Agoura student wins Coca-Cola scholarship

High school teen is in the running for additional $20,000



Bryce Leafman

Bryce Leafman

Bryce Leafman has always reached for a Coca-Cola drink to quench his thirst. Recently he reached out to Coca-Cola for a scholarship to help fund his college ambitions.

As a result, the Agoura High School senior has won $10,000 in scholarship funding and possibly more through the Coca- Cola Scholars Foundation.

An Agoura Hills resident, Bryce, 17, remembers the multistep application process with awe. Out of the 88,000 applicants, he was one of 2,200 semifi nalists eligible for the prize.

Semifinalists were required to complete another layer of applications, questionnaires and two essays, and had to submit an official high school transcript and two letters of recommendations.

In mid-February, Bryce received notice that he was chosen as one of the 250 finalists who had won $10,000. The finalists will travel to Atlanta, Ga., on April 15 to compete for an additional $20,000 college scholarship.

Bryce credits the “phenomenal letters of recommendation” he received from his ninth-grade English teacher, Lisa Donoho, and his Boy Scout leader, Nancy Berke, as the reasons behind his big win.

Bryce said his freshman English class with Donoho was inspirational.

“I just enjoyed that class so much,” he said. “To have her as a freshman made the transition (into high school) very easy. She’s always been my mentor.”

Berke wrote about Bryce’s contributions to the community through Scouting. For Bryce’s Eagle Scout project, he organized a series of concerts for residents of retirement homes.

Scouting inspired Bryce to branch out in his community service. He has worked with his school to provide gift baskets to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, built paths in Paramount Ranch, cleaned up school grounds and restored buildings in the area.

He is also working on the school beautification project at Agoura High, sprucing up the grounds and fi xing lockers.

In addition to demonstrating community spirit, Bryce is a musician. He plays classical and jazz percussion, which includes marimba, bells, drums, timpani, tambourine and triangle.

He is also a member of the Agoura High School Madrigals Choir, a group of seven performers who rehearse during lunch and perform in concerts.

At A. E. Wright Middle School, Bryce helps the percussion students and gives private lessons on the side.

He also works as a campfire director at the Boy Scouts of America Camp Josepho in Pacifi c Palisades, where he runs various programs including ultimate Frisbee, football and cooking classes.

Bryce takes Advanced Placement and honors classes in many subjects. His top college choice is the Eastman School of Music, a music conservatory in New York.

Bryce relishes the moment that he received the news that he won the Coca-Cola scholarship.

“ I was in the band room, just after lunch,” he said. “I got the email. I was so ecstatic. I scrolled down to the bottom to see what they said. I was floored when I read I was chosen as one of the 250 scholars.”


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