to go on to do amazing things in college!
To read more about recent student achievements, visit our Student Showcase page.
BASIS Charter Schools are committed to helping students thrive in college and beyond. With an accelerated curriculum and comprehensive college counseling, our students are able to secure prestigious scholarships and attend top universities. Find a school near you and schedule a tour today to learn how BASIS drives student success.
