Local Jenkins High School Graduate Pursues Love for STEM at Florida Polytechnic University. At age 19, Elise Araiza already knows she wants to be a mechanical engineer. The Florida Polytechnic University student is majoring in that, with a concentration in nanotechnology, cementing her love for science and math that developed at George Jenkins High School […]
Middle and high school students now have one more tool to help them prepare for college or careers, thanks to a collaborative effort led by Polk Vision. “Be The Future Be U is two things: It is a collection of resources and it is a community of engaged students focused on preparing for their future,” […]
When you think of manufacturing in Polk County, you should think beyond citrus and phosphate, two industries that paved the way for the county to become a manufacturing hub. Patti Gander, director of the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Alliance of Mid Florida (formerly the Polk County Manufacturing Association), said manufacturing is often defined as a […]
Another student is using valuable lessons from Polk County Public Schools and taking them to higher education, this time to Stanford. Mulberry High School biology teacher Stace Alcala played a major role in Brenda Alvarez-Lagunas’ love of science, challenging her in such a way that the 2019 valedictorian is now attending Stanford University in California […]
Continuing on its path of adding new STEM degrees and achieving academic success, Florida Polytechnic University has received accreditation for four of its bachelor’s degree programs. The Computing and Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET — a nonprofit, non-governmental agency that accredits programs in engineering, engineering technology, applied and natural science, and computing, — accredited Florida […]
As the local economy continues to grow, more and more students are attending college after graduating from high school, and many are staying local. As colleges throughout Polk are experiencing increased enrollment, the local talent pipeline gains access to new degree programs and universities are opening their doors to more dual-enrolled students and developing online […]
As Florida Polytechnic University continues to grow, it’s adding three new engineering degrees to further entice its science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students. Florida’s only state STEM university, which opened in 2012 in Lakeland, is offering degrees in environmental engineering, engineering physics and engineering math for the first time beginning in the fall 2019 […]
Scott Leslie learned to tackle school lessons on computers in third grade in the mid-1990s. That early work was an important part of who he is today, where he’s been and where he’s going. Although he rates his K-12 educational years as average, admitting he has nothing to compare them to, he praises Polk County […]
Yaliana Garcia, 19, moved to Polk County from Puerto Rico at the end of her junior year of high school. Even with such a short time here, she looks back at Bartow High School and its teachers as the reason she’s pursuing her dream to become a doctor. “I did not have the opportunity to […]
Nucor Steel, prides itself on empowering its employees to solve problems. When the company was having difficulty finding qualified electricians, their maintenance managers decided to work together to find a solution. Six years later, one of those solutions has been implemented locally and is helping one local teen prepare for his first full-time job at […]