When she moved to San Diego County from Germany four years ago, Lea Bronson wasn\u2019t sure she would be able to handle college work. With the support of her professors at Palomar College, Bronson excelled in her classes and was selected for a prestigious national scholarship awarded by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bronson was one of 200 students nationwide who was chosen to receive a $1,000 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship. Almost 1,500 students across the country applied for the 2024 scholarship, which has been offered each year since 2001. The scholarship is awarded to members of Phi Theta Kappa, the college honor society, who have outstanding academic achievements and have demonstrated leadership potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLea is a great example of how community colleges change the lives of students,\u201d said Dr. Star Rivera-Lacey, Superintendent\/President of Palomar College. \u201cLea\u2019s story is inspiring, and we are thrilled she is being recognized for her success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bronson\u2019s road to Palomar College is a lengthy one. She was born and raised in the German state of Bavaria, where she attended high school and a university and was working as a paramedic. She met her now-husband, Craig Bronson, a manager at General Atomics, while he was attending a conference in Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After he returned home to San Diego, they kept up a long-distance relationship for two years, chatting on WhatsApp or Facetiming whenever they could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was really hard because the time difference was nine hours. There was only a small window that we could talk to each other,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 20 years old, Bronson left her family behind in Germany and moved to San Diego County in February 2020 to be with her future husband. They married on March 3, 2020 \u2013 just days before the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unable to work, Bronson decided to return to school, and Palomar College was near her home in Escondido. Although she had some training in English, she said she was concerned about taking classes in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe people at Palomar assured me the professors would be very supportive and helpful if there were any language issues,\u201d Bronson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bronson started at Palomar College in Fall 2021 and has a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She praised all her instructors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always had a really good experience with the professors,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are super helpful, and they are always available to answer questions. You can see they have a lot of passion for what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bronson said when she got the email telling her she was eligible for the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, she at first thought she had been sent a spam email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had to ask what this is. I had never heard of it because we don\u2019t have it in Germany,\u201d she said. \u201cI was initially confused, but then very excited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bronson expects to graduate from Palomar next spring and plans to move with her husband to Salinas, Kansas. She has been conditionally accepted at the University of Kansas\u2019 bachelor\u2019s degree program in nursing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said the scholarship money will help at a time when money has been tight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis scholarship is absolutely amazing because it\u2019s going to pay for the rest of the units I need and I\u2019m going to finish up at Palomar,\u201d she said. is absolutely amazing because it\u2019s going to pay for the rest of the units I need and I\u2019m going to finish up at Palomar,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"