By sarah DeMaranville
Geneseo Current
GENESEO — Geneseo High School senior Esref Onder is earning national recognition for his academic accomplishments, leadership and commitment to service, advancing as a semifinalist in the prestigious 2027 Coca-Cola Scholars Program while also receiving recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Onder is one of just 1,227 high school seniors nationwide selected as Coca-Cola Scholars semifinalists from a pool of more than 113,000 applicants. The competitive program recognizes students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership and a commitment to serving their schools and communities.
For Onder, the news came unexpectedly during an ordinary school morning.
Esref Onder, Geneseo High School Senior. Contributed photo.
“I had just gotten to school and signed in to check my email for assignments,” Onder recalled. “When I saw the notification, I assumed it was a check in for submissions that were being reviewed.”
Even after seeing the congratulations at the top of the message, Onder initially believed the program was simply acknowledging receipt of his application.
“I didn't expect it to be reviewed so quickly,” he explained. “When I realized I was advancing to the semifinalist stage, I thought it couldn't be real. I was surprised and extremely happy.”
The Coca-Cola Scholars Program, established in 1986, is a national scholarship initiative supported by The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola bottlers across the country. Administered by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, the program recognizes graduating high school seniors who demonstrate strong academic performance, leadership and meaningful involvement in school and community service.
The selection process extends beyond grades alone, emphasizing students who have demonstrated initiative, leadership, and a commitment to making a difference.
For Onder, those qualities are reflected in his academic research and extracurricular involvement.
Through an internship with the Tulane Hydroinformatics Lab, Onder has led multiple research projects addressing significant environmental challenges, including solar radiation, streamflow, and oil spills.
His work involved analyzing environmental and watershed data, completing the preprocessing necessary to prepare information for predictive modeling, and applying multiple modeling methods to examine complex environmental issues. He also used local and global explanation techniques to interpret the results of those models.
“I think academics were the most important part of my activities, but combining this with leadership is what made it stand out,” Onder said.
Beyond his research, Onder remains active in his school and community. He participates in school clubs and continues volunteering at the hospital, experiences that complement his academic interests and future career ambitions.
As a semifinalist, Onder now advances to the second phase of the Coca-Cola Scholars selection process, which requires additional essays, recommendations and academic transcripts. An independent review committee will select 250 regional finalists from the semifinalist pool. Those students will participate in interviews before 150 students are ultimately named Coca-Cola Scholars for 2027.
Each of the 150 scholarship recipients will receive a $20,000 college scholarship, representing a combined $3 million in awards. Recipients also gain access to leadership development opportunities and a national network of fellow scholars.
Since the foundation began awarding scholarships in 1986, it has provided more than $93 million in scholarships to more than 7,300 students nationwide.
Onder is currently preparing for the next stage of the competition while maintaining his existing academic and extracurricular commitments.
“I am currently working hard on my writings and essays, and reaching out for letters of recommendation,” he said. “I'm continuing to volunteer at the hospital and participate in school clubs.”
Onder's academic accomplishments extend beyond the Coca-Cola Scholars Program.
He has also been designated a Commended Student in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, an honor recognizing exceptional performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
According to his official letter of commendation, approximately 34,000 students nationwide received the distinction from among more than 1.3 million students who entered the 2027 National Merit Program by taking the qualifying examination in 2025.
Only the 16,000 highest-scoring participants qualified to continue in the National Merit Scholarship competition for Merit Scholarship awards. Although Commended Students do not advance to that portion of the competition, the designation recognizes their exceptional academic promise and outstanding performance on the qualifying examination.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation described the recognition as a credit to the students, their parents and their schools, acknowledging the dedication and academic achievement demonstrated by those receiving commendation.
Looking ahead, Onder hopes to combine his interests in environmental science, biology and medicine as he continues his education.
“It is my dream to attend The University of Chicago for environmental sciences and biology,” he said. “I hope to follow a career in medicine.”
For now, Onder remains focused on the next stage of the Coca-Cola Scholars competition while continuing the research, leadership activities, and community involvement that have helped distinguish him among students nationwide.
His selection as a Coca-Cola Scholars semifinalist, combined with his National Merit recognition, places him among a distinguished group of high school seniors whose academic achievements and leadership potential have earned national attention.
As the scholarship selection process continues, Onder will have an opportunity to advance even further, competing for one of just 150 Coca-Cola Scholars awards presented to the Class of 2027.
