Alumnus, Academic Advisor Gives Back To “Institution That Gave So Much To Me”
College is incredibly exciting, but can also be difficult to navigate. Polk State College’s academic advisors make huge differences in the lives of students every day, not only by ensuring that they enroll in the…
Polk State JD Alexander Center Makes Education Possible For Mom And Daughter
For students at the Polk State JD Alexander Center, location is everything. Without Polk State College’s presence in southeast Polk County, many students would not be pursuing higher education because they would not be able…
School Bus Driver Plans Move To Classroom With Bachelor’s Degree
Toni Montoya gets on her Polk County Public Schools bus at 5:45 a.m. each weekday to begin the first of three routes, but when she drops her last students off at 8:30 a.m., Stambaugh Middle…
Polk State Alumna Finds Her Purpose Helping Homeless Through The Arts
Joyce Irwin warns visitors that the paint on her hands and apron is dry, greeting them with a bear hug and excitement to show off the Repurpose Art Studio adorned with crafts of the homeless…
Retired Theatre Director George Randolph Remembered For Larger-Than-Life Personality
George Randolph was a performance always looking for an audience. With passions for students, live theatre, and all things Disney, his larger-than-life personality shined through in all that he would do. The retired Polk State…
Graduating Polk State Student Fought For Her Health And Education
Don’t mistake the purple streaks in Heather Canterbury’s hair as merely an edgy fashion statement. After her battle with the earliest stage of colorectal cancer in the form of malignant polyps, the 30-year-old’s body doesn’t…
She Started College “So Many Times,” Graduating Criminal Justice Student Wasn’t Going To Quit Again
Winsome Francis-Raghu has been in and out of college for nearly 40 years, but this week, her higher-education journey will come to a rewarding end. The 63-year-old will graduate Dec. 14 with a Bachelor of…
Graduating Polk State Student’s Journey To Bachelor’s Degree Was Filled With Obstacles
Brittany Hockman has faced many obstacles during her seven-year journey to a bachelor’s degree, from a car crash that left her with a broken back and short-term memory loss, to an infection that almost left…
Unexpected Heart Transplant Didn’t Stop This Graduating Polk State Student
Michael Pitter remembers the day that changed his life — and his heart. Despite living with chest pains and shortness of breath for more than a month, on May 7, 2015, Pitter was determined to…
She Learned To Fly, Then Found Aviation Career On The Ground
Karissa Strickland always wanted to fly, but didn’t know that aviation was a viable career path until she read about Polk State College’s expanding Aerospace program in the newspaper. The Lakeland native graduated from Mulberry…