Tom Dowling
(863) 297-1051

PCC’S 97^TH Commencement
To Be Held Dec. 14 at Lakeland Center

Posted: 12/14/2007; Updated 01/10/2008:  Polk Community College held its 97th Commencement on Dec. 14 at 6:30 pm at the Lakeland Center's Youkey Theatre. Here are some facts about the event:  

List of Fall Graduates

NUMBER OF GRADS: Approximately 600 students were eligible to march, which included summer and fall graduates. About 70 percent of our graduates received Associate in Arts (AA) degrees, which are parallel and transferable to state universities. The remaining 30 percent of the students received Associate in Science (AS) degrees, which lead directly to employment. 

NUMBER OF DEGREES: Over 29,000 diplomas have been awarded by PCC since it began in 1964. More than half of PCC's graduates continue to live and work in Polk County.  

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER: Darlene Acree is a Polk County native and a 2006 graduate of Polk Community College. She lost her sight as a teenager from wounds sustained in a car accident. With the support of her family and friends, she was able to overcome this challenge.  

After graduating from Lake Wales High School, she worked in Tampa for several years. During this time she worked as a receptionist and switchboard operator, handling up to 14 lines at a time. She was nominated for a national customer service award in 1999. She decided to go to college, returned to her hometown and enrolled in PCC in 2001. 

Acree and her guide dog, Petey, where a regular fixture on the Winter Haven campus. She overcame many obstacles to get her education, and graduated with a 4.0 GPA from PCC in 2006. She was the recipient of the 2006 Allen T. Cole Distinguished Academic Achievement Award and was also a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. 

Currently, Acree is working towards her bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from Warner Southern College. She has a 4.0 GPA and is a member of Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society. She spends much of her time mentoring children by tutoring them with homework and encouraging them to stay in school so they can get a better education and discover the career that suits them. She also works as a volunteer for The National Association of Blind Students and provides support and encouragement to others who share the goal of achieving a college education. 

In 2008, Acree will graduate from Warner Southern. She will also marry her fiancé John Sellars. She plans to pursue a master’s degree and plans to teach on the college level. 

To the top.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENT: Wayne M. Durden is the Felony Director for the Polk County State Attorney’s Office, a position he has held since 1992, and has been a prosecutor for 23 years. As Felony Director he currently oversees thirty Assistant State Attorneys who prosecute felony crimes in six felony divisions, including child abuse, economic crime, drug trafficking, manslaughter, and certain murder cases.

Durden graduated from Auburndale High School in 1976. He graduated from PCC with an A.A. degree in 1977. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in 1979, and his Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law in 1982.

At each of PCC's graduation ceremonies in May and December, a PCC alumnus is honored with this award, which recognizes alumni who have achieved professional success and made an outstanding contribution to their community.

Prior to becoming Felony Director in 1992, Durden was the Chief of the Child Abuse Division and prosecuted child abuse cases exclusively for approximately four years. During that time he became very involved with children’s issues. He was a member of the local advisory group that started the Children’s Advocacy Center in Bartow, wrote protocols for the center, and serves as its Chair today. Wayne also serves as a member of the Board of Directors and is on the Executive Board of the Florida Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers.

He was part of a team that won the Davis Productivity Award from Florida Tax Watch in 2004 for their work in the creation of the Rape Recovery and Resource Center in Lakeland. The center provides a compassionate and time sensitive alternative for adult sexual assault victims to be interviewed and examined, and to begin psychological treatment. Together, the team created a better way to help rape victims and reduce the load on local emergency rooms and law enforcement, while saving time and taxpayer dollars.

Over the years Durden has prosecuted major economic crimes in Polk County, including multi-million dollar investment scams and school voucher fraud. He resides in Lakeland with his wife Tammy, a Registered Nurse, and his three children: Jennifer, 22, Courtney, 17, and Matthew, 12. Durden has volunteered as a Youth Motivator and coach for his son’s soccer teams. He is a member of the Lakeland Rotary Club, the Florida Bar Association, Lakeland Bar Association, Polk County Trial Lawyers Association, and is President-Elect of the Willson American Inn of Court.

There were 442 fall students eligible to graduated during ceremonies held at the Lakeland Center's Youkey Theatre.

Here are the graduates (divided by towns):  
  [NOTE: 335 of the graduates agreed to have their names published.]