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…
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 State-Trained Childcare Center Director Prepares Children for Kindergarten — and Life
For Latasha Ealey, the best moments in life are hearing 3-year-olds say “please,” “thank you,” and “yes, ma’am.” Because when the Polk State-trained childcare center director hears those little phrases, she knows she’s made a…
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 Student Ashley Price Back in School to Make Her Son Proud
Ashley Price had many reasons not to re-enroll at Polk State College. She works. She has a son. She is the primary caregiver to her grandparents. Money is tight. Time is even tighter. The word…
Polk State’s Peter Preston: A Man of Many Identities
Peter Preston is a ____________. Here at Polk State College, most of us would immediately fill in the blank with “guidance counselor at Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School.” Very few of us know…