Polk State mourns loss of longtime professor who inspired with art
Robert Morrissey only planned to be at Polk Community College for a few years when he joined the art faculty in 1965, but that quickly turned into a few decades for the artist who inspired…
Summer classes begin, fall enrollment continues
Polk State College welcomes students back to its campuses and centers today for Summer 2018. Some important dates to remember this semester: today, May 9, is the last day to add a fully online or…
Pinning Ceremony May 2018
Polk State held its annual Pinning Ceremony on May 2, 2018, for nursing graduates. The candlelight processional represents the traditional “Light of Knowledge” and “Ray of Hope” associated with the lamp that Florence Nightingale carried…
Polk State celebrates largest graduation yet
Polk State College celebrated its largest commencement ceremony yet on Thursday, May 3, at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. A sea of nearly 630 students filled the arena for Polk State’s 118th graduation, which…
First-generation-in-college student: Mom’s dreams are my dreams, my dreams are her dreams
Marielys Cirilo’s parents moved from Puerto Rico to the U.S. as young adults with big dreams of going to college. But they quickly married and had children, and higher education became financially out of reach.…
Graduating student practices what she preached to her children
Teretha Robinson has attended Polk State College on and off for more than 30 years, coming up with “all of the excuses in the world” as to why she couldn’t complete her degree. “I had…
Polk State’s youngest bachelor’s student to receive degree May 3
Harrison Broer said his first day of college was weird. That’s because he was only 15 years old, and after completing his Associate in Arts degree a semester before graduating from Polk State Lakeland Collegiate…
From nurse to patient: Graduating student overcomes debilitating illness to achieve BSN
Amber Price has dedicated her life to helping and healing others, but soon after starting her career as a registered nurse at Winter Haven Hospital, she was forced to switch her role to patient as…
Respiratory Care Program receives Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award
For the fourth consecutive year, Polk State College’s Respiratory Care Program has received the Distinguished RRT (registered respiratory therapist) Credentialing Success Award from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). The award is presented…
Graduating student: Polk State showed me I don’t have to be another statistic
Growing up, no one encouraged Keiona Haggins to go to school. “I was only told to not end up pregnant or in jail,” she said. She lived in a home where emotional and physical abuse…