Pipeline between Lake Wales HS, Polk State Engineering Technology helps shape future for STEM in community
Polk State College’s newest articulation agreement – the Eagle to Phoenix Pathway Program with Florida Polytechnic University – will enhance STEM education at the College and make a profound impact on the local workforce.
Partially responsible for creating that pipeline is Mike Sargent. Sargent serves as the engineering instructor at Lake Wales High School. He also assists James Gibbons with the America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) Program at Polk State’s Clear Springs Advanced Technology Center (ATC).
“Engineering is so broad of a field,” Sargent explained. “There are always thinkers and doers in this world. This is a hands-on program, and it excites students to get this level of one-on-one education. It turns complex ideas into real life for them and not just something to be read in a textbook.”
Beginning as dual enrolled students at Lake Wales High School, Sargent has been pushing his students who have an interest in STEM or engineering to take part in Polk State’s Engineering Technology Program at no cost to them. Dozens have earned an Associate in Science (AS) and gone on to continue their education – many at Florida Poly. Some have gone directly into the workforce.
“It is incredibly exciting to watch students gain advanced engineering and manufacturing skills while they are still in high school,” Polk State President Anastasios Kamoutsas exclaimed. “Through opportunities like our Engineering Technology Program, these students are building a strong foundation for success in STEM fields while helping meet the growing workforce needs of Polk County and beyond. They are not only preparing for rewarding careers but shaping the future of innovation and advanced manufacturing in our community.”
The Lake Wales to Polk State pipeline
Daniel Moya took classes at Polk State in each of his four years at Lake Wales. Since earning his AS in 2025, Moya has enrolled at Florida Poly and landed a job with JC Machine, Inc. – a “high‑precision manufacturing, machining and fabrication facility” in Lakeland.
“I’m here because of my experience at Polk State College,” reflected Moya, now a mechanical engineering major at Florida Poly. “This is very skilled labor, and companies are willing to pay big money for it.”
Moya first learned about the program when he was in middle school at Bok Academy in Lake Wales. His teacher, Laura Bennett, encouraged him to look into it. Moya decided to visit ATC to see what the program was all about.
“When I walked in, I was amazed,” he recalled. “Mike Sargent was working there and we got to talking. He had the answer for every question that I had.”
Jasmine Brown graduated from Lake Wales High School in 2024 and earned her AS in Engineering Technology a year later. She’s entering her second year at Florida Poly where she’s majoring in industrial engineering. Brown also works at Vulkan USA, which “manufactures high-quality couplings and drive systems in Florida and supports marine, industrial, energy and HVAC markets.” Brown plans to ultimately earn a master’s degree in engineering management and work in international industrial engineering.
“I’m here because of my experience at Polk State College. This is very skilled labor, and companies are willing to pay big money for it.”
“Polk State’s program really set a broad scope for what was to come at Florida Poly,” Brown explained. “All the applied things you learn at Polk State are enhanced and expounded upon once you get to Florida Poly. It provided an amazing foundation.”
During the spring, Keller O’Neal became the first student in Polk County to earn a Polk State AS in Engineering Technology while still in high school. Now enrolled at Florida Poly, O’Neal will begin taking classes this week.
“Being able to take classes for free, there was no reason not to do it,” O’Neal said. “Once I learned about the program it sounded perfect. I’m very happy I took this path. Having an AS degree certainly makes your college application stand out.”
Why the Engineering Technology Program?
In addition to high-paying jobs while still in college and acceptance into the state’s only public university exclusively dedicated to STEM, the graduates touted the many benefits of the Engineering Technology Program at Polk State.
“Polk State’s program really set a broad scope for what was to come at Florida Poly. All the applied things you learn at Polk State are enhanced and expounded upon once you get to Florida Poly. It provided an amazing foundation.”
Brown was a Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation national scholarship recipient and hopes to ultimately earn a master’s degree in engineering management and work in international industrial engineering. She is now a member of the SME Club at Florida Poly.
“Being an SME member was a big help in my transition from Polk State to Florida Poly,” Brown noted. “With opportunities for certifications, resume building, extra classes and mentorship programs through SME, that really helped develop engineering concepts.”
With a concentration in mechanical design fabrication, Moya hopes to enter the manufacturing field. While dual enrolled at Lake Wales and Polk State, Moya took part in an internship with NASA during the 2022-23 Academic Year – a joint program with the University of Texas. The internship allowed Moya to work hands-on with students who had similar interests.
“It was really eye-opening,” Moya said. “We did a lot of data collection. We explored the urban heat island effect and how the development of populated areas affects the climate.”
Aside from opportunities, the graduates appreciated how the AS program provided individualized instruction and allowed them to work at their own pace.
“It was very innovative,” Brown reflected. “You get to figure things out for yourself without it just being handed to you. You have time to focus on what you’re really studying and leave with a strong grasp of the engineering concepts. As a dual enrollment student, getting to attend college for free was a huge bonus and allowed me to get a head start on my next chapter.”
“I entered the program with no engineering experience,” Moya added. “I’ve never seen anyone so enthusiastic about engineering as Mike Sargent and the instructors in the program. I was seeing theory put into practice. Working toward an AS in high school saved time and money and allowed me to go right into the workforce as I continue my education.”
O’Neal was excited to learn new things. Many subjects he noted were useful during his Engineering Technology courses.
“I love attaining various amounts of new skills,” O’Neal explained. “I went from spreadsheets to CNC Machining to electrical. You pick your classes, learn a lot of things and it all ties in to your AS degree. You come out workforce-ready.”
O’Neal will be majoring in mechanical engineering at Florida Poly. He remains undecided on a long-term career goal, but after graduation, O’Neal hopes to begin a career as a CNC machinist.
“There are so many cool things you can do with this degree,” O’Neal exclaimed. “I’d urge people to take an Engineering Technology course or go to a summer camp. It’s easy to get hooked on.”
Shaping the future
This pipeline is now expanded upon with the newly announced Eagle to Phoenix Pathway Program, which will allow Polk State students to complete their Associate in Arts degree and all required prerequisites on the College’s campuses before seamlessly transferring to one of 10 targeted bachelor’s degree programs at Florida Poly. Florida Poly has been ranked as the No. 1 public college in the South for the last five years.
“This is a game changer that is going to reinvigorate STEM education at Polk State College,” exclaimed Michael Long, Polk State Director of Enrollment and Curriculum Management. “Students interested in STEM careers need a bachelor’s degree more often than not. Polk State is providing a pathway that is fully articulated with Florida Poly.”
“This program makes students feel seen and reduces the barriers for entry into this field. I know people who were very capable of excelling in the STEM fields but haven’t had the opportunity because of the obstacles they faced. The fact that people are doing this for students like me makes me proud to live in Polk County.”
The new pathway also addresses the state’s growing demand for career-ready STEM professionals. Polk State’s Austin Kinchen will be among the first students to take part in the program. Kinchen, also a Lake Wales High School graduate, has completed his Engineering Technology degree and will begin at Florida Poly as a mechanical engineering major this month.
“This program makes students feel seen and reduces the barriers for entry into this field,” Kinchen said of the new articulation agreement. “I know people who were very capable of excelling in the STEM fields but haven’t had the opportunity because of the obstacles they faced. The fact that people are doing this for students like me makes me proud to live in Polk County.”
Kinchen hopes to use his degree to continue to advance at his current workplace, Petersen Industries – a Lake Wales-based manufacturer that is progressively becoming more technologically advanced. Founded in 1957, the company “has been a leader in the design and manufacturing of heavy-duty equipment for the trash, agricultural, arboricultural and aggregate markets.”
“Polk County and Central Florida are hotbeds for advanced manufacturing,” Sargent added. “Think about the rides at (LEGOLAND® Florida), Walt Disney World or Universal Studios – the people behind them are engineers. The potential and need in the state of Florida are massive.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, mechanical engineers with a bachelor’s degree earn a median annual salary of greater than $102,000. The employment of mechanical engineers is expected to grow by about 26,500 or 9% – much faster than the average of all occupations – between 2024 and 2034.
“There is always a demand,” Long concluded. “Firms are looking for engineers and we’re going to work together to provide that right here in Polk County. This will impact our community directly by filling the engineering/STEM void.”