The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
June 10, 2020
After graduating from Tate High School in 2016, Alvin “Aj” Gordon Jr., came to Pensacola State College on a two-year baseball scholarship, and a dream of something beyond the baseball diamond.

“I really wanted to be a nurse,’’ said Gordon, who recently earned his RN Nursing Associate in Science degree at PSC. “There was a lot of influence in my family of doctors and nurses. And I truly care for people.”

Now, Gordon is still at PSC pursing his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

His collegiate baseball career is over, but even while playing he was both a scholar and an athlete.

Gordon, who played middle infield for the Pirates, was named to the 2016-2017 Panhandle Conference All-Academic Team. Earlier this year, he was named a recipient of the African American Memorial Endowment Scholarship at the Dr. Garrett T. Wiggins’ “Live Your Dream” Scholarship Banquet (pictured, with Gordon at left).

After earning his BSN at PSC, Gordon hopes to attend a university and earn a master and doctorate degree in nursing.

But Gordon credits PSC with helping him find his path.

“My senior year in high school I picked nursing,’’ Gordon said. “I was interested in science and I wasn’t bad in math. Nursing tied them all together.”

He knows he’s going into one of the best online programs around – and around includes all of the United States.

Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report named PSC’s BSN Program as one of the nation’s best online programs for 2020.

“If you put your mind to it, you really can succeed at Pensacola State College,’’ Gordon said. “All the professors really care about you, and you get a lot of one-on-one instruction that you don’t get at other colleges. They want you to engage them, pick their brains, ask them questions. They’re doing everything they can to help you succeed.”

-- Troy Moon

If you have other students you would like to see featured in PSC’s Go Here. Get There. (Name) Did! testimonials, please email  snichols@pensacolastate.edu .
PSC starts Open Zoom Info Sessions to chat with prospective students
Pensacola State College recruiters along with admission and Student Services representatives will be available to talk to interested students in Open Zoom Info Sessions each Wednesday.

Anyone interested in attending the College is invited to join the open sessions from 3-5 p.m. each Wednesday, beginning June 10. 

PSC officials will be on hand to answer questions in real time on numerous topics, including available scholarships and resources to assist students, as well as all admissions and recruiting.

“The purpose is to create another platform and have an open discussion with prospective students,’’ said Scott Bemiss , PSC Recruitment Coordinator, who will be one of the college officials participating in the Zoom sessions. “We’re going to have an agenda of information, and we’re hoping potential students pop in at their convenience.”

Bemiss said the Zoom session will have chat features where various links will be provided, as well as “breakout rooms” where PSC officials can have one-one-one conversations with students considering PSC.

“We’re excited to have this opportunity to have another avenue to meet and talk to students,’’ he said. “It’s just another tool we have to assist students.” 

Bemiss said the sessions will last at least through the end of the summer term and then college officials will evaluate the sessions and decided whether to use the Open Zoom Info Sessions in the future.

To join the discussion, go to pensacolastate.zoom.us/my/pscadmissions .

-- Troy Moon
Pensacola State restocks Food Pantry after AFC Food Drive
In the Pensacola State College Student Government Association office, Mel Miner looked over the bounty of food stuffed in the room – boxes and bags filled with canned goods, peanut butter, mac-and-cheese and a full menu more.

It is food collected during the just-ended Food Drive organized by the PSC Association of Florida Colleges chapter, of which Miner is president.

“I’m excited,’’ she said, looking over the food items, which will help stock the Pirate Food Pantry as well as provide meals to students who have been identified as facing “food Insecurity” issues, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected all walks of life. “And we still have more donations coming in to help our students in need. Our faculty and staff have been wonderful and generous.”

Food collected will be distributed to all PSC campuses and centers and then be available to students in need.

PSC Student Service Advisor Ashley Faulkner contributed seven banana boxes filled with food items to the drive.

“I was really just a go-between,’’ explained Faulkner, who collected the items from a local activist who had offered food to distribute.

“She had a ton of stuff to give away and told me to just take it. It’s been a tough year for everyone, and our students can be particularly affected by a major event like this. We need to make sure we’re looking out for them, because some of them are perhaps vulnerable.”

For information on the PSC Food Pantry, contact Katie Hudon, Director of Student Services, at 484-2273.

-- Troy Moon
PSC’s Massage Therapy program is much more than just pressing flesh
Massage therapy is both and art and a science.

So says Sonja McCall-Strehlow, and she would know.

She’s been a massage therapist for 37 years, and for the last 18 years she has taught Massage Therapy at Pensacola State College. Her accredited Massage Therapy program -- she is the program coordinator/professor -- is a vocational certificate program where students can earn their credentials in a year or less, depending on whether students attend day sessions, which are two semesters in length, or night classes, which is a year-long program. Both are 750-hour programs.

“One of the first things I ask student is ‘What brought you here?’," McCall-Strehlow said. “Some think it will be just rubbing someone and then going off to make a lot of money. That’s not the case. It’s not an easy vocation. You have to learn about anatomy and physiology and kinesiology. You have to learn all the systems of the body. You need to learn about muscles and bone structure and how to manipulate those muscles without hurting someone.” 

Michael Listau, PSC Workforce Director, said PSC offers numerous vocational certification courses under the Cosmetology umbrella, including Nails Specialty, Barbering, Esthetics and traditional Cosmetology. 

“These are programs where students can earn certificates fairly quickly and can then move into the workforce and re-stimulate the economy," Listau said. “There’s a need for these careers. All of these programs have been created to meet the occupational demand.” 

MCall-Strehlow limits her Massage Therapy classes to 16 students, allowing instructors to work closely with individual students.

“Our curriculum is thorough," she said. “It’s a wellness program and many of our students go on to work for chiropractors, for spas and medical spas. Some want to go into business for themselves. Others work in rehab centers.” 

Individuals who earn their Vocational Certificate are able to take the Florida Department of Health Board of Massage Therapy license examination.
  
She said her students learn medical massage, and how to massage people with skin conditions, as well as pregnant women, children and infants.

“I have vendors call me all the time and try to find my students because of what we do and the reputation of our program. “

Sarah Williams, a Baldwin County resident, earned her Massage Therapy Vocational Certificate just weeks ago, and hopes to find a job at the Grand Hotel in Fairhope, Alabama. 

“I really enjoyed the Massage Therapy classes. I learned a lot. I was looking up schools in the area and looking at reviews and PSC’s Massage Therapy program got great reviews. It’s definitely a worthwhile program.”

For information on the Massage Therapy program, call 850-484-1642. 

-- Troy Moon