It’s rare for a school to have even one Coca-Cola Scholar, one of the most selective scholarship programs in the nation, and we have two! Seniors Eric G. and JoJo F. joined 150 high school seniors nationwide who were recognized for academic excellence, leadership, and service in their communities. According to the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, fewer than 1/7 of 1% of applicants were chosen, and more than 107,000 applications were submitted. Coca-Cola calls the scholars “change agents” in their communities. Beyond impressive service and talents, here at Brentwood, JoJo and Eric worked together, through the BCIL, to create a shower that conserves water, an aid to prevent head injuries in the visually impaired, and an EEG robot to help people with mobility disabilities create movement with thought (earning 1st place in the Los Angeles Science and Engineering Fair). The funny thing: despite working together since 7th grade, they did not know the other was applying. Congratulations, JoJo and Eric!

Maddi D. ’29 and Ryan H. ’30 recently performed at the Winners' Showcase of the Magnum Opus International Speech and Drama Competition, at New York’s historic Carnegie Hall. They earned their spots after winning 1st place in Prose Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation at last spring’s Southern California Junior Forensics League's SoCal Championships. Ryan presented two rousing Amanda Gorman poems addressing the climate crisis, taking 1st Place in Poetry Interpretation!