The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
March 31, 2021
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It’s spring, the sun is out and you want to get in the water.
But going to Pensacola Beach is a hassle, especially with a crippled bridge. And the waters of the Gulf of Mexico are still a bit chilly anyway.
Don’t worry, Pensacola State College offers an alternative for anyone wanting to take a dip. The PSC Aquatic Center offers recreation swim sessions, swim classes, water aerobics, and more. And the 25-yard-long pool? It’s heated to 84 degrees. (And you don’t have to worry about dragging sand home with you.)
“We have a lot to offer,” said Kay Miller, PSC’s Aquatic Center coordinator for the past 16 years. “It’s a great place to meet new friends and get some of the best exercise you can get.”
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Katie Castle was on the patient table, her shirt pulled up to expose her stomach. Pensacola State College sonography student Haley Cauley moved an ultrasound transducer across Castle’s stomach.
No, Castle isn’t pregnant. She’s a sonography student too. Both Castle and Cauley were demonstrating the use of the ultrasound equipment to prospective students at the PSC Allied Health Department Open House held Tuesday, March 30, on the Warrington campus
The Open House was held to educate prospective students on the College’s numerous health care programs, including Dental Hygiene, EKG Technician, Medical Assisting, Medical Coding and Billing, Pharmacy Technician, Radiography, Sonography, Phlebotomy Technician, Physical Therapist Assistant and more.
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Six PSC students selected for All-Florida Academic Team |
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The 2021 All-Florida Academic Team includes six Pensacola State College students who are not only scholars, but valuable campus leaders and community servants.
The Academic Team features 137 students from 28 colleges that make up the Florida College System, which includes Pensacola State.
The PSC students chosen for the All-Florida Academic Team and their fields of study are:
• Stefhan Al-Bayaty ─ Mathematics
• Kevin Huang – Computer Information Technology
• Brandi Lowery – Architectural Design
• Shayna Payne – Pre-Engineering
• Julia Riser – Pre-Physical Therapy
• Steven Wood ─ Cybersecurity
The All-Florida Academic Team will be recognized at a virtual awards ceremony on April 23. Members of the team are eligible to be selected for the All-USA Academic Team, which is sponsored by the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.
Students applied for the team online and afterward, nominators from the 28 Florida College Systems schools picked the team representatives. Jeff Wooters, Pensacola State biology instructor and Phi Theta Kappa adviser, was one of the PSC nominators.
Students were selected based on academic achievement, leadership and community service. Students needed to have a 3.5 grade point average or higher to qualify.
“These students have not only excelled academically, but they have to be well-rounded and active on campus," Wooters said. “I think it’s great that we have students who get involved, especially at a time when there has been so much anxiety and uncertainty. It’s easy to take classes then sit around and do nothing. It takes a lot of effort to go beyond what’s expected and be an active participant in the College and the community.”
All of the Pensacola State students chosen for the All-Florida Academic Team are members of Phi Theta Kappa.
Julie Riser graduates from PSC in May and will attend the University of West Florida on a scholarship in the fall. She’s studying pre-physical therapy at PSC and plans to earn either study psychology or physical therapy at UWF. But that’s just part of her PSC resume. Riser is a work study student and president of the Theta Chi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. She is also president of the Robinson Honors Program and the TRIO Student Support Services Club.
She wasn’t even aware she was selected for the All-Academic Team until a friend posted the news on Facebook.
“It was kind of crazy," Riser said. “I’m just a typical geeky college student.”
She admits, all her activities and studies keep her busy.
“But it’s really awesome to be able to be involved in what’s happening at PSC," Riser said. “PSC opens up a lot of pathways for students and has been a great learning experience for me and really prepared me for the transfer to a larger university.”
-- Troy Moon
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PSC Assistant Nursing Director Wanda McNeal helps heal spirits |
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In the midst of the pandemic, Pensacola State College Assistant Nursing Director Wanda McNeal would wake up each morning and record herself singing an uplifting song. Then, she would send the recording to friends and fellow PSC staff and administrators in the nursing department to help cheer them up to start their days.
“I can’t sing,” she said. “But I did it anyway because you want to support and uplift those around you.”
It’s just one example of McNeal’s willingness to make those around her feel more appreciated.
“We’ve all been through tough times recently with COVID,” said nursing instructor Jo Haberbush. “But she was getting up every morning and doing these videos and sending them to us. It was so uplifting. It brought such sunshine to our days. It was just a reminder that she has our backs.”
But McNeal feels she was born to help ease others’ pain.
“I knew since I was 5 years old that I wanted to be a nurse,” McNeal said. “I was the middle child of 13 kids, so I was always taking care of someone. It’s just been my calling.”
McNeal came to Pensacola State as an adjunct instructor in 2010 and became a full faculty member in 2015. She was named Assistant Director of Nursing in 2018.
She worked a dozen years as a staff nurse at hospitals in Pensacola and Orlando and never had a desire to teach. But then, she would see nurses come to work who she felt weren’t properly trained and decided to do something about it after a friend encouraged her to try teaching.
“I loved being a bedside nurse,” McNeal said. “But I finally decided it was time to try to teach the next generation of nurses to be successful.”
She said today’s nurses face many challenges, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s been so much burnout,” she said of her nursing colleagues. “They’re working extra and putting themselves in potential hazardous situations. But this is why we become nurses – to come to the aid of others.”
McNeal earned her Associate of Science degree from Tallahassee Community College, Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama and Master of Science in Nursing from Aspen University. The 61-year-old educator is currently working toward her doctorate from Aspen University. So, as a student, she knows many of the challenges her own students face. But she also knows they have few excuses.
“You have to do the work and put in the time,” she said of any educational pursuit. “So I know the work can be difficult with everything else going on in their lives, but I also know it can be done because I’m doing it. I’m working. I’m a student and I’m 61. So I know they can do it too. Yes, it can be overwhelming at times, but it has to be done.”
Haberbush called McNeal “the glue that holds the department together.”
“She does everything and knows everything,” Haberbush said. “She is the go-to person in the department and has been so consistent in her leadership. She pretty much holds it all together.”
-- Troy Moon
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A long time from now (actually Friday) in a galaxy far, far away (actually the Pensacola Campus Track & Field) ... |
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Join Student Engagement & Leadership this Friday on the Pensacola Campus Track & Field for our Student Activities Club Fair and Movie on the Lawn!
The Club Fair will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the movie “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Discover new opportunities and student groups, then cozy up and enjoy the movie with your family and friends. Outside heaters and other accommodations will be provided to ensure the best experience. Social distancing and mask-wearing will be observed at these events.
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AFC April Employee Spotlight: Melonie Miner, Legal Services Coordinator |
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Spring is here and the PSC chapter of the Association of Florida Colleges has chosen an individual with a very bright and active personality to be our spotlight member for April 2021, Melonie Miner.
Melonie (most of us know her as Mel) is the Legal Services Coordinator employed at the College since 2016. Mel started her employment at PSC in Human Resources with director Tammy Henderson. Henderson knew right away that Mel would be a great addition to the AFC organization. Mel has been a member of the AFC since 2016, when Henderson recruited and mentored her. Mel signed up for AFC on the first day of her employment.
Throughout her five-plus years, Mel has held many positions with the local chapter and state level e-board, including PSC’s AFC Chapter Secretary and President and Membership Services Chair at the state level. Mel also is a Certified College Professional graduate. She has attended several general membership meetings and social gatherings sponsored by the association. Mel describes AFC in five words: Service, Education, Opportunities (Growth and Leadership), Friends, and Fun. Mel has grown with AFC and now has an AFC State level role as Vice-President Elect of Regions and Chapters.
Obi Kalu, current PSC-AFC Chapter President, says, “Mel is our go-to person. She is always ready to help and serve. She has great ideas for fundraisers and events and knows how to encourage others to participate. She is ready to lead and enjoys the growth/learning process. I have enjoyed learning many AFC-related things from Mel and I still rely on her expertise in this area. She is a great TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) player and is very actively involved at all levels of AFC.”
Some of Mel’s favorite memories of the College and the AFC are having met so many at the college and around the state through her involvement with AFC. These relationships are special to her. One memory that stands out is a service project the PSC AFC chapter did for the holidays with Guardian ad Litem. Mel is a GAL volunteer and knows firsthand the struggle so many children in the Pensacola area face. The chapter selected Guardian ad Litem as their holiday service project and collected gifts (toys), money, and gift cards for the children.
AFC thanks Melonie for her hard work, dedication, and continued support of AFC.
If you would like to nominate a member for the monthly spotlight, please contact Ms. Obi Kalu at okalu@pensacolastate.edu .
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Announcing PSC’s IN-PERSON and VIRTUAL Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 Commencement
IN-PERSON: Sunday, May 9, 3 p.m., Pensacola Bay Center,
Pensacola, Florida
Deadline to Apply for Graduation is Friday, April 2, 2021.
Click the Apply to Graduate tab in Spyglass.
Please note that you will need to “Save Your Seat.” Applying for graduation is not the same as saving your seat!
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Pensacola State College provides high-quality, low-cost education to the residents of Northwest Florida through university transfer, workforce certificates, degrees, continuing education, corporate and professional development, and televised programming through the WSRE Public Broadcasting Service.
The PSC Foundation seeks to enhance the College’s ability to provide these services through a five-year campaign, "Your Community - Your Legacy," focused on supporting student scholarships, academic programs, faculty and staff professional development, and facility and technology infrastructure.
Click the button below to learn more about the campaign and to make your donation!
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