Florida Polytechnic University’s dominance on the world autonomous vehicle stage continues to grow, a status that enhances all of Polk County. Dr. Rahul Razdan, senior director of special projects at Florida Poly and head of the university’s Advanced Mobility Institute (where AV technology is tested and validated), has been appointed to lead a new project […]
Polk County student finds career in Central Florida’s Creative Industry following studies at Polk State College and Southeastern University and service in the Marine Corps. Alan Langdale thought he had his life planned out after he graduated from Mulberry High School in 2008. He enrolled at Tallahassee Community College, where he expected to earn a […]
Students from around the nation are flying high at Southeastern University this summer. For the first time, SEU is taking part in an Air Force Junior ROTC program that gives high school and college students a chance to earn their private pilot’s license in an eight-week program. Students will graduate on July 29th and receive […]
Heather Novis knew she wanted to become a nurse when she watched her aunt help her brother through treatment for Burkitt’s lymphoma, an uncommon but aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that affects children. “Seeing her help him made me want to help others,” said Novis, 22, who spent her middle and high school years at […]
Polk State College’s 16,000 students will soon have an easier path to a four-year degree at Florida Polytechnic University as the presidents of both institutions formalize an agreement they’ve been working on for a year. The transfer-articulation agreement means students who graduate from Polk State with an associate of arts degree will be allowed to […]
With a host of logistics companies like Saddle Creek calling Polk County home, the need for a talented, highly skilled workforce in supply chain management is critical. “Central Florida, and in particular Polk County, is the distribution hub for approximately 10 million people in a 100-mile radius,” according to Dr. James Fenton, dean of the […]
Brothers from Brazil find educational success on their path to becoming chemical engineers. Miguel Amador was entering kindergarten when his parents moved the family from Araraquara, Brazil, to Lakeland in 2004. His brother, Victor, was part way through first grade. Speaking only Portuguese, they credit Valleyview Elementary School with ensuring they learned English. And they […]
As construction continues to accelerate in Polk County, builders look for employees who can show up for work on time, ready to tackle that day’s project. They’re getting help from the Polk County School District. This year, the district opened four new construction academies, which are modeled after the first one at Bartow High School. […]
Crediting challenging AP classes, Michael Jernigan, a graduate of Bartow High School, isn’t surprised he’s studying electrical engineering at Florida Polytechnic University. Jernigan is being profiled as part of a series on students who attended Polk County Public Schools and are now pursuing STEM-related degrees in colleges here and across the country. He loved to […]
As Erick Meza prepares to graduate from Harvard University, he reflects on the education he received from Polk County Public Schools, one that helped prepare him for four rigorous years at the Ivy League college. Now 22, Erick graduated from the International Baccalaureate High School in Bartow, Florida in 2015. The son of Meliton and […]