The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
November 17, 2021
Recipients of the 2021 Faculty Service Awards
In remarks to recipients of the Pensacola State College 2021 Employee Service Awards, College President Ed Meadows noted the importance of tradition.

“Tradition is a wonderful thing at any institution, and this had been a long-standing tradition at Pensacola State College,” Meadows said at the first of two ceremonies held Nov. 4 on the Pensacola campus. “I see a group of people who have been doing their job well for many, many years.” 

The 76 employees honored with Employee Service Awards are the keepers of PSC’s traditions and institutional knowledge. Their experience and knowledge are invaluable to the success of PSC, Meadows said. 

“Whether you work directly with students or not, you all understand the necessity of helping students,” he said. “You know our first job is to take care of students.” 
Recipients of the 2021 Non-Faculty Staff Service Awards
Mitzie Sowell walked into a room where busy hospital staff were moving to and from to assist patients. 

A minute later, there were fireworks bursting in the room. Then came the snow, leaving shoe impressions on the ground where she walked. 

A minute later, Sowell was facing down a dinosaur. 

In reality, the room on Pensacola State College’s Warrington campus was empty. Indeed, it was Sowell who was controlling the moving audible environment.

Sowell, head of the Health Sciences Department, was showing off the College’s new Immersive Technology Room, where instructors can recreate dozens of virtual environments that can in assist in health care training.

“We can program in a hospital setting or an ambulance or even a scene of an accident,” Sowell said of the technology, which is produced by Echo Healthcare in Florida. “It really can be used for anything – it’s only limited by our imagination.” 


PHOTO: Mitzie Sowell, head of the Health Sciences Department, in the Immersive Technology Room.
If you’re going to a swanky ball, you want to have your hair all gussied up. 

Pensacola State College cosmetology students helped eight female U.S. military veterans look their best for the All Services Ball ─ stylin’ and profilin’ the veterans’ hair the day before the big soiree. 

The veterans are residents of a shelter operated by the nonprofit Honor H.E.R. (Honor, Empower, Rebuild) Foundation. The local organization helps provide women veterans in need with shelter, outreach assistance as well as education and job assistance. The foundation was founded by U.S. Navy veteran Nancy Prevot in 2016 ─ a year after she retired from the military after 21 years of service.

“I’m excited and can’t wait to see the transformation,” said Prevot, who was a Navy cryptologic technician. “I hope they’re excited too.”

They were.

“It’s fun,” said Christine, a Navy veteran who has been residing at the Honor H.E.R. shelter since she was evicted from her residence during the summer. “I’m going to get highlights and curls.”

Shakiera Philpot, the PSC Cosmetology student assigned to Christine, nodded in agreement.

“We’re going to get it styled with highlights – it’s going to look great,” Philpot said as she looked over Christine’s hair. “It’s really nice to be able to help others anytime you can. Especially people who served our country.” 


PHOTO: PSC Cosmetology student Adamia Thomas styles the hair of Renee, a military veteran who resides at a shelter for female veterans, operated by the area nonprofit Honor H.E.R. Foundation of Northwest Florida.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maria Tibbetts, a PSC student-athlete,
participated in Cross Country National Championship
Maria Tibbetts is a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant, a heavy equipment operator, a wife and a Pensacola State College student-athlete.

She is also a top community college/junior college cross country runner, and earned a spot in the 2021 National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Cross Country National Championship that took place Nov. 13 in Richmond, Virginia. She qualified for the national championship run based on her time – 22.36 – at the Region 8 cross country tournament in October. At the national championship, she finished 108th out of 197 competitors. 

“She’s been amazing,’’ said PSC Cross Country Coach Julie Burger. “She didn’t start out as our fastest runner, but she was shaving time every race. She’s just such a hard worker and a great teammate.” 

“It’s crazy,’’ said Tibbetts, who spent four years active duty in the Marine Corps before transitioning into the Marine Corps Reserves. “I had no expectations of being a ‘good runner.’ But coach and the team really pushed me and supported me.”

Tibbetts, 23, is currently taking prerequisite courses for the PSC Nursing program. She hopes to begin the RN Nursing program after one more semester of prerequisite classes.

Burger said Tibbetts, who operates heavy machinery in the Marine Corps, is conscientious about meeting all her varied obligations, sometimes traveling from her Marine Corps Reserves unit in Savannah, Georgia, straight to meets across Florida.

And like many Marines, she often goes beyond what is asked of her.

The day before the PSC XC Lumberjack Open Run at the course on the Milton campus, Tibbetts, Burger and Richard Whatley, who assists the team, spent much of the day cleaning and clearing the course.

Tibbetts finished first in the Lumberjack run. 

“I’m definitely enjoying PSC and my time here, especially with the team,’’ Tibbetts said. “If I need help, counselors here are always willing to assist you. And we have a great coach who is really supportive.” 

Tibbetts is married to Ethan Tibbetts, an active duty Marine.

She said she and her husband like to “stay active” and enjoy boating. She also admits to being a fan of true crime podcasts.

“She’s super shy,’’ Burger said. “But she’s just so dedicated.” 

— Troy Moon

PHOTO: Maria Tibbetts, right, poses with PSC Cross Country Coach Julie Burger.
PSC Alumni Spotlight: Ed Moore
NAME: Ed Moore

OCCUPATION: Retired attorney and mediator with the Pensacola law firm of Moore, Hill & Westmoreland. 

PSC CONNECTION: 1960 honors graduate of then Pensacola Junior College. Moore is a current member of the Pensacola State College Board of Trustees. He was appointed to the Board in 2007. Moore is past president of the PSC Foundation and the PSC Alumni Association. He met his wife, Ginger McMullen Moore, at the College in 1958. They married in 1964. In 2017, he helped establish the Ginger Moore Endowed Scholarship to honor his wife’s commitment to the College. Ginger Moore is also a Pensacola Junior College graduate who has been a valued and longtime supporter of PSC’s Continuing Education Program. Ed Moore is a past recipient of the PSC Outstanding Alumni Award. While at PJC, Moore played centerfield for the Pirates baseball team. 

LAW SCHOOL and MILITARY SERVICE: Moore received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida in 1962. He then entered the U.S. Marine Corps as a commissioned officer, before his service was deferred for law school. He earned his juris doctorate from the University of Florida in 1964, and then returned to Marine Corps active duty in 1965, serving three years and earning the rank of captain. He served in Vietnam as a military attorney prosecuting court martials. 

COMMUNITY SERVICE and HONORS: Moore is past-president of the Pensacola YMCA, the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association and has been involved with numerous legal and civic organizations. He was the first recipient of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association’s Professionalism Award. 

REFLECTIONS: “For me, PJC was fantastic. I got started there and it was my academic foundation. I had no other choice financially, but it seemed more like a smaller private college. You could get individual attention and there were some great instructors and counselors. And the social environment was great. There were some really nice social activities.”

PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE TODAY: “Pensacola State College offers so much today, particularly in the vocational area. The nursing program is fantastic and the whole healthcare program is so valuable to our area. And the truck driving program and the new truck driving facility is just amazing. When I first joined the Board, there wasn’t as much emphasis on the vocational programs as there is today. It’s greatly improved under Dr. Meadows. The College is still affordable for students – that hasn’t changed.” 
SAVE THE DATE: A global day of giving and unity, known as Giving Tuesday, will take place on November 30. Donations will be directed to our Fund for Excellence and will allow PSC to support both students and programs, in the most meaningful way.

Join us for Movie Night at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19, on the Pensacola Campus in the Hagler Auditorium. This is a FREE event open to all PSC students, faculty, and staff, their families, and friends. Drinks and popcorn will be provided. Masking is not required but strongly encouraged! See you there!
Hour-long workshops with financial experts are scheduled for August-November and January-April. Topics include: Basics of budgeting; recovering your finances; understanding loans and repayment; identity theft; and more. Details: 850-484-2082 or bmwright@pensacolastate.edu.
PTK Beta Beta Gamma Chapter and Campus Veterans Office present the Fall Semester Annual Collection for Homeless Veterans, Sept. 21-Dec. 1, 2021.
Collections on the Milton Campus at Buildings 4200, 4400, 4300 and 4000. On the Pensacola Campus, collections at the Veterans Office, Building 6, Room 658.
Needed are hats, white over-the-calf socks, scarves, gloves, lapghans, and holiday cards (please do not seal the envelopes).
Circle/Cycle, a performance by Lauren Woods, with Lori Bilbrey-Vaghefi and Ava Reding, will be held at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Charles W. Lamar Studio, Building 15, at Pensacola State College. Erin Cross will perform original music. 

Circle dances have been a part of human culture for thousands of years. Performed as rites of passage, an invocation of change, or a mode of community ritual, the circle embodies aspects of connection, unity, and cycles of transformation. Dancing is a way to bond and communicate, expressing elemental and ineffable aspects at the root of our being.  

In this dance performance, Woods will join Bilbrey-Vaghefi and Reding in a symbolic closing ceremony for her exhibition, Dream State.  

Admission is FREE and open to the public.