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Jaden Gonzalez of Brandon, a sophomore on the Holmes Community College Ridgeland Campus, has been named a 2024 Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar and will receive a $1,500 scholarship.
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. Each scholar also receives 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 to make it possible for more deserving students to achieve their educational goals and support tomorrow’s global community leaders.”
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. Gonzalez, son of Cheryl and Mario Gonzalez, is a microbiology major who serves as a vice president for the Phi Theta Kappa Alpha Lambda Sigma Chapter. He also served as an escort for the 2023 Homecoming Court. Off campus, Gonzalez is a veterinarian assistant at Oakdale Animal Hospital and intermittent employee at Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratory System. He is also a member of the worship team at Fondren Church. Upon graduation from Holmes, Gonzalez plans to transfer to Mississippi State University to complete his bachelor’s degree and apply for vet school.
Coca-Cola Academic Team members will be recognized in both local and statewide ceremonies. They will also be recognized internationally during Phi Theta Kappa’s annual convention, PTK Catalyst, in Orlando, Florida, April 4-6.
“We thank the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for recognizing these student leaders and for investing in their futures,” said Dr. 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.”
About the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation celebrates and empowers visionary leaders who are refreshing the world. Supporting more than 1,400 exceptional college students each year, it awards $3.55 million in scholarships annually through three nationally recognized programs. Learn more at coca-colascholarsfoundation.org.
About Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at ptk.org.
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IN THIS PHOTO: Pictured is Jaden Gonzalez of Brandon, a sophomore on the Holmes Community College Ridgeland Campus, who has been named a 2024 Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar and will receive a $1,500 scholarship.
