Ava L. Parker, J.D. - Palm Beach State

FOR THE FRIENDS OFPALM BEACH STATE COLLEGE

WINTER 2015-16 | VOL. 22, NO. 1

New president brings her “A” game

to Palm Beach State College

Ava L. Parker, J.D.

FeaturesBRINGING HER “A” GAMECollege’s first female president takes charge

CYBER BATTLEStudents get ready to take on hackers

50 YEARS LATERA look back at the merger of two junior colleges

MOCK LEGISLATURELearning by doing, debating

DepartmentsFACULTY SPOTLIGHTSonography professor is accidental pioneer

FYI PALM BEACH STATETwo win Cooke Scholarship | Health programs earnaccreditation | Grant boosts STEM work-readiness| Provost among top women in higher education

SPORTSHoops coach brings young, energetic vibe | Meet Tony Richmond | Game schedules

FOUNDATIONDanica Patrick to propel 2016 STEAM event

ALUMNI CORNERFashion industry success – by design

ALUMNI SUCCESS STORIESBack cover

Cover photo by Matthew Lester

Contact is printed on chlorine-free,Forest Stewardship Council certifiedand Rainforest Alliance certified paper.

Contents

PRESIDENTAva L. Parker, J.D.

DISTRICT BOARD OFTRUSTEESWilliam BergerCharles K. Cross, Jr.John W. Dowd IIIWendy S. LinkCarolyn L. WilliamsJesse Pulliam, Student

Palm Beach State College is accredited by theSouthern Association of Colleges and SchoolsCommission on Colleges to award theassociate and baccalaureate degrees. Contactthe Commission on Colleges at 1866 SouthernLane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call(404) 679-4500 for questions about theaccreditation of Palm Beach State College.The Commission should be contacted only ifthere is evidence that appears to support aninstitution's non-compliance with anaccreditation requirement or standard. Co

ntact

Contact is produced by the Office of College Relations and Marketing, Palm Beach State College, 4200 Congress Ave., Lake Worth, FL 33461.Please call 561-868-3122 or email [email protected] for further information or to obtain additional copies of Contact.

EDITORGrace H. Truman, Ed.D.

CONTRIBUTINGWRITERSJoyce EdelsteinSheryl FlatowTabatha B. McDonaldKristi SorrowGrace H. Truman

ART DIRECTORKari W. McCormick

Lindsay McGlynnKari W. McCormickTabatha B. McDonaldGary Moo YoungRoly RodriguezKristi SorrowRobert Van Der Velde

Palm Beach State College, founded in 1933 as Florida's first public community college, is a diverse,comprehensive institution dedicated to serving the educational needs of Palm Beach County. Integrally linked to thecommunity through strong partnerships, the College provides associate and baccalaureate degrees, professionalcertificates, workforce development and lifelong learning. Palm Beach State College’s mission is to create and sustaina dynamic teaching and learning environment that provides a high-quality, accessible, affordable education,preparing students to contribute and compete ethically and successfully in a diverse global community.

1PA L M B E A C H S TAT E C O L L E G Ewww.PalmBeachState.edu

PHOTOGRAPHYBarry CovingtonZeynep EnderogluAl EvansHarold HinsonClay KerriCandy Lall DassMatthew Lester

VIDEOGRAPHYLindsay McGlynn

reetings! It is a joy for me to pen my firstContact magazine column as the new

president of Palm Beach State College. Irecognize that you are reading this messagebecause you care about the College, whichimmediately gives us common ground.

As I am settling into the role of president, I am especially appreciative of the PalmBeach State College family – faculty, staff,trustees, leadership team, students, alumni,community friends – who have been sogenerous with their time, ideas and support.Through exploration, research and dialogue,we are working together to crystallize thevision for the College. Together, we will buildon the remarkable progress achieved in thepast and make a great institution even better.

One of my first-year goals as the new familymember is to enhance both internal andexternal communications, to ensure thatnot only are we listening to our community,we also are telling our story. To that end, Iinvite each of you to learn a bit more aboutPalm Beach State through the pages ofContact.

You can read about the College’s newcybersecurity programs, preparing studentsfor high-demand roles in the fight againstcomputer hackers. Learn who will be thenext internationally renowned guestappearing through our multi-year STEAMinitiative supporting science, technology,engineering, arts and mathematics. (Thespeaker may surprise you!) And be sure toread the stories of some of our notablegraduates, who are achieving success andsatisfaction at all stages of their lives.

Speaking of graduates, PBSC is exploringnew ways to tap into and connect with ourvast alumni network, and we welcome yourideas and contributions. Perhaps you couldsupport current students through mentoringand internships or serving on one of ourBusiness Partnership Councils. Send usupdates on your accomplishments that wecan share with your former classmates. Stay up to date on what is happening at Palm Beach State by subscribing to ouronline News Center or following us on social media. (See page 19.)

If you are a graduate of Palm Beach StateCollege, we celebrate your successes as our own. Isn’t that what families do? Stay in touch.

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it’s because of you that we are goingto soar,’’ she said. “We will work together to make that happen.”

Her energy on stage that day hasbeen consistent during her first busyfive months on the job, as she gets toknow PBSC employees and studentsand the key leaders in Palm BeachCounty.

“I’m proud to be here, and I wantthat level of excitement to be feltthroughout our organization,’’ Parkersaid. “It will be infectious for thestudents.”

Genuine leaderParker has been doing a lot of listening,asking questions and getting inputon the College’s priorities. She hastaken immediate action on somematters, which generated positive responses. For example, she receivedbooming applause from faculty andstaff after announcing during facultyConvocation that she was reinstatingcoverage of transportation expensesso they can attend approved profes-sional development conferences. “Whowants to go if you’re not going topay for me to get there, right?” shequipped. “I want you to see the bestand brightest ideas in your areas soyou can bring those ideas back toour campus.”

Parker also assured faculty that shewill meet regularly with their unionleadership to address faculty concernsand create opportunities for the District Board of Trustees to learnmore about them and their work.

“I think she’s doing a great job so far,not just because of what she said atConvocation, but she did follow upon all of that,’’ said Professor NicholasLaRocca, president of the UnitedFaculty at PBSC. “On top of that,she seems really into what faculty doin the classroom and our roles. She genuinelyseems to want to understand our point of viewand consider it. It seems that when she sayssomething, it’s the truth.”

While she wants to get input before updatingthe College’s priorities and agenda, Parker alreadyhas laid the groundwork. At every opportunity,she encourages faculty and staff to be “innovative,”to “think outside the box,” and to “bring your‘A’ game to work every day.” She also has vowedto improve communication and change theculture of PBSC to reinforce its standing as onecollege with multiple campuses.

“I am challenging myself to make a good insti-tution better,’’ she said. “The issues that I amdiscussing now will be the foundation of whateverwe do in the future. We’ve all learned that weare more successful if we collaborate and worktogether.”

From law to educationParker came to Palm Beach State from FloridaPolytechnic University, where she served sinceDecember 2012 as executive vice president andchief operating officer. The Lakeland schoolwas a satellite campus of the University of SouthFlorida in Tampa until state law earlier that yearmade it an independent institution. Parker was

the first administrator hired for thestate’s 12th public university, and shewas responsible for shaping its missionand vision, overseeing the campusdevelopment, hiring staff to preparefor the inaugural class in fall 2014and helping the school pursue ac-creditation.

An attorney who earned both herjuris doctorate and bachelor’s degreein journalism from the University ofFlorida, Parker, 52, elevated her careeron the policy side of higher education.She was appointed by former Gov.Jeb Bush in 2001 to the inauguralBoard of Trustees for the Universityof Central Florida after state lawmakersabolished the Board of Regents andcreated boards at each state university.When a 2002 constitutional amend-ment created the Board of Governorsto oversee the state universities, Parkerwas then appointed by Bush to theinaugural 17-member BOG and reap-pointed by former Gov. Charlie Cristand Gov. Rick Scott. She served forabout 10 years on the BOG, includingterms as vice chair and chair, beforeresigning to take the position atFlorida Poly.

A native of Santa Rosa County, sheworked as an assistant public defenderfor Miami-Dade County and servedas general counsel for the 11th Epis-copal District of the African MethodistEpiscopal Church and for EdwardWaters College in Jacksonville. Marriedto former State Rep. Joe Gibbonsand the mother of 6-year-old boyand girl twins, she most recentlyworked in private practice as a partnerin the Jacksonville firm of Lawrence& Parker.

Parker said her higher education gov-ernance and legal experience haveprepared her to lead Palm BeachState at a crucial time with the arrival

of state-mandated performance-based fundingand construction underway for a fifth campusin Loxahatchee Groves.

“I feel honored to have the opportunity to leada complex, dynamic organization at a very interesting time. Higher education is changingto meet regulatory demands and to respond tosavvy students,” she said. “This is a strategictime in the life of the institution.”

Wendy Link, chair of the District Board ofTrustees, said she appreciates the strategicapproach that Parker brings. “I believe she bringsa new energy to the school and is looking at it

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Dressed in academic regalia on a steamy Friday morning, Palm Beach State CollegePresident Ava L. Parker, J.D., stepped to thepodium in the packed Duncan Theatre.Within five minutes, she had the crowd ofnew students on their feet and chanting.“We are the Panthers,” they roared, followingher lead like sports fanatics at a big game. “We are the Panthers. We are the Panthers.And, we–are–on–the–prowl!”

That Lake Worth campus New Student Convocation on thefirst day of fall classes was Parker’s first time addressing an audience of Palm Beach State students and their parentssince becoming the College’s fifth president and first femalechief July 1. Before the chant, she spoke briefly and passionately,without notes, connecting the students’ new educationaljourney with hers as the leader of Florida’s seventh largestcollege with 48,000 students.

“Things at Palm Beach State College are great, but it’sbecause of you that they are going to become better, and

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story continues on page 5

Ava L. Parker is Palm Beach State College’sfifth president and first female chief

B R I N G I N G H E R “A” G A M E

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MYSELF TO MAKE A GOOD

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with fresh eyes. She’s looking for that strategicedge as it relates to growth, improvements andpartnerships.”

Parker said because performance-based fundingstarted while she served on the Board of Governors,she understands the model and is prepared tohelp the College meet its performance targets.Of the three possible funding levels for the 28state and community colleges – gold, silver andbronze – Palm Beach State falls in the middle.

“Some of the metrics are difficult for an openaccess institution, particularly when many of ourstudents work and go to school. But the currentmetrics will make us focus on areas that are important for our students’ success,’’ she said. “I understand that performance funding is hereto stay, and I approach it with the attitude thatit’s good for us because it’s reasonable for thestate to ensure quality for our students and areturn on its investment. We are already analyzingour data, and we are going for the gold.”

Making her markA 3-D printed model of the Loxahatchee Grovescampus sits on a table in Parker’s office. Sheglances at it and smiles as she discusses how thecampus fits into the future of the College andthe growing west-central communities it willserve. She knows that the building’s imprint willbe connected to her predecessor, Dr. DennisGallon, who retired in June after 18 years aspresident and whose name the campus will bear.However, the direction of the campus and itssuccess falls on her shoulders.

“I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Gallon’swork, and I feel a huge responsibility to build on his legacy,” she said. “I’m excited about theopportunities that you have when you start some-thing new, and I’m challenged by the issues, likefunding, that we have to pull together to make ithappen.”

Responding to labor market data, Parker presenteda proposal for science and technology to be theinitial focus of the campus, making it the basefor existing high-demand health care and tech-nology associate degree and certificate programsand the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degreeprogram. The initial phase also will includecourses for the Associate in Arts degree. TheDistrict Board of Trustees gave her the greenlight in September.

“I see this as a wonderful opportunity for me torefresh the brand for our institution,’’ she said.“That is why I am so interested in innovativeprograms. I want Palm Beach State to be knownas an innovative, cutting-edge institution that islistening, changing and moving to where thepuck is going.”

Parker said getting faculty and staff to considernew ways of doing business and reaching studentswill be critical for the continued success of theinstitution and the students. “That’s the onlyway you can be responsive to the kind of envi-ronments that students are going to find themselvesin. Our students will need basic skills, but they’realso going to have to know how to think criticallyand do things differently in order to be compet-itive,’’ she said. “If we don’t think like that there’sno way we can bring that to the table for our students. We have to lead by example.”

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For more photos and a video interview of President Parker: www.palmbeachstate.edu/Contact

[Top left] President Parker discusses goals andchallenges with Honors College studentsTravis Dietz, Bebeto Amazon, Olivia Lowreyand Michelle Diaz.

Mohammed Shatara, who works in thePBSC Student Learning Center, talks toPresident Parker at one of three openforums she held at the Belle Glade campusfor students, staff and faculty and thecommunity.

President Parker shows her Panther spiritwith PBSC student trustee Jesse Pulliam(second from right) and StudentGovernment Association campuspresidents, from left, Jon Carter (BocaRaton), Jessica Louis-Jeune (Belle Glade),Evander Felix (Lake Worth) and AndrewPerry (Palm Beach Gardens).

Palm Beach Gardens campus forum with President Parker

[Left]

[Right]

Al Zucaro and Yvonne Boice of BocaRaton with President Parker and herhusband, Joe Gibbons, at the PBSCFoundation Welcome Reception.

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New Student Convocation at the Boca Raton campus

PBSC students follow President Parker’s lead in a Panthers chant duringNew Student Convocation at the Lake Worth campus.

President Parker with Florida AtlanticUniversity President John Kelly

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Home-grown cyberwarriorsPalm Beach State is preparing studentsfor cybersecurity careers, deploying animpressive arsenal of certificate anddegree programs, cyber-experienced fac-ulty and a computer lab unlike anyother in South Florida.

Of course, PBSC has been teachingcomputer science for decades, with broadofferings in networking, programming,web technology and information security.In 2011, the College added a Bachelorof Applied Science degree in InformationManagement with a concentration inSecurity and Network Assurance. Yet,with cybersecurity an increasingly urgentnational priority, it became clear that theCollege needed to do more.

Help came from Washington, D.C., specificallythe federal Trade Adjustment Assistance Com-munity College and Career Training grantprogram. In 2013 a consortium of sevenFlorida colleges, including Palm Beach State,won a $10.2 million TAACCCT grant toimplement their plan, Florida XCEL-IT.PBSC’s portion of $1.2 million was the fuel itneeded to enhance its cybersecurity pathwayfrom beginning to end.

“The XCEL-IT grant has really propelledus,” says Richard Chance, associate professorand chair of the Information ManagementB.A.S. degree. “This is a very unique time towork on something that’s of national securityinterest. There’s a dire need, and it’s gettingworse. Our programs are going to help meetthat need for our region.”

With human and technical resources fundedby the grant, Palm Beach State has ramped up the B.A.S. program and the foundationalAssociate in Science degrees in computer net-working and programming. The College alsolaunched two cyber-focused College CreditCertificate programs, which along with existingCCC’s, serve as steppingstones to the A.S.degrees or as quicker routes to employment.A new cybersecurity lab opened in September,and by spring term, all programs will bealigned to industry certification content, givingstudents a head start in obtaining professionalcredentials.

In these programs, students learn about avariety of cybersecurity career areas, includingpenetration testing to assess vulnerabilities,network monitoring to defend against attacks,and forensic analysis to investigate failures.PBSC bases its cybersecurity curriculum onthe National Cybersecurity Workforce Frame-work set forth by the National Initiative for

Cybersecurity Education. The College is alsoworking toward earning designation as anNSA/DHS National Center of Academic Ex-cellence in Information Assurance. In additionto meeting academic criteria, CAE-IA schoolsalso work with their communities and campusesto raise cybersecurity awareness and share ex-pertise.

Combat TrainingInside Palm Beach State’s new cybersecuritylab on the Lake Worth campus, students faceoff against real-world attack strategies – foundin a 7-inch-high green box.

“We looked at a tool that would differentiateour lab from just a regular computer lab,”says Chance. That tool is the lab’s cornerstonedevice: the Ixia BreakingPoint StormTM, astate-of-the-art stress tester used to detect vul-nerabilities in networks and data centers.Popular with Fortune 100 corporations andgovernment agencies, BreakingPoint Stormalso keeps IT staff sharp with hands-on trainingexercises built around real-world threats.

C O N TAC T | W I N T E R 2015-201666Story continues on page 8

B Y J O Y C E E D E L S T E I N It’s a worldwide war.Every person, organization

and government is under threat of attack, and Palm Beach State

College has joined the fight.

“This is a very unique time

to work on something that’s

of national security interest.

There’s a dire need, and it’s

getting worse. Our programs

are going to help meet that

need for our region.”

Richard Chance, associate professor and chair of theInformation Management B.A.S. degree program

Students get ready to take on hackers

Yes, computer hackers are formidable

enemies. These faceless criminals permeatethe Internet, targeting computers, mobiledevices, tablets, networks and cloud-basedservices – wherever they can wreak havocwith personal information, intellectualproperty and the world’s infrastructure.According to security company Symantec’slatest report, more than 317 million newpieces of malware (aka malicious software)were created in 2014 – that’s almost onemillion a day.Consequently demand has skyrocketed forspecialists who can protect and defendagainst these attacks. Cybersecurity job

postings grew 91 percent from 2010-2014,a rate three times faster than informationtechnology job postings overall, accordingto Burning Glass Technologies.Yet despite this critical need, there will bea shortage of 1.5 million cybersecurity pro-fessionals by 2020, as projected by the 2015Global Information Security WorkforceStudy, conducted by Frost & Sullivan. This giant gap has spawned public-privatecollaborations involving academia, industryand government agencies, such as theNational Security Agency and Departmentof Homeland Security. The goal: rapidlyexpand our cybersecurity workforce.

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Just as military troops use a firing rangeto practice weapon skills, the BreakingPointStorm functions as a “cyber range” tohone cyberwarrior skills. The device allowsPBSC to simulate networks with millionsof people using any of 300 online appli-cation protocols, from Google® Gmail toOracle.® The challenge happens when ne-farious traffic is injected into the mix,and students must find the “needle in thehaystack.” BreakingPoint Storm comeswith 37,000 pieces of “exploit code” – in-cluding the essence of actual attacks, suchas the malware that crippled Target andSony.

“We are literally training people on thelatest threats that are being launchedagainst organizations,” says Don Gladney,Ed.D., associate dean for the B.A.S. pro-grams and a former IBM executive. “Every

two weeks we get a complete refresh of allthe known threats to download into theBreakingPoint box. We don’t have to waitfor another release of a software simulationor another textbook release. Our graduateswill be ready to go to work and hit theground running.”

The lab also has network servers runningvarious operating systems, virtual machinecapability, switches, routers and a soon-to-be-installed video wall that will enablereal-time threat visualization on multiplescreens. Every session is recorded, so students are able to do analysis as well.“We’re giving students the tools that in-dustry is using,” says Chance. “We wantthe lab to be one of the most comprehensivein the state, where one day, we can offerthese services to area businesses.”

Gary Rogers, Ph.D., a new PBSC professor,guides students as they create virtual networks, evaluate threats and figure outways to protect their networks. He alsosplits students into teams: offense and defense.

“I’m a football fan,” says Rogers, who hasa cybersecurity background that includessenior positions with the Internal Revenue

Service and U.S. Department of Defensecontractors. “In football, if you’re goingto have a good defense, you need to knowwhat offense is coming at you. Conversely,if you want to be a success on offense,you need to know what defenses are there.We’re teaching students both sides: howto penetrate and then how to defendagainst those attacks.”

The only other school in Florida teachingwith the Ixia BreakingPoint Storm isEastern Florida State College in BrevardCounty. This fellow XCEL-IT consortiummember has challenged PBSC to a“hackathon” this spring to see whichschool can best tackle cybersecurity issues.No matter who wins, both schools are pi-oneers in using BreakingPoint Storm foreducation.

At the lab’s grand opening, Lynne Clark,chief of the NSA’s National InformationAssurance Education and Training Program,said “Congress is very interested in howwe produce people who not only havethe knowledge but can show that theyhave the skills. This really is innovative ofPalm Beach State College to be at thespearpoint of this new effort, providinga place where students canlearn hands-on and not justout of a book.”

From all walksAs word spreads about whatthe College is doing in cyber-security, enrollment is growing.A former chef discovered she’drather cook hackers than recipes.A criminal justice student realizedhe’s hooked on computers. A momhad to find a better career after herhusband was disabled. All are excitedabout their new pathway.

The XCEL-IT grant gives special categoriesof students, 24 and older, a leg up,including veterans and displaced workerswho are unemployed or underemployed.XCEL-IT students receive support froma dedicated advisor and when they graduate,

CareerSource Palm BeachCounty helps them find jobs.

Last spring, students formedthe Cybersecurity Alliance, aclub to promote public aware-ness of cybersecurity and helpstudents transition to careers.“Palm Beach State’s given mea lot of opportunities to meetnew people and really get into

the program,” says Andrew Bonwell, theclub’s founding vice president, who has anA.S. degree in criminal justice and ispursuing the B.A.S. degree.

Natalie Chambers-Smith echoes Bonwell’ssentiment. The mom who needed a newcareer, this B.A.S. student served as theclub’s secretary and already has a job as asystems analyst with Worldwide Hotel LinkU.S.A. She works remotely as she finishesher degree.

“This is the best opportunity for me,” saysChambers-Smith. “It’s not even about themoney, although PBSC is less expensive.It’s the classroom size as well. You’re not anumber here, and you have access to allyour professors.”

Kim Lampe, a senior in the B.A.S. program,sees the lab as a career springboard. “TheCollege is heading in the exact direction itneeds to be heading. A lot more studentswill be attracted to this program becauseof the practical experience.”

Looking next to building Palm Beach State’sfuture enrollment, the College is developingplans to start a summer cybercamp in col-laboration with John I. Leonard HighSchool. “There is no need now for businessesto go beyond Palm Beach County for cy-bersecurity workers. We are building themhere at PBSC,” says Jose Ortiz, the College’sXCEL-IT grant director.

Business partners are excited, too. “Securityis a huge challenge, so having an educationpartner focus on training people at a highlevel is awesome,” says Mark Smith, chiefoperating officer of 3Cinteractive, a mobilemarketing company in Boca Raton. “It’scritical for us as we grow to have access tolocal talent.”

Chance, who previously served in theMarines, is serious about this mission. “Thenew cold war is a cyberwar, and we’regoing to be right in the middle of it,training people to participate and helpsecure our public and private infrastructure.There’s an incredible amount of oppor-tunity that awaits students who havethese skills.”

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Dr. Gary Rogers, right, discusses the technology inPBSC’s Cybersecurity Lab with students in his AttackPrevention and Detection class.

The Ixia BreakingPoint Storm packs a lot of power in its7-inch-high green box. The device helps students honetheir cyberwarrior skills.

Lynne Clark, chief of the NSA’s National InformationAssurance Education and Training Program, spoke at theCybersecurity Lab grand opening. Other panelistsincluded Martin Kelln, senior vice president of ISSGlobal,the Boca Raton-based security solutions company thathelped build the lab.

Students Imtiyaz Mohammed and Catherine Tredinnickfocus on projects in the Cybersecurity Lab, as JohnSewell, cybersecurity range specialist, manages the lab.

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“Security is a huge challenge, so having

an education partner focus on training

people at a high level is awesome. It’s

critical for us as we grow to have access

to local talent.”Mark Smith, COO, 3Cinteractive, Boca Raton

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PBSC studentsVictoria Beuthien

and Johnny Salomonstudy at the library in

front of paintings of RooseveltJunior College alumni and staff.

The paintings are part of an expansiveproject to preserve RJC’s history.

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ix vivid paintings of Roosevelt JuniorCollege alumni and staff hang from a wallon the second floor of Palm Beach State’sLake Worth campus library.Other than a whirring printer, it is quiet on

this particular day. Across the room, students arebusy at computer stations, some withheadphones draping their ears. Most ofthem are millennials unfamiliarwith the stories and the historybehind the images of IneriaHudnell, Bettye Dawson,Margaret Richardson,Jacquelyn TaylorCotman, Idella Wadeand Robbie Littles –but they are curious.Geansli Joseph, an

up-and-coming artist and Palm Beach StateCollege graduate, painted the portraits as acontribution to an expansive project to preservethe history of the all-black junior college thatmerged 50 years ago with mostly white then-Palm Beach Junior College, ending segregationof higher education in Palm Beach County. Underneath each portrait is a QR code that linksto an oral history project with interviews of sevenRJC alumni and staff and a local attorney whowas on the Board of Public Instruction when itvoted on April 7, 1965 to close the school at the end of that academic year. By then, PBJC had integrated only sparingly, with 63 blacksamong its 3,000 students, according to anewspaper report. But, the majority of the blackjunior college students in Palm Beach Countywere at RJC, where enrollment had reached 200. “We should all know the history of whathappened. I think that’s important so we don’tclimb back into that situation again,” said PalmBeach State student Johnny Salomon, an aspiringphysical therapy assistant who was on the libraryfloor studying.“If you’re going to go to a school, you shouldknow something as important in its history as two colleges merging,’’ said student VictoriaBeuthien, whose goal is to become a surgicalnurse.RJC was hastily built in 1958, despite objectionsfrom a group of black leaders who considered itan attempt to avoid integration, given that theU.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board ofEducation in 1954 had ruled segregated schoolsunconstitutional. However, many, particularlycurrent and former students who had fought tokeep RJC open, weren’t against integration. Theywanted to keep the campus on 15th Street inWest Palm Beach available as a branch.

In addition to the oral history project and thedigitizing of RJC artifacts, including yearbooks,commencement programs and photos, theCollege also has made a concerted effort over thelast decade to continue reaching out to RJCalumni and staff. Among the initiatives, theCollege organized the first RJC reunion in 2005

that drew more than a hundred people.From that event, an RJC Alumni

Association formed and beganmeeting regularly. In 2006,

the College involved thegroup in a rededicationof the newly renovatedBritton Sayles SocialScience buildingthat more promi-nently displays theRJC president who

also served simultan-eously as the principal ofRoosevelt High School.Although the DistrictBoard of Trustees namedthe Social Science Buildingon the Lake Worth campusin honor of Sayles, some RJCalumni and staff, still hurt bythe abrupt closure of their college,felt that more work was needed tokeep its history alive. So, now retired PalmBeach State president Dennis P. Gallon, who hadjoined the College in 1997, worked to advancethe efforts started under his predecessor, Dr. EdEissey. With the outreach events for RJC alumni andstaff and all the initiatives to preserve the RJChistory and incorporate it into the College, RJCstudents and alumni say that they feelmore a part of the College, and theycredit Gallon. “We’re happy now,’’ said BettyeDawson, who was in RJC’sfirst graduating class. “He dida good job of merging us. Ireally do feel a part of PalmBeach State College. I never feltlike that before Dr. Galloncame.”“I give Dr. Gallon all the credit. Wewouldn’t have that history and the communitywouldn’t know that much information about thehistory,’’ said Mary McGee, a 1963 RJC graduatewhose grandchildren currently attend PalmBeach State College.“The College has been very instrumental insponsoring events as part of keeping before thepublic the merger of the two institutions,’’ said

Paul Butler, who served as dean and registrar atRJC. “Dr. Gallon has had a continuous series ofevents that intensifies the fact that there was amerger.”Brian Kelley, Palm Beach State Lake Worthcampus library director, led the oral historyproject with Juanita Hook, employmentmanager and assistant to the president for equityprograms. Kelley said the history of RJC isimportant to the overall history of the College.“I’m very proud to have been a part of it,” Kelleysaid. “It was an educational experience for me tolearn more about the history of Roosevelt JuniorCollege and to actually get to know some of thepeople involved.” “One of the most important initiatives theCollege has launched is the RJC oral historyproject,’’ Hook said. “This is an aging

population, andso we definitelywant to preservetheir experiencesas spoken bythem. The oral

history project wasa very critical way of

ensuring that thoseexperiences good or bad

were documented first-hand. That’s going to be so

beneficial in looking back.”

Shifting demographicsIn the 50 years since the merger of the two juniorcolleges, Palm Beach State has seen a significantshift in its demographics. With 58 percent of thestudent population now minorities, including 26percent black and 28 percent Hispanic, Palm

Beach State is one of the most racially andethnically diverse colleges in the

Florida College System and thestate. That trend is expected tocontinue.Dawson said this is partly whyshe’s happy that RJC’s historyhas been preserved. “We knowthat as long as we’re alive we will

always know that we were a part ofit. But if it’s there, some of the young

people are going to look at it andquestion and read more about it,’’ she said. “I

want them to know our history.”

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Video: Roosevelt Junior College Oral Historieswww.palmbeachstate.edu/History

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COMMEMORATING OUR SHARED HISTORY

50B Y T A B A T H A B . M C D O N A L D

years laterR O O S E V E L T

J U N I O R

C O L L E G E

ROOSEVELT JUNIOR COLLEGELIBRARY / RJC Archives

The Merger of Two Junior Colleges

Kari W

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ome say colleges would be safer if people wereallowed to carry firearms on campus. For others,however, the idea sounds dangerous.

A weighty issue for sure, and one a group of 30 PalmBeach State College students didn’t shy away from debating last April on the Florida State Senate floor as part of the College’s new Mock Legislature Program.

“My opinion is that it is a Second Amendment right,and that students would feel a lot safer knowing theycan protect themselves in situations they would rathernot be in,” said Jon Carter, a sophomore who servedas a mock senator during the debate. “However, Ididn’t vote in favor of it because I had talked to quitea number of students on the Boca Raton campusthat were against it, and I was up there to representthem and be their voice.”

Their debate was lengthy, and at times heated, but inthe end the mock bill failed to pass by just one vote.Mock bills that succeeded called for eliminatingtuition surcharges on excess credit hours and providingin-state tuition for children of undocumented immi-grants, among others.

While they rejected or adopted bills in symbolicfashion only, the students got an experience thatmirrored a real day in the Legislature. They not onlydebated issues among their peers but actually performedthe roles of the key players in the legislative process,including committee chairs, senators, delegates, thespeaker of the house, the president of the senate andthe governor.

“It gives them a better understanding of the freedomslaid out in the Bill of Rights and state and federalconstitutions,” said Robert Van Der Velde, J.D.,PBSC associate dean and the program advisor. “Withevery mock bill came an opportunity to express theiropinions freely.”

Bills drafted by students ranged fromcontroversial to thought-provoking, oftenreflecting the major issuesbeing debated in the realLegislature. Participatingstudents got to meet withindividual legislators and attend educa-tion sessions detailing how the Legislatureruns. They also had gallery seats to observeactual proceedings when the House wasin session.

For Carter, who is studying mass communicationsand political science, the trip to Tallahassee was a re-minder of how important it is to be civically engaged.

“I learned three important things while I was there,”said Carter. “The first was that we have a voice, andit has a lot of weight that we just don’t use like weshould. The second was that we need to vote, andthe third was that the House and Senate are two dif-ferent animals. In the House, representatives wouldgo back and forth mocking each other’s bills and inthe Senate the discussions were a little more civil.”

For fun, students also engaged in a hand-shakingcontest to boost their first impression performances.“It needs to be strong and firm, but not bonecrushing,” advised Van Der Velde.

The trip to the Capitol is the programhighlight, but students also spend time

throughout the year organizing their ownmock sessions on campus, and visiting

other Florida colleges to meet and interactwith students. In October, students got

to serve as House representatives andstate senators among their peers from

each of the 28 Florida colleges atthe 2015 Florida Model

Legislative Conferencein Orlando. At the

Ricardo Sanatan debates concealed weapons oncollege campuses as a mock senator.

MOCK LEGISLATURE:Learning by doing, debating

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two-day event, students debated suchtopics as minimum wage, textbook af-fordability, terrorism education, boatingunder the influence, police body camerasand more.

“The Model Legislature has given me a lot more confidence to address the issues,” said student Alyssa La Tulippe.“It has given me valuable tools to makeme a more powerful speaker and amore organized and relatable speaker.It’s also made me more comfortable inknowing how to behave around law-makers.”

Van Der Velde said the program has apowerful impact on students, showingthem that they can make a differenceeven at a young age.

“They come into the program withonly a minimal understanding of howthe Legislature works, and they comeaway with a very rich and detailed

understanding by both doing it them-selves and going to Tallahassee and wit-nessing the process,” said Van DerVelde. “Now, they are not only betterinformed citizens, but more importantlythey are prepared to be civically engagedfor their entire lives.”

As students learn what goes on in thestate, they also get opportunities to un-derstand how the national legislativeprocess works through the Congress toCampus program, which brings a bi-partisan pair of former members ofCongress to campus every other year.The most recent guests, former Con-gressmen Martin Lawrence (D) of NorthCarolina and Tom Petri (R) of Wis-consin, met with students in classes,held forums and conferred with studentgovernment leaders during their three-day stay.

C O N TAC T | W I N T E R 2 0 15-201614

PBSC student Vintwon Jonesjoins in the debate.

Mock House and Senate leader students participate in a bill signing ceremonyin class with Robert Van Der Velde, J.D., (center) acting as the governor.

They come into the

program with only a

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of how the Legislature

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While sonography still provides those thrillingfirst images of babies in utero, it is now widelyused in most medical specialties. Because no radi-ation is involved, it’s considered “gentle imaging”and is often the first choice in determining a diagnosis.

When ultrasound schools began cropping up,Braga earned a certificate to expand her knowledge.As a diagnostic medical sonographer, she did “alittle bit of everything,” becoming certified inOB-GYN, abdomen, cardiac and vascular sonog-raphy. Soon schools hired her as an instructor,and ultrasound equipment companies employedher to teach clients how to operate their new machines. “I always liked the teaching aspect,” notes Braga, who went on to get a bachelor’s and master’s degree. “It wasalways in the back of my head that I wantedto go in a different direction.”

The new direction took her south. Her hus-band had been saying for years that hewanted to move to Florida, but betweenworking and raising two sons, the timingwas never right. Finally, in 2002, they packedup. Braga saw the move as a chance to finda new challenge, and she did – in a helpwanted ad for the director of Palm BeachState’s new Sonography department.

Braga has been at the helm for 12 years andteaches most of the classes. Dr. Vicki Shaver,PBSC professor and Medical Imaging chair-person, headed up Braga’s hiring committee.“It was easy to make that selection becauseshe had experience in all aspects of radiology,”says Shaver. “She brings a wealth of know-ledge to her students and really cares abouttheir success and job placement. She’s thefull package.”

Braga began at PBSC with a clean slate, de-signing programs to meet a demand thathasn’t abated. Job growth for sonographersis projected to increase by 39 percent through2022, according to the U.S. Department ofLabor, and the median annual pay is morethan $60,000. Braga, however, discourages anyonemotivated by salary alone. “You have to want todo this because you care about patients.”

The Sonography programs – an Associate in Science degree and a College Credit Certificate –focus on developing medical knowledge as well astechnical precision in operating the equipment.Intensive hands-on training starts in the College’swell-equipped lab and extends to clinical rotationsat local hospitals and physician practices.

Medical ultrasound relies heavily on the skill ofthe sonographer. As Braga teaches, a sonographer’sjob is to ask “why” and investigate the possibilitieswhen they see something abnormal. A good sono-grapher goes the extra mile to give the physician,typically a radiologist, as much information aspossible.

“Dilated bile ducts may be seen in imaging theliver,” Braga gives as an example, “but are theydilated because there’s a stone stuck or becausethere’s a mass at the head of the pancreas? You’rethinking critically all the time about what thatimage means and where you go next.”

In the lab, students learn how to operate ultrasoundequipment, with classmates and staff acting aspatients. Students also perform scans using a life-size female mannequin and simulation technology,which lets them discover abnormalities andcompare the 2-D ultrasound images against 3-Danatomical images on a split screen. This helpsstudents think critically about anatomy, physiology

and disease processes and hones their ability tolook at 2-D images, yet think 3-D – a crucial skillin capturing the correct images.

“This is a tough field,” says Braga, who believeseverybody’s capable of learning. “When studentshave issues, I try to counsel them and give themthe confidence that they’ll be able to do this work.”

“Professor Braga calmed all of our fears and anxi-eties,” says student Marji Engle, a former dentalhygienist who was last in college 25 years ago.“We’re in our final semester now and withouther, I don’t believe we’d all be here.”

Braga herself stays sharp by working in localhospitals a few days a month. “When I firststarted teaching at the College, that’s all I did.Teaching is my first love, but I missed scanningpatients.”

Students notice and benefit. “She comes to classin her uniform because she’s going to work rightafter this,” says Laura Fazaa. “I can’t imaginehaving a better teacher for this program.” Shavernotes that few full-time professors can juggleboth, which makes Braga unique. “I really admireher ability to do it all.”

Apparently it pays off. Graduates fill the ranks oflocal hospitals, including most of the sonographypositions at St. Mary’s Medical Center. Privatepractices also benefit. Mandi Sangiuolo, whograduated in 2005, is now director of imaging forPre-Birth Centers of America. The high-risk preg-nancy practice, headed by Dr. Ruel T. Stoessel, is

a clinical training site for PBSC Sonographystudents, and Sangiuolo, who supervises 10sonographers at three locations, has hiredmany of them. “The program gave me all ofthe knowledge that I needed to be successful,”says Sangiuolo. “Patty brings so much to thetable. Her students are ready to go.”

Braga supports the profession, too. Early onshe became active in the Society of DiagnosticMedical Sonography, now in its 45th year. Aformer SDMS state representative and at-large director, she now serves as secretary ofthe executive board and since 2013, as chair-person of the SDMS Education Committee,which sets national curriculum standards forsonography programs.

Braga also serves on the Joint Review Com-mittee on Education in Diagnostic MedicalSonography and performs site visits for schoolsseeking accreditation through the Commissionon Accreditation of Allied Health EducationPrograms. Palm Beach State’s Sonographyprograms are CAAHEP-accredited, which en-ables graduates to take the profession’s nationalexams and earn credentials recognized world-wide.

“Being involved in SDMS and accreditationis a way to show the younger generation howmuch ultrasound can do for them,” saysBraga. “I take my students to conferences so

they can see people like me, who get up and talkwith enthusiasm about the interesting studiesthey’ve done. It’s great for students to see that.”

Robert Van Der Velde, J.D., associate dean of ac-ademic affairs for the Palm Beach Gardens campus,visits Braga’s classes and has been scanned by thestudents. “I see that she has a caring touch withher students, which helps them develop the samecaring touch with patients. She’s definitely one ofour stars.”

For Braga, it’s simply a matter of giving back.“This profession has been really good to me. I truly love ultrasound.”

C O N TAC T | W I N T E R 2015-201616

It was a crisp autumn day in 1969and 17-year-old Patty Braga was driving

the family Mustang on River Road inPassaic, N.J. With a girlfriend in tow, they were ontheir way to Willowbrook Mall for a day of shopping.Unfortunately, a tree at the end of a miscalculatedcurve got in the way. Both fully recovered from theaccident, though it took Braga longer. She dislocatedher hip and was in traction for three weeks at St.Joseph’s Hospital.

Braga needed x-rays every other day, but as she wasunable to move, the machine was brought to her. Ahigh school senior, she was a candy striper at thesame hospital and had been thinking about a careerin health care.

“I started talking to the x-ray technologists, andthey kept saying ‘you should do this, you’ll love it,’”says Braga. “And that’s what I did. I owe my careerto the car accident.”

Radiography had been in use for decades, butsonography or medical ultrasound was still in its in-fancy. Braga, now associate professor and chair ofPalm Beach State College’s Sonography department,recalls the day when she volunteered to learn thisnew type of medical imaging, which uses high fre-quency sound waves to see inside the human body.

“I was working in the x-ray department at St.Joseph’s when the hospital’s first ultrasound machinearrived. A radiologist asked ‘who wants to learnthis?’ and I said ‘I’ll do it.’ Honestly, that’s how Istarted. It was on-the-job training because therewas no such thing as an ultrasound school in 1976.”

At St. Joseph’s, Braga teamed up with other earlyadopters to get the rest of the physicians on boardwith sonography. “That’s where my first teachingexperience came from because I actually had toteach the doctors and OB-GYN residents how touse the ultrasound equipment.”

faculty spotlight

Sonography students benefit from Patty Braga’s

experience, passion

B Y J O Y C E E D E L S T E I N

P H O T O S B Y A L E V A N S

The ccidental ioneer

www.palmbeachstate.edu/Programs/SonographyFor more information:

guides student Kristina Cobia

as she performs an ultrasound scan of classmate Jessica

Beacham’s abdomen in the PBSC Sonography lab on the

Palm Beach Gardens campus.

Then: PATTY BRAGA IN1978

Patty Braga


Dr. Maria M. Vallejo, Palm BeachState College Lake Worth campus

provost, has been named among theTop 25 Women in Higher Education by anational magazine. In selecting Vallejo for the Women’sHistory Month edition in March,editors of Diverse: Issues in HigherEducation magazine cited hercommitment to access andopportunity for all. The honoreesincluded college and universityleaders from around the country.

Vallejo, who joined the College in1999, led PBSC’s successful quest tobecome a Hispanic ServingInstitution, which allowed theCollege to apply for and receive a$2.58 million Title V grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2014.

Vallejo is past president of the National Community College Hispanic Counciland is on the national advisory board for the NCCHC Leadership FellowsProgram. She is active with the local Women and Hispanic chambers ofcommerce as well as the Executive Women of the Palm Beaches, where sheforged partnerships that bring more scholarship opportunities for womenand students of color.

She sits on the board of ASPIRA of Florida, an empowerment organization foryoung Latinos, providing assistance with student conferences, summer campand higher education opportunities. She led the creation of the ASPIRA clubat PBSC, the first college-level ASPIRA club in the nation, and helped toexpand the college clubs to Miami Dade and Broward colleges. She is also onthe board for ASPIRA’s charter schools in Miami.

Two recent Palm Beach State College graduateswon the coveted Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship that pays up to$40,000 a year to cover tuition, living expenses,books and required fees to complete their bachelor’sdegrees. Ana Guevara and Patricia Medina, who bothearned Associate in Arts degreeslast May, were among only 90students nationwide selectedfrom more than 2,000 applicants.While a total of seven PBSCstudents have won this scholarshipover the years, this was the first timethat two PBSC students won in thesame year.

The duo traveled to Virginia last summer for theFoundation’s Scholars Weekend, where they met

400 other previous and current scholarshipwinners and heard from such speakers as ColinPowell, former U.S. Secretary of State, and ArneDuncan, U.S. Secretary of Education. They sayearning this scholarship is a dream come true.

“It really has changed my life and my educationbecause without the scholarship I would not beable to attend the University of Florida,’’ said

Guevara, 21, who is pursuing abachelor’s degree in finance.

Medina, 41, a married mother ofteenage twins, is pursuing a

bachelor’s degree at StetsonUniversity with a major in

communications and minor in political science.She plans to go to law school. “I’m grateful for thescholarship, but I’m even more thankful for thenetworking,’’ she said.

C O N TAC T | W I N T E R 2015-201618

FYI P A L M B E A C H S T A T E

www.palmbeachstate.edu/NSF-InnovATEFor more information: Learn more:

www.palmbeachstate.edu/programs/Bachelor/Nursing

See the latest College news, subscribeonline for updates and share the news!

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Visit the

www.palmbeachstate.edu/programs/OMT

“I’m grateful for the scholarship,

but I’m even more thankful for the

networking.’’

Grant boosts STEMwork-readiness

Dr. Maria M. Vallejo, provost, Palm BeachState College Lake Worth campus

“It really has changed my life and my education

because without the scholarship I would not be

able to attend the University of Florida.’’

Provost among Top 25 Womenin Higher Education

Demand for skilled professionals in science, technology, engineeringand mathematics has reached a critical level nationwide and in South

Florida. With an $868,105 grant from the National Science Foundation, PalmBeach State College is doing something about it. PBSC’s project, titled “InnovATE” (with a nod to NSF’sAdvanced Technological Education grant program),aims to spark student interest in STEM fields througha continuum of outreach, education and guidance,leading them ultimately to satisfying, high-demandcareers. The three-year grant provides intensive academicsupport and customized laboratories for students in the College’sEngineering Technology and Electrical Power Technology Associate inScience degree programs. Plus, higher education pathways are underdevelopment to enable these A.S. graduates to pursue STEM-relatedbachelor’s degrees at Florida institutions.

InnovATE also promotes STEM careers to selected middle and highschool students attending Title I schools in the School District of PalmBeach County. The goal is to build a pipeline of graduates, particularlyunderrepresented minorities and women, ready to study STEMdisciplines at Palm Beach State.

“We are looking forward to all of the exciting things that we’ll bedoing with the school district and the great support of our industrypartners,” says Professor Oleg Andric, InnovATE co-principalinvestigator and head of the Electrical Power Technology program(shown above with EPT students). “Starting with middle school, we’llalways be in their face, doing something fun with them andshowcasing that engineering, science and technology are not scary...hopefully that results in some significant increases and interest inthese fields.”

The B.S.N. program earnedaccreditation from the

Accreditation Commission forEducation in Nursing, theaccrediting body for alltypes of nursing educationrecognized by the U.S.Department of Education,

the Council for HigherEducation Accreditation and

several other organizations andgovernmental entities. The B.S.N.

degree is an increasingly importantand preferred credential due to thecomplexities of health care delivery.

The Ophthalmic Medical Technologyprogram, the first of its kind inSouth Florida, preparesstudents for careers in visioncare. It was awardedaccreditation by theCommission onAccreditation of OphthalmicMedical Programs, whichaccredits four levels oftechnician training programs.Palm Beach State is among just 30programs nationwide to earn CoA-OMPaccreditation and one of only five accreditedfor Ophthalmic Medical Technologisttraining, which is the highest level.

PBSC grads win prestigious scholarship

News Centerwww.palmbeachstate.edu/News

BSN, ophthalmic programs accreditedEarning specialized accreditation is a crucial step for any new health science program. It’s a rigorous, lengthy process

that requires a school to prove that its program meets or exceeds national quality standards. Once achieved,accreditation validates the program and opens professional doors for students.In 2015, two Palm Beach State programs reached this milestone: the Bachelor of Science in Nursing programand the Associate in Science degree in Ophthalmic Medical Technology.

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship WinnersAna Guevara Patricia Medina

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21PA L M B E A C H S TAT E C O L L E G EC O N TAC T | W I N T E R 2015-201620

SPORTS | P A L M B E A C H S T A T E

SPRING2016Watch it LIVE! in Lake Worth

s a young boy in Hopewell Junction, N.Y., MartinMcCann always had a basketball in his hand – at

the mall, his siblings’ sporting events or even the airport.

“I wanted to play all day, every day,” said McCann.“Carrying the ball around was definitely a comfort thingand a sign of my passion. I always wanted to play andimprove my game.”

McCann’s love of basketball was shared among his familymembers who introduced him to the sport. His fatherdidn’t play beyond high school but was devoted to thegame and began coaching McCann and histwo older brothers on youth teams.

There, McCann’s dedication andhis skills increased. Thispassion continued with himall the way to collegewhere he became a four-year letter winner at NCAADivision III HartwickCollege in Oneonta, N.Y.

“Playing at Hartwick was anunbelievable experience,”said McCann. “I had theopportunity to play for twoexcellent coaches in Paul Culpo andTodd McGuiness. Both were influential in mydevelopment as a player and as a coach. While atHartwick, I was blessed to be on some very good teamsthat went on to win an ECAC Championship, Empire 8Conference Championship and a trip to the NCAATournament.”

McCann is still creating great memories today—in therole of coach. In his first season as the official head coachof Palm Beach State College’s men’s basketball program,people are quickly taking notice of his excitement andstrong coaching technique.

McCann landed the position at age 26, becoming theyoungest head coach at the College and one of theyoungest in the College’s history. During the previousyear, he served as interim head coach after the suddendeparture of former head coach Scott McMillin. Beforethe interim position, he served as the assistant coach forone year. McCann was selected from 124 applicants forthe head coaching gig.

“I use my age and familiarity with today’s players andbasketball culture to help mold my ‘players first’ coachingstyle,” said McCann. “My style on the basketball court is

one of high energy and enthusiasm at all times with thehope to instill a passion in our players during practice andgames. I hope to build teams that are committed to ourdefensive principles, while also playing loosely and freelyon the offensive end. Off the floor, my style is to createquality relationships with my players that will last wellbeyond their basketball careers.”

He and his Panthers team experienced a number of highsand lows in 2014-15. Although they weren’t able to reachthe state championship, they achieved some memorablemoments including 20 wins, two wins against top 10

nationally ranked opponents, and ranking fornumerous weeks in the top 10 in the state.

This season, Palm Beach Statebasketball fans can expect to see

an exciting brand of basketball.The team consists of fivereturning players and ninenewcomers, including threeDivision 1 transfers andthree former Division 1

signees.

On the defensive end, fansshould expect to see full

court pressure and avariety of defensive

schemes. Offensively, theteam expects to deliver a high-powered,

high-scoring offense with contributionsfrom the entire roster.

“My hope is to improve our play in theSouthern Conference and move ontothe state and ultimately nationaltournament,” said McCann.

Before coming to Palm Beach State,McCann was the graduate assistantcoach at NCAA Division II LynnUniversity.

“Coaching at the NCAA level was atremendous experience and ultimatelyprepared me for junior college,” saidMcCann. “As an NCAA assistant, I learnedwhat coaches and programs look for whenrecruiting junior college players. Now at thejunior level, this has helped me prepare ourplayers to be recruited and, in the end,perform once they reach the NCAA level. Ihave come to love junior college athletics andall that comes with it.”

McCann further explains that players’ goals are differentbetween divisions.

“At the NCAA level, players are motivated to have successand hopefully have a chance to play professionally. At thejunior college level, athletes are playing for the team’ssuccess but at the same time are working to earn ascholarship at the NCAA level. This factor keeps playershungry and motivated to improve and perform.”

Supported by Assistant Coach Odell Witherspoon andvolunteer manager Tony Richmond, McCann and hisPanthers are ready to roar.

Go Panthers

STATSHometown: Loxahatchee

High School: Dreyfoos School of the Arts,

West Palm Beach

Q: How long have you been the volunteer

manager?14 years. I have assisted six head coaches

during my time.

Q: What do you enjoy about working

with the team?I just love basketball and being at the College.

Q: What do you think of Martin McCann’s

coaching style?He is a fast-paced coach and really makes his

players work hard. He is the youngest coach

that I have worked under, and he is really

relatable to our players. I can’t think of a better

person to be running our program right now

than him.

Q: Did you play basketball as a child?

No, I just loved watching sports. Other than

basketball, I especially love college and

professional football.

Meet TonyRichmondCheck out a men’s basketball team practiceor game at Palm Beach State College, andyou’re sure to see Tony Richmond.

For more than a decade, Richmond hasbeen the team’s volunteer manager, andhis dedication is beyond question. Heattends every practice and game,carefully writing down observations ofeach player’s performance from hiscourtside desk. His service in this rolehas become a valuable asset to theplayers and coaching staff.

“Tony’s participation with the team hasbeen very beneficial,” said Head CoachMartin McCann. “Having another setof eyes on our players while theypractice is just another way to catchareas for improvement that we ascoaches don’t always see. Ultimately,it makes our team better as a whole.”

Richmond joined the team in 2001while attending a PBCC summerbasketball camp, where a coachnoticed his passion for the game andasked if he wanted to assist the team.Richmond gladly accepted.

With the partnership, it seemed asthough basketball was meant to be apart of Richmond’s life. After he wasborn, his first gift was a T-shirt with littlebasketballs on it given by then PBCC VicePresident Elisabeth Erling, for whom thegymnasium is now named. Erling hadbecome close friends with Richmond’smother, Sandra, a College faculty member.Sandra is still at the College as an adjunctprofessor teaching sociology.

Richmond says the reward of working withthe players and seeing the team improvethrough the years is what keeps himparticipating. He hopes to continue in therole for many more years.

TONYRICHMOND

PBSC HOOPSVOLUNTEER MANAGER

“My style on thebasketball court is one of highenergy and enthusiasm at alltimes with the hope to instilla passion in our players...”

Hoops coach brings young,energetic vibe B Y K R I S T I S O R R O W

Martin McCann

A

MEN’S BASKETBALLJAN 6 EASTERN FLORIDA STATEJAN 16 BROWARD JAN 25 ASA-MIAMI JAN 27 MIAMI-DADEFEB 3 INDIAN RIVER STATEFEB 6 EASTERN FLORIDA STATEFEB 16 BROWARD

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ans

Al Ev

ans

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLJAN 12 MIAMI-DADEJAN 20 INDIAN RIVER STATEJAN 30 ST. PETERSBURGFEB 3 BROWARDFEB 6 EASTERN FLORIDA STATEFEB 17 MIAMI-DADEFEB 20 BROWARD

See all the Panther sports schedules: www.palmbeachstate.edu/Athletics

Home Games

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Thanks to Our Top Event Sponsors:

• Bank of America • Balfour Beatty • FPL • Modernizing Medicine• Palm Beach Broadcasting • Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center• Tenet Florida Physician Services• The Palm Beach Post • WXEL

C O N TAC T | W I N T E R 2015-201622

To learn more about scholarships and program support or other ways to contribute, please call the Foundation officeat 561-868-3450.

hundreds of miles forhours at speeds between 160 and 200 mph. Nowpicture doing it with 42 other drivers who would likenothing more than to leave you choking on theirexhaust fumes.

There’s no question that to be a successful race cardriver, you must like to go fast and have a hightolerance for risk, but you also have to endure greatphysical and mental strain and have talent anddetermination.

Danica Patrick has proven she can handle thepressure. Patrick has not only immersed herself in themale-dominated world of professional motorsportsbut has also set several records, including becomingthe first woman to lead the Indy 500 and the firstwoman to win the pole position at the Daytona 500.

“I’ve gotten to where I am today because I didn’t think of myself as being different,” said Patrick. “When I was a kid, I never thought to try to be the best girl driver. I just wanted to be better thaneveryone else – I wanted to be the fastest driver on the track.”

On Feb. 10, Palm Beach State College will welcomeher to the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts aspart of the College Foundation’s STEAM (Science,Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Initiative.Past speakers were astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasseTyson, two-time Oscar nominee John Lithgow andSilicon Valley icon Steve Wozniak. The initiative,chaired by local philanthropist Yvonne Boice, supportsSTEAM educational programs at the College.

At the STEAM event, Patrick plans to discuss herexploration of these fields and share her story toencourage female empowerment in male-dominatedindustries where she constantly tries to challenge thevery notion of what a woman can be in today’s world.Dan Cane, CEO & co-founder of ModernizingMedicine, will moderate the conversation.

Race car driving demands an enormous amountof coordination along with a firmunderstanding of engineering and physics. Patrick has not only had to learnhow to win, but also learn themechanics of her car. She alsocontributes vital information tomembers of her crew andtechnical team for continualimprovement to better the car'sperformance on the race track.

“Each weekend I get to see theimportance of STEM education asI work with my engineers tomake my race car faster,” saidPatrick.

Palm Beach State providesseveral options for thoseinterested in transportation orengineering careers. The Collegeoffers automotive, diesel andheavy equipment mechanicscertificate programs, whichprepare students for high-demand careers as technicians.PBSC’s new EngineeringTechnology A.S. degree programallows students to explore careerpaths in robotics, 3-D printing,alternative energy and otheradvanced technologies.

“It’s impressive to hear about all of theopportunities that are available atPalm Beach State,” said Patrick. “Thereare a whole lot of people that aretaking their own initiative to dosomething. And that's sometimes oneof the hardest things in life – self-discipline and just trying to do thingsyourself. It’s great to hear that so manypeople want to be better and are taking thetime to do that and using the resources that areprovided. I look forward to visiting the campus.”

Patrick burst onto the scene in 2005 when shestunned the world by leading 19 laps and finishingfourth in her first Indianapolis 500, becoming the

FOUNDATION

www.palmbeachstate.edu/Foundation

to propel 2016 STEAM initiative

Your ticket purchase will support PBSC student scholarships and academic programenhancements. For tickets, please call 561-868-3450 or go to the Foundation website.

Racing toward Support for STEAM!

FOR THE PERFORMING ARTSKRAVIS CENTERC O H E N P A V I L I O N

A Conversation with

Follow her on Twitter, try to keep up...

@DANICAPATRICK

first woman to lead laps and score a top-five finish inthe historic race. One week later, she was on the coverof Sports Illustrated, becoming the first Indy car driverto be featured there in 20 years. In 2009, Patrick took athird place finish at the Indianapolis 500, the highestfinish there ever by a woman.

In 2013, she would make history again as she becamethe first female NASCAR driver to win a NASCAR SprintCup Series pole, turning in the fastest qualifying lapsince 1990 – qualifying for the Daytona 500. InDaytona, she placed eighth, the highest finish for awoman in the Daytona 500.

Raised in Roscoe, Ill., Patrick began go-karting at theage of 10. Between 1992 and 1997, she wonnumerous titles, including the World KartingAssociation Grand National Championship in 1994,1996 and 1997.

At the age of 16, she moved to Milton Keynes, England,to advance her racing career, racing in British nationalseries events. During a three-year period she raced inFormula Ford, Formula Vauxhall and earned a second-place in Britain's Formula Ford Festival, the highestfinish by an American in the event.

Patrick’s accomplishments in Europe caught the eye ofthree-time IndyCar Series champion and 1986Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, who signedPatrick to drive in the United States for his team, RahalLetterman Racing.

Patrick moved up with RLR to the IndyCar Series,where some of her most memorable performancesbegan. Patrick, now driver of the No. 10 Chevrolet SSfor Stewart-Hass Racing in the NASCAR Sprint CupSeries, is one of the most recognizable athletes in theworld. She has appeared on the cover of ESPN: TheMagazine and TV Guide and was featured in pictorialsin the 2008 and 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.She has also appeared in 13 Super Bowl commercialsand has 1.29 million followers on Twitter.

DanicaPatrickImagine driving

DanicaPatrickFEBRUARY 10, 2016W E D N E S D A Y

1 1 : 3 0 A M L U N C H E O N

to propel 2016 STEAM initiativeDanicaPatrick

“Each weekend I get to seethe importance of STEMeducation as I work with my engineers to make myrace car faster.”

HAROLD HINSON PHOTOGRAPHY

25PA L M B E A C H S TAT E C O L L E G EC O N TAC T | W I N T E R 2015-201624

when Lia was 17. After graduating from SeminoleRidge High School, she enrolled at Palm Beach State.It was not her first choice.

“I applied to the University of Florida and got in,” shesays. “I had received a full scholarship, but because Idid not have my full residency, I couldn’t use it. I wasgoing to be paying for school myself, so I ended up atPalm Beach State. That way, I could stay at home andwork while going to school. It turned out to be theperfect place for me. I learned so much and met somany interesting, diverse people. The classes aresmaller than at a large university, so you can really talkto your teachers. And the business basics that I learnedare things that I apply every day in my work.”

Just as she was finishing her studies at Palm BeachState, Larrea visited San Francisco. She fell in lovewith the city and decided to pursue her dream there,despite the challenges. “If I had known what I wasgetting into, I couldn’t have done it,” she says now.

She worked at a gym, taught sewing, hauled fabricsup hills, managed a clothing store, and assisted withcostumes at a ballet company, all the while attendingschool. Each job was invaluable. Networking at thegym led to her first design job. Working with balletdancers gave her the chance to study how the body

moves in different fabrics. Managing a store taughther how to deal with employees.

“Life puts you in these positions that teach yousomething you can use for the future,” she says. “Oneof my teachers referred me to a handbag designer whoneeded help sewing zippers. It’s because of her that Istarted doing leather work, which I’d neverconsidered. Working with her was like a free, extraclass where I got to experiment and create.”

A line is launchedLarrea established her own company in 2011 andgraduated from the Art Institute three months later.She applied to Fashion Incubator San Francisco, ayearlong mentoring program for emergingdesigners. She interviewed and was accepted – anddeclined.

“I was offered a designer’s position at ByerCalifornia, which designs and manufactures private-label collections for department stores,” says Larrea.“I wanted to get more experience by working withveteran professionals and also be able to handle mystudent loans.”

When FiSF opened applications for its 2014program, Larrea was accepted again. This time she

followed through. “It was a huge decision, but I gaveup the stability of a steady job to build my ownbusiness,” she says. “It’s been the most challengingthing in my life, and the most rewarding.”

She unveiled her first collection while in residence atFiSF. “The collection was sophisticated while stillbeing wearable,” says Jeanne Allen, FiSF executivedirector. “Lia is conscious of function as well asdesign. She also uses and mixes different fabrics ininteresting and modern ways – leather with jersey,sheer against opaque. This was her first commercialcollection designed for production, and she’s attracteda cross-section of women. She has customers whorange in age from 25 to 80.”

Her clothes are minimalist and architectural, withclean lines and appealing details. “It’s all aboutversatility,” Larrea says. “I have clothes that arereversible, water resistant or convertible. Theycomplement all kinds of body shapes. I’m also veryconscious of how you move with different material. Idon’t like things that are constricting, like jackets thatyou can’t move your arms in. I want women to be incontrol, not only of what they wear, but how they feel.If you feel good in what you’re wearing, it’s going tomake you feel more powerful.

“I want my line to grow and be around for a longtime,” she continues. “I’m still at the baby step point.But I used to dream of the day when I could walk intoa store and see my garments hanging there. And nowI can.”

AlumniCorner

ust six years ago, Lia Larrea was a businessstudent at Palm Beach State College, on thecusp of earning an associate degree, anduncertain what she wanted to do with herlife. In need of additional credits, shedecided to take a painting class with

instructor Clarence “Skip” Measelle. The course hadprerequisites, but as she had been painting anddrawing since she was a child in Ecuador, Larreasought permission to bypass those classes.

“I brought in my portfolio of projects from highschool, and I showed it to the dean and to Mr.Measelle,” she says. “They reviewed it and let me intothe class.”

“In the 10 years I was at the school, we only gave twoor three students permission to do what Lia did,” saysMeaselle. “She was confident and cool and positiveabout succeeding. Early on, she chose an ordinary seashell to paint, which is a challenge even for anaccomplished painter because of the various planes,textures, shadows and depth. But Lia had the gift of‘seeing’ the nuances and rendered the form sorealistically that it transcended its simplicity. Thisability is unique and requires a sensitivity anddiscipline that can’t be taught.”

For Larrea, the class was life-changing. “I wasspending more time on my homework for that classthan I was on all my other classes, just because I likedit,” she says. “I began to think, ‘Why are you going toschool for business? What do you want to do?’ And Ithought, ‘I want to be a fashion designer.’ I wanted todo something that would make me happy.”

She completed her A.A. degree in 2009, then headedto San Francisco in January 2010 to study at the ArtInstitute of California. She now has her own label, andher clothes are sold online and in high-end boutiqueson the West Coast.

Determined, driven,disciplined That Larrea has achieved so much so quickly is theresult of the same drive, determination, discipline,hard work and talent that she displayed at Palm BeachState. But the speed of her success should not beconfused with ease. For an extended period shejuggled four jobs just to stay afloat.

One of four children, Larrea moved to the U.S. withher family when she was 12 years old. They went firstto a small town in Indiana, then relocated to Florida

B Y S H E R Y L F L A T O W

JLia Larrea tells her story on video:

www.palmbeachstate.edu/Contact

Fashion industry success – by design Lia Larrea

...It turned out to be the perfectplace for me. I learned so muchand met so many interesting, diverse people. The classes aresmaller than at a large university,so you can really talk to yourteachers. And the business basics that I learned are thingsthat I apply every day in my work.

Malia Bisson models Lia Larrea’s collection with photography by Clay Kerri.

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Patricia C. DeRamusA.S., PALM BEACH COMMUNITY COLLEGE, 1994

wenty-five years ago, Patricia DeRamuswas working as an office manager for anattorney who saw her potential and

urged her to head back to school – at PBCC.She enrolled in the Legal Assistantprogram, earned her associate degree, thencontinued on to earn specializedcertifications at other institutions.

“My education has opened so many doorsfor me. I remember writing a brief for oneof my first classes with Dr. Barbara Scheffer.I got an A, and I knew this was the field Iwas meant for,” DeRamus recalls.

The Wellington resident currently is thevictim witness coordinator for the PalmBeach County State Attorney’s Office,Juvenile Division. She also serves on PBSC’sBusiness Partnership Council for paralegalstudies, is president of the ParalegalAssociation of Florida and a member of the Florida Bar Association’s RegisteredParalegal Committee. Citing herprofessionalism and outstandingcontributions to her field, the Florida Bar’sGeneral Practice, Solo and Small FirmSection named DeRamus its 2015 Paralegalof the Year.

Jared EsselmanA.A., PALM BEACH COMMUNITY COLLEGE, 2007B.A., COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

M.P.P., HARVARD UNIVERSITY

erving as a loadmaster on Air Force C-17combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistangave Jared Esselman maturity and

perspective. These traits helped him soar tosuccess at PBCC, where he enrolled in 2006after four years of active military duty.

“I took classes randomly when I first startedbecause I didn’t know what to do. But myadvisor [Winifred Storms] really took meunder her wing. She walked me through whatcommunity college could provide for me andwhat was beyond – including graduateschool.” Political Science Professor VictorAikhionbare also “lit a fire” in the youngveteran. “His passion for politics and getting tothe root of political problems…started me onthe path to Harvard,” Esselman recalled.

Along the way, Esselman immersed himself inpolitics and in his studies, earning top gradesand even snaring a White House internship.Now, he puts his political savvy to work asdirector of state government affairs for theAircraft Owners and Pilots Association inWashington D.C., promoting policies andlegislation to support general aviation issues.

TPatric HowleyA.A., PALM BEACH JUNIOR COLLEGE, 1966B.S., UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

M.S., PH.D., FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

M.B.A., UNIVERSITY OF MOBILE

Rosalie HowleyA.A., PALM BEACH JUNIOR COLLEGE, 1966B.A.E., UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

M.A.E., UNIVERSITY OF MOBILE

M.ED., ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY

ith nine college degrees between them, Patricand Rosalie Howley have each achieved rewardingcareers of more than 44 years – he as a mental

health clinician, director and businessman, she as anelementary school teacher and administrator.

Their passion for education was clear early on, as the1961 Forest Hill High School graduates enrolled atPBJC while working full time at Pratt & Whitney. Aftergraduating from PBJC and UF, the Howleys relocatedto Tallahassee, where Rosalie taught school and Patricworked as a counselor and then a director in stateagencies. They later moved to Alabama to advancetheir careers, raise three children and continue topursue learning.

Now retired, the couple, who recently celebrated their50th anniversary, reflect on their journey withappreciation. “Our education took longer because wewere working during each degree,” Patric Howley says.“But all of our hard work has been worth it. We havehad a wonderful life that professionally started atPalm Beach Junior College.”

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