When Boulder native Bryson Leach was a senior in high school, he had his sights set on college, but his budget was his utmost concern. “I made it a goal of mine to get to college, but I knew I couldn’t afford tuition at an expensive university,” says Bryson, who has supported himself since age 18. “So, when a bunch of friends kept telling me about how affordable Front Range Community College is and how great the instructors are, I decided to check it out.”
Awesome experience from the start.
Bryson started at FRCC’s Boulder County Campus in fall 2012 and found that the school exceeded his expectations. “I feel like the instructors really care about students and I really like how the class sizes are smaller, so you can get one-on-one time with your professor,” he says. “It has just been an awesome experience all around.” His first semester, Bryson landed a work-study position in the Boulder County Campus Library and enjoyed the chance to help other students and meet people on a daily basis.
College wasn’t a given.
Bryson is the first person on his mom’s side of the family to finish high school in more than 25 years and will be the first in his immediate family to graduate college. On top of that, family problems and some health issues throughout his high school years haven’t made things easy. In the FRCC community, he has found good support. “Everyone here has been great,” he says.
Diverse career interests: music or computers?
Just a year into his college education, Bryson is still figuring out his career path. He’s considering two very different areas: music or computers. “I had two hobbies as a kid and ended up really loving both of them!” he says.
Bryson is a passionate musician and the lead guitarist of a local progressive metal band, As the Crow Flies. He dreams of eventually attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, a school that focuses on contemporary music. “It’s a big dream to perform on stage in front of thousands of people,” he says. Bryson has played guitar since age 11 and picked up the viola in high school.
Another goal is to work in the technology industry. “I’ve always been into computers,” Bryson says, adding that his alternate plan is to transfer to a four-year bachelor’s in computer science program. “I find them to be really interesting, and could see myself working as a software programmer.” Bryson recently left his job at the library to take a position as a junior quality assurance engineer at Terma Software Labs, an enterprise software development firm in Boulder.
Get a high-quality, affordable education.
Bryson says he recommends FRCC to anyone who is interested in a high-quality, affordable education. “I love Front Range because the teachers are just as great as you’d find at any university, it’s inexpensive, and the students are here to learn,” he says. “People who come here don’t take their education for granted and it shows.”
