The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
October 30, 2020
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To get through a tough, challenging and unprecedented year, Pensacola State College leaned on its best.
And on Thursday, Oct. 29, nine PSC employees were honored as the College’s “Employees of the Year” for their hard work and dedication to the school.
“Here we are today with a room full of loyal, respected, hardworking employees that deserve recognition from this College for the fine work they’ve done day-in and day-out," said PSC President Ed Meadows in remarks to the award recipients and guests in the Pensacola campus Delaino Student Center.
“The folks we’re going to recognize today have always performed above the call of duty to distinguish themselves," noting they were high performers “during the COVID-19 pandemic and before the pandemic.”
Five Professional employees were honored, and four Career Service employees were recognized.
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As a child, Jessica Comeau was fascinated by the sweet sounds of the mountain dulcimer.
Now more than 16 years later, Comeau, a Pensacola State College adjunct instructor, shares her love of the instrument with others through performances and most recently lessons.
“My earliest encounter with the mountain dulcimer occurred when I saw my grand mom playing one at her house while my father played guitar,” recalled Comeau, who teaches in the College’s English and Communications Department.
“However I did not begin playing the mountain dulcimer until I received a special invitation to do so. When I was 14 years old, I was at the University of West Florida's Festival on the Green, and during a performance on the main stage, a local Celtic group, Sweet Prospect, invited audience members who were interested in learning to play the dulcimer to come to a meeting of the Dogwood Dulcimer Association.”
It was at that meeting where Comeau encountered an entire room of musicians playing the unique American zither together. Since then, Comeau said she has enjoyed “many happy years of making music and meeting friends in the dulcimer community.” She also has inherited her grandmother’s instrument.
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Human Resource’s Rhonda Likely retires after 38 1/2 years at PSC |
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Come Monday, Rhonda Likely isn’t sure what she’s going to do.
For 38 ½ years, she’s worked at Pensacola State College and has been assistant director of Human Resources for many of those years.
But on Monday?
“I’m going to get up and probably won’t know what to do with myself,’’ Likely said. “I’m so used to waking up and driving this way. I’m probably going to have to re-program my car because it’s so used to making the drive.”
Likely, a PSC alumna herself, retired on Friday, Oct. 30. Her co-workers celebrated with gifts and cupcakes.
“We love her,’’ said Human Resources Employment Specialist Tanesha McCreary. “She wasn’t just our supervisor. She was a mentor and friend to us. And she loved PSC. It won’t be the same without her. Definitely not.”
Likely is a Pensacola native who earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of West Florida, where she worked briefly before landing a job at PSC as an administrative clerk in the Business Department. She was transferred to Human Resources in 1996, working her way up to Human Resources assistant director.
“I’m going to miss everything about PSC,’’ Likely said. “I love the people. I absolutely love the people. I’ve developed friendships here that will last a lifetime. The people I work with aren’t just coworkers, they’re friends.”
Human Resources Director Tammy Henderson called Likely her “confidante.”
“She’s a rock and always has been,’’ Henderson said. “She’s stable, dedicated, strong and trustworthy. We’re going to miss her very much.”
Human Recourses Specialist Monica Williams said Likely “is like a mother to everyone in the office. She wants you to do well in everything you do. She wants you to succeed.”
Will she miss Likely?
“I miss her already and she’s still here.”
Though Likely isn’t quite sure what she’ll do on her first day of retirement, that doesn’t mean she is without a plan.
She is very involved in her church, Mount Carmel Baptist Church, which is pastored by her husband, the Rev. Robert Likely.
“There will be a lot of church work,’’ she said. “I love babies and I love senior citizens. A lot of my seniors, especially in this pandemic, are confined at home and aren’t able to get out. So I call them and talk to them and keep in touch and try to give them hope. I let them know that they need to keep energized and hopeful and know this is not the end of the journey. You just want to give them hope.”
-- Troy Moon
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Hoang is SkillsUSA Florida Region 1 Alumni of the Year for second year |
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Theresa Hoang has been involved with Pensacola State College’s SkillsUSA chapter since its inception – first as a student and now as a leader. Whenever the College is a part of SkillsUSA Florida regional, state or national event, Hoang is always right there.
For her service, Hoang was selected the SkillsUSA Florida Region 1 Alumni of the Year for a second consecutive year.
“I felt really honored to be awarded Alumni of the Year for the past two years,” said Hoang, the 2019 and 2020 Alumni of the Year. “It’s great being able to give back because SkillsUSA has given me so much more. I’ve learned a lot being a part of this great organization as a student and as an adviser.”
Hoang was a student when Pensacola State chartered its chapter in 2009. During those early days, she served as both a PSC chapter officer and a Region 1 officer. After graduation, Hoang took a position in 2011 working with Jennifer Ponson – the College's coordinator of Student and Program Outreach and the SkillsUSA Florida Region 1 Coordinator.
Hoang, an office assistant in the Student and Program Outreach Department, said the organization is important to students because it teaches them not only workplace and technical skills but also personal skills.
“I have firsthand knowledge that being involved in such an incredible organization as SkillsUSA will help students improve their leadership and workplace skills in the career field they are pursuing,” explained Hoang, who is a SkillsUSA co-adviser. “It makes students stand out among others when employers see that they have been involved with SkillsUSA.”
Pensacola State is a tradition for the Hoang family. Hoang earned her associate of arts degree from Pensacola State in 2010 and plans to later pursue a bachelor’s degree in business. Her brother, John, earned his EMT and paramedic certification, and her twin brother – Frank – received his electrical certification from PSC.
Hoang and her girlfriend, Delaney Underwood, live in Pensacola. Underwood also works in the College’s Office of Institutional Development. The couple has a fur baby named, Gypsy.
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AFC Spotlight Member for October: Guillermo 'Willie' Ortiz |
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Arriving as it does with fall temperatures, changing foliage and Halloween, October certainly is a colorful month. Colorful also is a good adjective to describe Guillermo “Willie” Ortiz, the PSC chapter of the Association of Florida Colleges’ Spotlight Member for October.
Willie is the Director for Cisco ASC & ITC and has been employed at the College since 2016. In his position at the college, he has taken the Cisco Academy Support Center from ‘in the red’ to where it is now. Under his leadership, the academy has received awards for three consecutive years as being the best among the best.
Willie has been a member of the AFC since June 2018, when current Chapter President, Obi Kalu recruited him. Throughout his two-plus years, Willie has attended several general membership meetings and social gatherings sponsored by the association.
Obi Kalu said, “At times, circumstances have made it difficult for Willie to participate in person, but on numerous occasions he has overcome those circumstances and found a way to participate in the chapter’s community service projects. When the chapter was collecting for the Homeless Veteran’s Stand Down, Willie placed an order for supplies to be delivered directly through Amazon. He helped a lot of veterans with his contribution. He has also made generous monetary contributions to the college’s food pantries.”
One of Willie’s favorite memories of the College and the AFC was traveling to Tallahassee with the President’s Leadership Institute and having the opportunity to interact with state education leaders and supporting legislators, as well as AFC Leadership. Members like Willie are responsible for the continued success of the association.
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COMPETITIVE HOLIDAY BAKER IS PSC STUDENT: Our best holiday wishes to Jessica Tatham, a first-year mechanical engineering student at PSC, who's competing as a member of the "Treat Yo Elf" team on the new season of Food Network's "Holiday Wars." The seventh season premieres at 7 p.m. Sunday. Here's an article about her in the Pensacola News Journal.
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Last week, on Thursday, Oct. 22, in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, several PSC faculty and staff members participated in #PurpleThursday, wearing purple to show support for survivors of domestic violence. Wearing purple was a simple, yet meaningful way to raise awareness about domestic violence and an easy way for people to show their commitment to promoting healthy relationships.
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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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