Westlake High School student among scholarship winners
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

Danni Xie

A Westlake High School student whose activities include political debate and hospital volunteering is among 250 high school seniors who make up the 20th Coca-Cola Scholars class.

Danni Xie has earned a finalist spot in the CocaCola Scholars Foundation annual contest, which awards scholarships to students based on their academic excellence, school leadership and community involvement. Danni was chosen from a field of about 2,000 semifinalists and has already been guaranteed a $10,000 scholarship.

On April 24, Danni will join the other finalists on a trip to Atlanta, the headquarters of the CocaCola Company, and compete for one of 50 college scholarships of $20,000. During the four-day weekend, the scholars will interview with a national selection committee, tour Atlanta, meet with former Coca-Cola Scholars and participate in a community service project. A banquet, attended by educators, local dignitaries and friends of the foundation, will be held in their honor.

Leadership and community service are the two main focuses of the Coca-Cola program, and Danni has no shortage of either. For starters, she opened a chapter of the Junior State of America club on her campus, a national organization that strives to make students more politically aware.

When she started the JSA club in her freshman year, there were eight members. Now there are more than 140.

"If we aren't the biggest club on campus, we are definitely the most active," said Danni, who serves as co-president. "We have meetings every week, mostly debates about big issues like abortion or gay rights. I just wanted students to be more involved and voice their opinions more."

Danni also participates in JSA on a state level, serving as expansion director in California. She helped more than 50 chapters in California, Arizona and Hawaii get started last year.

"I feel like community service is a large part of my life- not just volunteering- but that it's my purpose in life," Danni said.

"That's what motivated me to start JSA at my school. I want to reach out and help people. Before when I talked about politics, no one wanted to hear it. It's amazing what the club has done for my school. It makes me really happy."

Danni was also the California Girls State representative for Westlake High School, and was elected speaker of the assembly at the convention. She's the president of the mock trial team and the academic decathlon team. A National Merit Finalist and a National AP Scholar, Danni also volunteers at Los Robles Hospital and Gardens of the World.

She's hoping to attend Harvard, Yale or Williams College and double major in biomedical engineering and political science. Danni is considering medical school and law school after completing her undergraduate studies.

The Sylmar CocaCola Bottling Company and the CocaCola Company have provided more than 4,000 students nationwide with more than $35 million since the foundation's inception.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation was created in 1986 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of CocaCola and to establish a legacy of education through scholarships. The program is open to all seniors from 26,000 high schools in the United States. Coca-Cola Scholars come from all 50 states, and more than one-third are minorities.

"My parents have been really supportive," Danni said. "And the teachers at school are so great, as well as my JSA adviser and mock trial and academic decathlon coach and my counselor.

"I told everyone I got (a) CocaCola (scholarship) and everyone in the office started clapping. Everyone was so excited, and they've been so helpful and supportive. And my friends really keep me going too."

For more information on the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, visit www.coca-colascholars.org.