The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
February 16, 2022
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Donors make a difference. Last year, 11 Pensacola State College students were awarded either an African American Memorial Endowed Scholarship or a Dr. Garrett T. Wiggins “Live Your Dream” Scholarship.
In 2022, that number has more than doubled. And it’s all because of generous donors.
On March 4, the scholarship winners will be recognized at a special ceremony in the Jean and Paul Amos Performance Studio at WSRE-TV.
The scholarships are usually awarded at an annual banquet, but for the second year the banquet has been canceled because of COVID-19. Because of COVID-19, the College launched a “100 for 100” campaign to make up funds that would normally be raised during the awards banquet, and that campaign continues this year. Volunteers set a goal for 100 people to donate $100 each – a $10,000 goal that was surpassed.
At the ceremony, scholarship recipients will have their photos taken with PSC President Ed Meadows, and the students will receive awards sponsored by Favor Flavor Seafood of Pensacola. Darrell Nelson, one of the restaurant owners, is a PSC alumnus.
The ceremony is not open to the general public. Afterward, there will be a taping of a one-hour “Pensacola State Today” episode that will honor the recipients and which will air later on WSRE.
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African drumming group Polimbatree performs at the Black History Month celebration at Pensacola State College on Feb. 16. Below, guest speaker Marion Williams addresses the packed house. |
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Pensacola State College celebrates African-American culture
and heritage with Black History Month festivities
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There were colors – traditional African dress filled with a kaleidoscope of bold orange, green, red and black colors.
There were songs of praise and salvation, songs of struggle from yonder times that still resonate today.
There was poetry, prayer and food. There was African dance and music. And, importantly, there was a packed house for the Pensacola State College Black History Month celebration at the Pensacola campus on Feb. 16.
“What a wonderful turnout,” said Dr. Tonie Anderson-Steele, adviser to the PSC African American Student Association, which hosted the event in the Delaino Student Center. “We’re just excited to be able to share this celebration with the community.”
The event was a “Celebration of the African Diaspora” – the collection of people across the globe who are descended from native Africans or who are from Africa.
“All of you are survivors,” said guest speaker Marion Williams, a former Escambia County School District administrator and local historian, who has been involved in local environmental and social issues in Northwest Florida for decades. “You are survivors of what happened (during slavery).”
Folks young and old attended the event, which featured African drumming from the local group Polimbatree and food prepared by PSC culinary student and PSC African American Student Association President Sandra Savage, who operates the local catering company Southern Quizine.
“It’s a great event,” Savage said. “I’m surprised, pleasantly surprised, to see so many people. It’s important for African Americans to remember where we came from. I’m proud of where I came from. We have fought hard to be where we are today, and we have overcome so much.”
The Rev. Jesse Turner, pastor of Mt. Moriah AME Church, led the invocation and served as emcee for the event.
— Troy Moon
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Students in PSC's Advanced Photography program work on their sunset images for the PSC Sunset Photography Contest, held in conjunction with Jaco's Bayfront Bar & Grille. |
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Don’t forget to vote in PSC Sunset Photography Contest |
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Jaco’s Bayfront Bar & Grille is the perfect location to enjoy a perfect sunset. Tucked into the southern tip of Palafox Pier overlooking Pensacola Bay, the eatery offers stunning views filled with vibrant colors dancing across the sky and reflected on shimmering water.
They’re images you would love to capture forever.
Pensacola State College photography students have done just that. You can see the best of their work – and vote for your favorite – during the annual PSC Sunset Contest student photography competition held and hosted by Jaco’s, a longtime supporter of the PSC photography program. Jaco’s is at 997 S. Palafox St.
Twelve PSC Advanced Photography students are participating in the contest. There are 13 sunset photos in the competition – student Jennifer Hendrix has two photos in the competition. The photos are then used in a calendar produced by Jaco’s, hence the need for 13 photographs – 12 months and one for the cover. Proceeds from the sale of the calendar benefit the PSC Student Photography Award Fund.
Jaco’s has contributed more than $12,000 to the Student Photography Award Fund, which supports the PSC Photography Program.
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The contest runs through the end of February and the winner will be announced in early March. The winner of the competition receives a month-long solo photography exhibition at Jaco’s in April.
“I think all the students did a really good job,’’ said PSC photography instructor Kristen Regan. “We had a lot of cloudy days, so I’m really proud of them getting out there and finding these wonderful images.”
PSC student Amber Beasley won the 2021 contest (her photo, "Palafox Peering," is at left) and was awarded the subsequent one-month exhibition at Jaco’s. She’s back in this year’s contest as well – she graduates this spring.
“It was pretty awesome and a big surprise because there were so many great pieces there,’’ Beasley said. “Having my own exhibition was a huge honor – it made me feel accomplished. Every artist wants to express themselves and put their work out there. Jaco’s gave me a great opportunity.”
Students in the PSC Sunset Photography Contest are: Kelsi Adams, Amy Athens, Amber Beasley, Hannah Clarke, Jennifer Hendrix, Lynn Hurt, Jessica McCabe, Ralitsa Mihaylova, Rodney Penwell, Carol Robinson, Dani Thomaston, and Maggie Williams.
— Troy Moon
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PSC United Way campaign features department Coin Challenge |
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The United Way changes lives.
And your extra coins can help the United Way change lives.
Pensacola State College launched its annual campaign for United Way of West Florida last week with a high-energy and balloon-popping event (see photo below). This week, the United Way activities continue with a campus-wide department Coin Challenge through noon on Feb. 18.
All departments are asked to set up an office container where employees can drop their spare change. The money will be given to United Way of West Florida along with the PSC campaign pledges. The department that collects the most money will win a free lunch courtesy of the College’s Association of Florida Colleges chapter.
“This is a way for anyone to give,’’ said Anita Spicer, who is the PSC campaign coordinator along with Melonie Miner. “It’s just a way to give without the pressure of wondering how much to give.”
At noon Friday, Feb. 18, departments are asked to bring their change containers to Room 717B in Building 7 for the coins to be tallied. (If there’s some paper in money, it will be accepted as well. Duh!)
The PSC United Way of West Florida campaign began Feb. 11 and runs through Friday, Feb. 25.
Anyone who donates $250 or more in unrestricted donations is eligible to win a car from Kia Autosport of Pensacola. Entries for the car will come from all workplaces in the United Way of West Florida region, not just from PSC. Anyone who donates $200 or more in unrestricted funds will receive a discount card that can be used at a variety of businesses in Northwest Florida.
— Troy Moon
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Balloon event was popping-good launch to United Way campaign |
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PSC employees gathered in the District Conference Room on Friday, Feb. 11, for the Balloon Pop Kick Off, the official launch of the College's United Way campaign. Melonie Miner and Anita Spicer, PSC's United Way coordinators, were on hand to distribute United Way of West Florida information and help employees pop balloons, which held exciting surprises inside. Attendees also were encouraged to take selfies and post them to social media with the hashtag #PSCUnitedWay2022.
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PSC Alumni Spotlight: Ryan Vann |
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Ryan Vann’s business is the fast-growing sport of disc golf. And Vann’s business education began at Pensacola State College.
Today, Vann is the owner of Flight Factory, a disc golf store that operates both online and from its brick-and-mortar store on Tippin Avenue near the Pensacola campus. Vann is one of the prime-movers in the Pensacola disc golf scene and not only because of his Flight Factory shop.
He is also one of four board members of the Emerald Coast Disc Golf Club, a 150-member disc golf group which established the Gator Links and Pirates’ Cove disc golf courses on the PSC Milton campus in the mid-2000s. He organizes numerous disc golf tournaments each year, including the first ever Lumberjack Open at the PSC Milton campus this past October. The tournament ran in conjunction with the College’s annual Lumberjack Festival. More than 100 people played in the inaugural tournament.
In January, Ryan presented two $500 checks to the PSC Milton Outdoor Club, one a donation from Flight Factory and the other from the Emerald Coast Disc Golf Club.
“For the Emerald Coast Disc Golf Club donation, we raised that over the years with (tournaments such as) the Gold Rush and Trilogy Challenges we have ran there," Vann said. “We all voted and felt the donation was appropriate and would help the school.”
Vann made a separate donation on behalf of the Flight Factory because the business hosted four disc golf events at Gator Links and Pirates Cove in 2021.
“PSC was good for me," said Vann, who earned an Associate degree in business from PSC in 2010. “It was the best path for me at the time.”
He then transferred to the University of West Florida and still needs eight classes to complete his bachelor’s degree in business. Vann also works as a manager at Pen Air Federal Credit Union.
“I think PSC helped because in the general business classes, there was a lot of management focus," Vann said. “I manage a team of 15 at Pen Air and when I’m not there or home, I’m here at the Flight Factory. I learned about marketing and things that help me everyday with this business from PSC.”
Vann, a married father of three, also spearheaded the creation of the new Pat Lunsford Blackwater Disc Golf Course in Milton. He also designed the course.
Disc golf has been one of the fastest-growing participation sports during the pandemic and Vann and the Flight Factory are seeing that growth first hand.
“Every day, I’m seeing people in the store that I haven’t seen before," Vann said. “Some come in and literally ask ‘What is disc golf?’ It’s great for all ages and you don’t have to run a mile, even though it is physically demanding.”
Vann said he hopes to strengthen the relationship between the disc golf community and PSC, especially since so many disc golfers play at the Milton campus each week.
He’s currently pitching a disc golf course at the PSC South Santa Rosa Center to College officials.
“I want to keep building that relationship with PSC and the Milton campus," he said. “I think there’s a lot we can do together.”
—Troy Moon
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Scholarships make a difference! Click here to support a student like Nick today. #FoundationFriday
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