Surviving and Soaring: Denise Carmant Shares Her Survivor Story At Relay For Life
When you meet student, Denise Carmant, you are quickly attracted to her smile, her grace, and her uplifting spirit. When you get to know Denise, you realize that she’s been through things that many could…
Polk State Alumna Turned Head Librarian: “We’re Here Every Day to Help Students”
As students return to campus this week, one of the people they’re sure to meet is Chris Fullerton, director of Polk State Winter Haven’s Library and Teaching, Learning, Computing Center (TLCC). What students may not…
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…
The Man Outside the Cath Lab: Six things You Didn’t Know about Cardiovascular Program Director Kevin Ferrier
As director of Polk State’s Cardiovascular Technology (CVT) program, which prepares students to assist physicians in such highly complicated procedures as catheterizations and stenting, Kevin Ferrier is used to sharing his academic and professional credentials.…
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…
Migrant Worker Turned Polk State Graduate: “I Knew I was Going to Be Someone One Day”
There were days when a 6-year-old Leonel Navarrete, new to the U.S. and surrounded by English-speaking classmates, felt lonely. There were days when a teenage Navarrete, having worked all day picking or planting, was so…
Polk State Graduate Turns Grief Into a Cause, Starts Nonprofit in Memory of Her Daughter
This week, Janice Honiker graduates with a bachelor’s degree and a purpose: She will not let her daughter’s death be in vain, and she will use her Polk State College education to make sure of…
Retired Police Chief Teaching at Polk, Aims to Make Students “A Cut Above the Rest”
In his more than 30 years in law enforcement, Raymond Oberg saw many changes. Walkie-talkies and beepers gave way to smartphones. Fingerprinting went digital. With the rise of DNA technology, a single strand of hair could…