Triple Success: Three Tri-C Students Named National Coca-Cola Scholars
Kylie Cianciolo, Charese Harrison and Isabel Ruiz-Flint among 150 honorees
Three Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) students have been named 2021 Coca-Cola Academic Team Scholars, joining a select group of academic high achievers from across the nation.
Kylie Cianciolo and Charese Harrison earned Silver Scholar honors, while Isabel Ruiz-Flint was recognized as a Bronze Scholar. All are members of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society chapters at Tri-C campuses.
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.
Cianciolo and Harrison each will receive a $1,250 scholarship for being a Silver Scholar. Ruiz-Flint will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship as a Bronze Scholar. Honorees also receive 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 and make it possible for deserving students to achieve their educational goals.”
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.
Cianciolo is set to graduate from Tri-C in May with two degrees — an Associate of Arts and an Associate of Science. She was named Westshore Campus Student of the Year in 2020.
The Fairview Park resident also served as a student ambassador at the campus, worked as an intern and completed the Student Leadership Certificate Program. She intends to transfer to a four-year school in the fall to study special education and psychology.
Harrison has been studying recording arts at Tri-C and is set to graduate in May with an Associate of Arts degree. She is part of the College’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy and is active with Black American Council.
In 2020, she was selected by Tri-C to serve as a Campus Vote Project Democracy Fellow. The Maple Heights resident intends to transfer to Middle Tennessee State University this fall to study audio production.
Ruiz-Flint, a senior at Solon High School, graduated from Tri-C in December with a flawless 4.0 GPA and an Associate of Arts degree. She attended Tri-C through the state’s College Credit Plus dual enrollment program.
She balanced a full class schedule with pageant competitions and won the North American Miss junior teen title in 2019. Ruiz-Flint plans to transfer to a four-year school in the fall to study public relations.
“We thank the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for recognizing these student leaders and for investing in their futures,” said Lynn Tincher-Ladner, president and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. “Scholarships like these are integral to the success of these students in reaching their educational and career goals.”
Phi Theta Kappa recognizes the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges. It includes more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 nations, with approximately 240,000 active members in U.S. colleges.
March 16, 2021
John Horton, 216-987-4281 john.horton@tri-c.edu