Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate student named National Merit Scholar
Sujena Koilpillai, who recently graduated from Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School, was named a 2018 National Merit Scholar, receiving a college-sponsored scholarship from the University of Central Florida. Because of her achievement,…
First-generation-in-college student “was willing to work hard, just needed guidance”
Jean Woody Luxama has had a few monumental turning points in his life. One was when he lived through the 2010 Haiti earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and injured hundreds of thousands more…
Alum, WNCC EMS Program Director Graham Judd: Polk State’s program serves as exemplary model
Polk State College alum Graham Judd says Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program Director Don Guillette runs a tight ship, which Judd admits he didn’t fully understand when he was a student. But after more than…
Polk State College Foundation makes education possible for Puerto Rican evacuee
It’s difficult for Christopher Perez Hernandez to express himself in English, but with the help of his cousin and spell check, the Puerto Rican evacuee who fled the island after Hurricane Maria recently wrote a…
Collegiate high schools celebrate classes of 2018
Nearly 400 students are receiving their high school diplomas from Polk State College’s three collegiate high schools this month, although many already have their college degrees in hand. Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High…
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…