Polk State grad overcomes cancer to achieve degree after two decades

Kristin Simpson earned her Polk State College Associate in Arts degree in May 2024 – more than 20 years after enrolling for the first time. Over the final two months, however, she faced more adversity than she could have ever imagined: brain cancer.

As other Polk State students were making spring break plans in mid-March, Simpson received news that would change her life. After persistent headaches, she saw a physician, who discovered a golf-ball sized tumor on her head. Two days later, she was forced to have emergency surgery.

Diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer in the U.S., Simpson knew that finishing her classes in person would not be an option. Her classmates and professors rallied around to make sure she found a way to reach her academic goals.

“Graduating would not have been possible without the people in my class and my professors,” Simpson reflected. “My classmates took extra notes and my professors made videos of their lectures, so I could complete the assignments on my time.”

Entering the Spring 2024 Semester, Simpson needed just two classes to complete the degree that she started in 2003. Her final two classes? Probability and Statistics with Professor Mike Long and American Sign Language with Professor Diana Cobble.

“It had taken so long,” Simpson noted. “I knew this was my last semester before getting a degree and when (I was diagnosed), I was worried I wouldn’t.”

While students assisted by taking extra notes, professors moved the remainder of classes online for Simpson.

“It took a little work, but given the circumstances, it was what I knew I needed to do,” Long said. “I was stunned when I learned she had cancer. It had been a long time since she started college, and I knew how close she was to finishing. She was close to achieving a life goal. The teacher in me said, ‘this is why we do what we do.’”

“There were times I thought I would have to drop the classes,” Simpson explained. “Probability and Statistics was a very intense class. After I got cancer, everyone stepped up and helped me with whatever I needed. It meant everything to me. I didn’t realize people cared that much about me and my education. I was able to get an A in both classes.”

A truck driver for about 10 years, Simpson’s workplace, Sun Orchard, a manufacturing and distribution company in Haines City, has since promoted her to transportation administrator. It’s a job she would have been unqualified for without her AA degree.

“She became very interested in data science during her time at Polk State,” Long recalled. “It helps her with the logistics part of her job. It’s awesome for someone who had not been in school in years to come back and know she could still get an education. She put her mind to achieving a goal and she went out and did it.”

Now in remission, Simpson’s treatments kept her from walking during Polk State’s 130th commencement ceremony in May. Again, her classmates and professors came through by throwing her a surprise graduation party to celebrate her accomplishments.

“They wanted me to get the full enjoyment of graduation,” Simpson said. “I felt so loved.”

While Simpson’s Polk State classes and professors helped see her through to graduation, her mother provided support at home. Simpson’s workplace also played a pivotal role in her academic success. She was able to return to college via Sun Orchard’s tuition reimbursement program.

“Because I had the degree, I was able to move up to my current position,” Simpson said of her company. “They’ve given me career advice. They’ve supported me financially to get my degree. They supported me every step of the way.”

The local, affordable option, Polk State serves more than 13,000 degree-seeking students and 9,000 participants in workforce training programs each year. In 2023, it conferred nearly 3,000 degrees.

“The teachers are amazing; you can tell they really care,” Simpson concluded. “I love the small class sizes. I was able to get more individualized attention and learn better that way. The staff really wants you to succeed. They make sure you have everything you need.”