20 and Getting Her Master’s Degree: Head Start at Polk State Set Alumna Up for Early Success
At age 20, when a lot of students are still trying to decide on an undergraduate major, Rosemary Reynolds is working in her career of choice and is halfway through her master’s degree at the University…
House, Car, Confidence: Polk State Nursing Made All Three Possible for This Alumna
The difference Polk State College makes in the lives of its students is often expressed in numbers: At $112 per credit hour, Polk State offers the region’s most affordable tuition. Eighty percent of students graduate…
For Polk State-Trained EMT, Career Plan B “Happened for a Reason”
When her application to medical school was rejected, a lot of thoughts went through Ada Bobola’s head: Maybe if I’d studied a little harder. Maybe if I’d gotten a B in chemistry instead of a…
Polk State Nursing Alumna: Profession Requires Scientific Mind, Compassionate Heart
Nearly five decades ago, as a way to pay her tuition, Ivadene Howell went to work as a certified nursing assistant. It was just a job. Nothing more than a way to pay the bills…
Bachelor’s Degree Student and Business Owner: “I Would Not Be Who I Am Today Without Polk State”
Polk State College’s history is filled with stories of people who have changed their lives through the power of higher education. But few of those stories can compare with that of Sha’Kia Young. Hers…
Polk County Sheriff’s Sgt.: “You Have to Have Your Education to Be Successful”
Newly promoted Polk County Sheriff’s Sgt. Austin Milligan has some advice for law enforcement officers seeking a college degree: “College,” he said, “just has to feel right.” For Milligan, what “felt right” was Polk State…
Since Earning Bachelor’s Degree from Polk State, Polk County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tracy Smith an Advocate for Education
Tracy Smith had worked for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for nearly two decades, doing the things he loves most: solving crimes and helping people. But he realized that if he was ever going to…
Polk State Alumnus: “None of This Would Have Happened for Me Without Polk State”
Fabian De La Fe is a native of Cuba, who spent the last two years living in Gainesville and who will soon reside in New York, but in many ways, Polk State College will always…
Florida Teacher of Year Christie Bassett “Very Thankful” for Polk State College
As Florida’s 2015 Teacher of the Year, Christie Bassett is often asked about her own educational background, and each time the question is posed, she proudly shares her status as a Polk State alumna. “I’m…
For Polk Respiratory Care Alumna, A Cough Inspired a New Career
Terri Dixon remembers the exact moment — or rather, the exact cough — that changed the course of her whole life. She was working as a phlebotomist, performing another routine blood draw, when a patient suddenly started…