From art student to passionate professor: McGhin’s full-circle return to Polk State
Zack McGhin was once a student in the very program he now serves as Professor of Art teaching drawing, painting and design. He says The Arts at Polk State College gave him the foundation he still uses today to educate the next generation of artists.
When McGhin graduated from Mulberry High School, he enrolled at Polk State because he was unsure of his career path.
“Polk State was the perfect place to figure that out,” McGhin explained. “Art had always been a personal enjoyment, but it wasn’t something I had seriously considered until I took an art class with (then-professor) Vilas Tonape. To have that level of classical training right here at our local college made it accessible and set off that spark in me.”
McGhin became committed to not only growing as an artist, but also as an educator who could help other creatives find their paths.
After receiving his Associate in Arts degree in 2011, he transferred to Florida Southern College, where he served as a teaching assistant for Associate Professor of Art Kelly Sturhahn. Sturhahn’s exhibit titled “Ripple” was recently displayed in the Polk State Winter Haven Fine Arts (WFA) Gallery.
“That taste of teaching at the college level made me want to pay it forward,” McGhin said. “It became my goal to teach at my alma maters and pass on what I’ve learned to the next generation of students.”
He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fine and Studio Arts in 2014 and moved to Washington, D.C., to pursue his Master of Fine Arts in Painting at American University.
McGhin, whose artistic style began with still life and portraits he considered “naturalistic impressionism,” shifted his focus to more conceptual work, exploring emotions tied to his relocation and feelings of nostalgia. His art is now a fusion of both then and now.
Upon his return to Polk County, McGhin served as an adjunct professor at Florida Southern for the 2016-2017 Academic Year before the opportunity opened to join The Arts Program at Polk State. As an adjunct professor, he also worked in museums, art restoration and curriculum development for a small startup.
Turning passion into purpose
When a full-time position opened in advising, McGhin turned his focus to students, serving as a Student Success Advisor while continuing to teach. In August 2025, he assumed the Professor of Art position full time.
He finds joy in witnessing the same “spark” in his students that he felt as an art student. His art classes enroll a diverse range of learners, from athletes to psychology majors, as well as members of the Empower to Employ Program, which serves students with intellectual disabilities.
“I had a basketball player who didn’t nail an assignment on the first try and expressed his frustration. I asked him, ‘In practice, do you shoot one free throw and call it a day?’ He said no and that he takes hundreds of shots to get better, and I asked, ‘why would it be any different in art?,’” McGhin explained. “That’s when I saw the lightbulb go off in his head, and those are the special moments.”
“They remind me of myself at 19, 20 years old in my first art class,” he added. “They’re not as easily defeated because they know that practice can get them to the next level.”
Another memorable example is a psychology major who took his class as an elective and, as a result, pursued a career in art therapy. McGhin emphasized that it is never too late to pursue a passion or a degree, drawing from his own non-linear path.
McGhin describes The Arts at Polk State a “gem of a program.”
“We offer world-class instruction at state-college prices,” he said, “and I’m not only talking about drawing and painting, but also ceramics, photography, music and theatre. It’s amazing what our students and our community have access to here at Polk State.”
McGhin is also the advisor of the Polk State Art Club, which is open to all students every Wednesday at noon in WFA 101. He is also developing new courses such as one in digital painting.
He currently teaches a mural painting class, which is working with Denison Middle School this semester to create multiple murals on its campus – a valuable experience in large-scale work, client feedback and collaborating with a team of artists.
“I tell my students to make the work they want. If they enjoy it, others will too,” McGhin explained. “They will find their audience.”
McGhin’s story serves as an example that inspiration can arrive unexpectedly, and with dedication and support – like that found at Polk State – anyone can turn passion into purpose.