Graduate with disability: Polk State is a godsend for students like me
Like most high school students, graduating felt bittersweet for Hope LaMond, who was nervous about college but eager to gain some freedom. She was no stranger to Polk State College, where at six years old…
Polk State Lakeland Collegiate High School student is heading to MIT
Sergio Perez will receive his Polk State Associate in Arts degree before his high school diploma is even in hand, and once he has both, the first-generation-in-college student is heading to Massachusetts Institute of Technology…
Polk State student is heading to Stetson University’s prestigious Bonner Program
Andrea Gutierrez didn’t always want to go to college, but now she’s heading to Stetson University’s competitive and prestigious Bonner Program with a $40,000 scholarship. A first-generation Mexican-American and the first in her family to…
Artist finds confidence as Polk State College student
Ava Virginia Edmonds has been an artist in one form or another since she can remember. The daughter of an elementary school art teacher and a cartoonist, Edmonds has always received encouragement at home to…
Polk State VP of Institutional Effectiveness, Accreditation & Research has a heart for community, state colleges because they allow students to get education on own terms
Mary Clark has a heart for community and state colleges because they allow students to get their education on their own terms like she did. Clark, who joined Polk State College in March as its…
Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Collegiate High School alum becomes published author with book embracing culture and diversity
Abisola Adeyemo is always looking for the next challenge, and once she accomplishes it, she seeks out opportunities to share her experiences in hopes of inspiring others. In 2015, she enrolled at Polk State Lakeland…
Single mom overcomes “culture shock” to achieve Polk State degree
Stephanie Cooper-Stewart emigrated from Jamaica in May 2009, leaving behind a good job, her family, and everything she once knew in her home country. After nearly a year of unemployment and becoming a single mother,…
Graduating student is living American Dream with Polk State degree
Konrad Sojko dreamed of a better life in the United States for more than a decade, and on Dec. 13, the Poland native will celebrate this achievement as he receives his Associate in Arts degree…
Graduating Polk State student doesn’t plan to use degree due to illness, but finished as an example for her children
Britainny Palmer may never use her degree due to illnesses that prevent her from working, but she was determined to graduate as an example for her three children and will celebrate this accomplishment on Dec.…
Polk State faculty and staff help student overcome adversity on path to graduation
Roxane Aupont’s mother sent her to the U.S. when she was only 15 in hopes of affording her opportunities she couldn’t obtain in Haiti. Since then, Aupont has overcome abuse and homelessness to ensure that…