Westmoreland County Community College Student Named Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar
April 17, 2023Paige Klinger, a student at Westmoreland County Community College, has been named a 2023 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver, and 50 Bronze Scholars with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Each scholar also receives a commemorative medallion.
“The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,” said Jane Hale Hopkins, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa to make it possible for more deserving students to achieve their educational goals and support tomorrow’s leaders of the global community.”
Students are nominated for the academic team by their college administrators. Selection is based on academic achievement, leadership, and engagement in college and community service.
“When I found out I had won the scholarship I was ecstatic,” Klinger said. “I am very involved at the school because I genuinely enjoy all of it. Westmoreland County Community College has blessed me in so many ways with opportunities, relationships and connections to help my future career.”
Klinger will graduate in May with an Associate of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and plans to continue her education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In addition, she is currently in the process of applying to be a Pennsylvania State Trooper, citing the job as a great opportunity to serve others and communicate with the community.
“I am proud to say that with this scholarship I will complete my bachelor’s degree in Criminology with no debt,” she explained. “Graduating with no debt is unheard of these days and everyone just accepts that they will have it. That is why I love advocating for community colleges and all the benefits that they bring.”
In addition to her coursework, Klinger serves as a representative of the college within the student Ambassador program as well as an executive board member of Christian Fellowship. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society and a student athlete, participating in cross country, softball, and volleyball, where she serves as team captain. Outside of school, she is dedicated to her church, where she is a small group leader, a worship team member, and has gone on two international mission trips. She also coaches volleyball at her old travel club and has been a waitress at Hoss’s for the past five years.
“I see myself as my biggest competition,” Klinger said. “I am always trying to be the best version of myself. Through faith, family and friends I have been pushed to continuously put my best foot forward.”
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The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation celebrates and empowers visionary leaders who are refreshing the world. Supporting more than 1,400 exceptional college students each year, it awards $3.55 million in scholarships annually through three nationally recognized programs. Learn more at coca-colascholarsfoundation.org.