Hewlett High School senior sips sips scholarship success

Hewlett High School senior Alec Fischthal was one of 150 students awarded with an achievement-based $20,000 Coca-Cola Scholars Program scholarship on March 1.

Fischthal, from North Woodmere, said he began the application process at the start of the 2016-‘17 school year. Among the roughly 86,000 applicants, he was one of about 1,900 semifinalists chosen to advance. Of the semifinalists, 250 students were selected as regional finalists and required to interview with the regional interview committee that includes a foundation staff member and previous scholarship recipients.

“I felt really good after the interview,” Fischthal said. He will be going to the Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta for a few days next month along with the other scholarship award winners. “We are thrilled,” Icela Fischthal said, of how proud she and her husband, Steven, are of their son.

“More so than just the scholarship, there’s a lot of good networking opportunities,” Alec said of his achievement. The scholarship program is open to high school seniors with a minimum of a 3.0 unweighted grade-point average.

Students can apply between August and Oct. 31 of their senior year.

Scholars can use their $20,000 award within 10 years at an accredited college or university. The money can be used for tuition, on-campus housing, a computer or textbooks.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation was founded in 1986 with the aim of offering “scholarship programs and lifelong enrichment opportunities in support of exceptional peoples’ thirst for knowledge and their desire to make a difference in the world,” its mission statement reads.