In Polk County’s Lakeland-Winter Haven MSA, among the fastest-growing jobs are post-secondary teachers, chemical equipment operators, family general practitioner doctors, medical care aides, and chefs, according to CommercialCafe and the Tampa Bay Business Journal. It should come as no surprise that these jobs are in demand, here’s why: POST-SECONDARY TEACHERS The number of college-level teachers […]
Despite the language barrier, a new school and an unfamiliar culture one Polk graduate is now excelling at a Polk institution of higher learning hoping to pursue a career in medicine. Jessica Echevarria moved to the United States from Cuba when she was seven, knowing only how to say “Yes,” “No” and a few other […]
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 […]