The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
October 23, 2020
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Ashley Faulkner readily admits that she is not the most experienced person when it comes to what is referred to as “fine dining.” You know that fancy eating at those swanky restaurants where you have to be finicky about which fork to use.
But in the last few weeks she’s tried escargot for the first time and has been mesmerized by infused butter – all part of her experiences as a three-time diner of the Pensacola State College Culinary Management Program’s popular Lunch & Dinner Series.
Faulkner is a PSC Title III Student Services Adviser and has made all three visits to Lunch & Dinner Series this fall semester. And this fall, only PSC staff and employees, such as Faulkner, are allowed to attend the Lunch & Dinner Series servings because of COVID-19 precautions.
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Sandy Sansing is a successful and accomplished man. The Pensacola businessman has built an automobile empire across the Gulf Coast, including seven car dealerships in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
But Sansing knows he couldn’t do what Regina Young hopes to do – become a social worker who assists children, the elderly and the most vulnerable.
Young is one of 33 Pensacola State College students registered for the 2020 academic year who were selected as Sansing Scholars and received a Universal Scholarship. Sansing met Young and other “Sansing Scholars” at a pizza luncheon on Monday at the Pensacola campus Student Center.
“I couldn’t be a social worker,” Sansing said, looking toward Young. “I think it would tear my heart out.”
Sansing, who attended then-Pensacola Junior College on a golf scholarship, knows that finances can be a huge obstacle for some college students. He graduated from the College in 1967.
Since its establishment in 2002, the Sansing Scholars program has awarded nearly $500,000 to 1,126 PSC students.
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Milton PTK collecting cold-weather clothing for homeless military vets |
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For years now, the Pensacola State College Milton campus Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society chapter has been collecting cold-weather clothing and items for needy veterans in Northwest Florida.
A pandemic and hurricanes won’t change that.
The Milton PTK Beta Beta Gamma chapter is now collecting cold-weather clothing and other items for homeless and needy military veterans.
The PTK chapter is collecting socks, scarves, gloves, blankets, jackets and holiday cards that will be delivered to veterans in need. The Beta Beta Gamma chapter has collection boxes in the Student Centers of the Pensacola and Milton campuses. The collection runs through Dec. 2. The collected items will then be distributed to area veterans who have been identified as being in need. Last year, the chapter collected nearly 700 pairs of socks, 59 blankets and robes, a dozen jackets, 62 pairs of gloves, 11 pairs of pants, as well as sweaters, ties and hats.
Students, faculty and staff are also asked to send Christmas cards to veterans to show appreciation for their service. This year, the Beta Beta Gamma chapter is also accepting “Thank You” cards from students to faculty and staff who helped them navigate the Covid-19 pandemic. Christmas cards must be deposited at one of the locations by Dec. 2 as well, though the “Thank You” notes to faculty and staff must be deposited by Nov. 16.
“Everyone has been so busy and stressed, and we’ve never been really able to thank everyone at the College who have helped keep us safe," said Carol Hulse, adviser of the PTK Beta Beta Gamma chapter. Christmas cards and “Thank You” notes should be in unsealed envelopes. All correspondence is screened before it is sent on to recipients.
She said the purpose of the clothes, cards and notes collections is two-fold – to help veterans and teach student PTK members the meaning of service.
“It’s part of our program of service," Hulse said. “It’s part of their learning to give back and to say ‘thank you’ to those who deserve it. PTK is not just about grades. It’s about the total student.”
-- Troy Moon
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Jennifer Ponson’s name is synonymous with SkillsUSA – not only at Pensacola State College but throughout Florida. This year, she was named the SkillsUSA Florida Region 1 Champion of the Year.
The award recognizes dedicated SkillsUSA Florida leaders. Recipients are honored at the annual SkillsUSA Florida State Leadership and Skills Conference.
In 2009, Ponson chartered the College’s SkillsUSA chapter and became the adviser. Less than a year later, she was named the SkillsUSA Florida Region 1 Coordinator – a position she still holds today.
“When I took over as the regional coordinator, Region 1 had about 75 SkillsUSA members. Today, we have more than 1,000 members in Region 1 and 19 middle school, high school and college chapters,” said Ponson, who admitted she was surprised to receive the accolade.
“I’ve worked on a lot of awards program but had no idea that I had been nominated for Champion of the Year. I want to say ‘Thank You’ to SkillsUSA for honoring me.”
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PSC Milton campus now has cross country course |
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Recently nearly 250 high school boys and girls raced through the leafy trails and thick woods on the picturesque Pensacola State College Milton campus.
The runners were participants in the 49th annual Washington High School Wildcat Invitational, the longest-running cross country invitational meet in Florida.
The race might have history, but the 3.1-mile Milton course is still fresh. In fact, the Wildcat Invitational was its public debut.
Now, not only does Washington High have a great new course to hold its Invitational – the school plans on returning to the Milton campus for the Wildcat Invitational next year and beyond – but the PSC cross country team now has its own course to host competitions in upcoming seasons. The PSC cross country team finishes its second season on Oct. 30 when the squad competes in the Region 8 Cross Country Tournament in Tallahassee.
PSC truck driver and cross country enthusiast Richard Whatley Sr. conceived of the course, and with assistance from PSC cross country coach Julie Burger and Washington High School cross country coaches Brian Quinn and Krystal Falkler helped clean up and mark the course, which uses much of the disc golf fairways on the campus. The disc golf courses are maintained by the Emerald Coast Disc Golf Club.
The coaches, including Burger and Whatley, trimmed and cleared some bushes and limbs throughout the course, and also marked the course throughout with orange paint to help guide racers.
“It was awesome," Falkler said. “The kids and coaches from all the schools loved the course. It’s a beautiful campus and a great course. And it’s a true cross country course – running through the woods on uneven grounds. And it was great to partner with PSC.”
Burger said the new course is a “win-win” for the whole cross country community in Northwest Florida.
“It’s great for recruiting," Burger said. “Because we get to meet all the high school runners and coaches and they get to know PSC. And the plan is to hold (the Wildcat Invitational) there every year.”
Burger said she hopes to host a college meet or invitational on the course next season to give PSC a true homefield advantage for a change.
Whatley, who is part of a committee that schedules local high school cross country meets, had been wanting to lay out a cross country course for the College since the team debuted in 2019. When he found that Washington High was searching for a new location for its 2020 Invitational, he approached PSC President Ed Meadows to request permission for the College to host the event. At first, the Invitational was going to be held on a temporary course set up on the Pensacola campus, then Whatley began working on a plan to develop the Milton course.
“The (Pensacola campus course) wasn’t really working out and the runners didn’t really like it," Whatley said, adding that Hurricane Sally’s effect on the Pensacola campus also was a factor in establishing a Milton course.
“(Coach Burger) and I had talked about establishing a course at Milton before and this was a great opportunity. Now Julie knows the coaches and teams from the area high schools, and she can see students she might want to recruit for PSC. And the kids get to see that there’s more to Pensacola State College than just the Pensacola campus.”
-- Troy Moon
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Get your CTE goals in gear with scholarships from Pensacola State |
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$105,000 in scholarship grants for PSC Career and Technical Programs this Spring Semester! Apply for a scholarship by contacting Deborah Hooks at 850-484-2161, or email dhooks@pensacolastate.edu. To view the media release on the grant, go to PensacolaState.edu/CTEgrants. Spring classes begin Jan. 8.
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The Pirate Food Pantry still is accepting donations at each of the PSC campus locations to help students in need. Items such as peanut butter, canned tuna or chicken, beans, and rice are especially needed. Quick snacks and meals that can easily be heated up are also in high demand. We know that this is a difficult time for so many in our community and that local resources are stretched thin. Anything you are able to donate will mean so much to our students.
If you are interested in providing a cash donation rather than items, contact Lynsey Listau, 850-484-2128, llistau@pensacolastate.edu.
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