Tallahassee Community College

Over 25 students were selected for the TCC Peer Leaders Program for the 2019-2020 academic year. During their time of service, Peer Leaders assist new students in adjusting to college life and seek to engage students in the TCC community. These student leaders also connect students to campus resources while focusing on expanding leadership skills on campus.

Letricia Hodge, a freshman at TCC, plans to make more than a high GPA during her time at TCC. She wants to make a difference. Letricia is a native of St. Maarten and an English Education major. After her journey here at TCC, Letricia plans to transfer to FAMU and receive her Bachelor's degree, followed by her master's and finally, her Ph.D. in curriculum design. When she isn't in class, she keeps herself involved in many organizations at TCC as well as the local community. She is currently serving as the vice president of TCC's International Student Organization (ISO) and is a member of the St. Maarten Tallahassee Student Association (SMTSA). In between those roles, she also volunteers as a teacher at Brownsville Preparatory Institute and provides academic assistance as a tutor for SMTSA. "I am a firm believer in giving back to the community and helping civilians in need," said Letricia. Her strong desire to give back is influenced by the struggles she faced during Hurricane Irma. "After surviving Irma, I lost everything I worked hard to build and had to start over from scratch," said Letricia. "I spent months without causing me to depend on the assistance of others to get by." Letricia and members of the ISO organized a disaster relief supplies drive for those in the Bahamas who were affected by Hurricane Dorian. "Organizing this fundraiser was my chance to do my part and give back to those in need," said Letricia. "This is why I was delighted to assist with organizing the fundraiser for the Bahamas."

Eleven outstanding Tallahassee Community College students were selected this summer to serve as TCC student ambassadors for the 2019-2020 academic year. Ambassadors give campus tours to prospective students, provide support for general student recruitment activities and perform other support tasks for TCC. They receive a full tuition scholarship in exchange for their service to the College. The selection process is a competitive one, and successful applicants must have a strong academic record, two letters of recommendation, and demonstrated skills in communications and teamwork. The 2019-2020 TCC student ambassadors are: Aidan Pifer, Aironne McCall, Casey Hoover, Daisey Davis, Dalton Gray, DJ Candelaria, Justine Phan, Lauren Hougland, Nicole Truncone, Shelby Walker and Spencer Christensen.

Nearly 40 students who participated in the Eagles RISE Summer Academy were honored and celebrated during the Take Flight Symposium. During this event, students presented their vision boards and e-portfolios, displaying their future hopes and dreams. They also shared how the Eagles RISE Summer Academy program not only inspired them, but it helped prepare them for their time at TCC. Several students also received awards for special achievements during the summer. The six-week summer academy held two classes including a math immersion and student engagement seminar. The academy connected first-generation, minority and low-income students with faculty, staff and resources across TCC's campus to help them develop skills that achieve a successful academic, social and personal transition to the College.

On Thursday, July 25, 40 students graduated with their Associate Degree in Nursing, with seven graduating with their Bachelor of Science in Nursing during the Tallahassee Community College Summer 2019 Nursing Pinning Ceremony.

TCC Nursing Student Carmen French started her path in the medical profession when she was 16, becoming a First Responder and a Certified Nursing Assistant before even graduating from Florida State University School.

Four TCC students have been selected as the winners of the Brandon M. King Scholarship. Established in 2010, the scholarship was created by Pfc. King's mother, TCC alumna Freda King, shortly after her son's death. In 2013, Freda won a LeRoy Collings Distinguished Alumni Award from the Association of Florida Colleges. Over the past eight years, the family has raised over $85,000 in scholarship monies.

Tallahassee Community College's academic all-stars have been recognized by both the Florida College System Activities Association and Panhandle Conference. Thirty-one student-athletes made the FCSAA's All-Academic Team for attaining a 3.30 GPA or above while 44 earned Panhandle Conference honors for maintaining a 3.0 GPA or above. Included were a trio of participants who were recognized in two sports - Gannon Hundley, Genevieve Printiss and Mia Wiederkehr, all members of the Eagles' cross country and track teams.

Tallahassee Community College's Surgical Technology students won third place in the inaugural Surgical Technology Scrub Bowl competition. The competition was held in National Harbor, Maryland during the 50th annual Surgical Technology Conference.

Theatre TCC!'s spring production of Spring Awakening has earned a "Superior" rating from the Florida College System Activities Association. This is the highest rating the FCSAA awards, as a "Superior" is assigned only to theatrical productions that lie within the 96-100% mark on the state community college level. The show ran for two weekends in TCC's Turner Auditorium this past April. "This production was dynamite and truly earns a Superior ranking," wrote adjudicator Jeanine Henry from Eastern Florida State College. Select cast members members earned individual awards as well. TCC student Hannah MacGregor, who portrayed the character of Wendla Bergman, was among the individual acting awardees. Specifically, the adjudicator complimented her "very vulnerable and touching" performance. Fellow cast members Tristan Ferrara and Spencer Lail also received "Superiors" for their portrayals of Moritz Stiefel and Melchior Gabor, respectively. "I am incredibly proud of our TCC students and staff as well as the community members who worked so hard to make this show a success" said Eva Nielsen-Parks, who directed the production and serves as the head of TCC's theatre department. Theatre TCC! has garnered eight 'Superior' and six 'Excellent' ratings over the past thirteen years. "Surely, this reflects the dedication, talent and leadership that our students have consistently shown over the past seasons." For information about TCC's theatre program, contact Eva Nielsen-Parks at (850) 201-9882 or nielsene@tcc.fl.edu.

TCC Nursing and EMT students assisted in the Press the Chest Community event held by Leon County EMS. They provided bloodpressure screenings and assisted in educating appropriate CPR techniques. Students who participated were: Christopher Bradley Albert Leonard Ryan Kelly Nicole Velasquez Zoe Jones Gabrielle O'Brien Regina Carson Sarah Borg Megan Chellman Christian Giannoble Crystal Lemacks Brian Tullos Patricia Weiner Mei Zhao

Tallahassee Community College Forensics Team students took home awards from the Spring 2019 Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) Forensics Division. Forensic is competitive speaking which offers students training and experience in developing their oral communication skills. There are two classes of competition: Debate and Individual Events. Individual events include prose, poetry, screen plays, movie/radio scripts and several types of platform speeches. TCC won 13 of 15 events, swept the top 5 Overall Individual Speaker Awards, won the State Top-Novice award, and won Individual Events Sweepstakes and Overall Team Sweepstakes. TCC has achieved the state title 19 of the last 21 years. 5 of 7 students advanced to elimination rounds: Tatyana Penn, Tourean Underwood, Gabrielle Asselin, Braxten Marshall, and Charles Metzger. Charles Metzger was the national champion in Prose Interpretation. 2019 - 2020 team captain Grace Chapman was awarded the Region 8 Student Fellowship Award. Coach Chase Cashion was award the Region 8 Coach Fellowship Award.

Four students with TCC's Model UN were featured guests at the May 20th District Board of Trustees meeting to talk about their recent achievements and bring awareness to Model UN. TCC's Model UN is a student-led organization aimed to educate students on the knowledge of global issues and the work of the United Nations. Since 1994, the Model UN program has earned an excellent reputation within the Model United Nations community with regard to the quality of its program. In 2018, the Model UN team won five awards at the National Model United Nations in New York City; six awards at the Florida Model United Nations and five awards at the National Model United Nations conference in Washington, D.C. This year, they received three awards in New York City.

Over 1,500 students were named to the Spring 2019 Dean's List at Tallahassee Community College.

More than 700 students were named to the Spring 2019 President's List at Tallahassee Community College.

Tallahassee Community College honored veteran graduates during a recognition ceremony and reception on May 3.

Tallahassee Community College will hold its commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. Nearly 500 out of 1,100 students graduating from the Spring, Fall and Summer semesters are marching across the stage to receive their degrees. Among those graduates, include three sets of parent-child duos and international students from the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. There are two mother-and-daughter pairs and a father-and-son pair graduating together. The families said despite some life obstacles earning a post-secondary credential was imperative. They said TCC provided them the tools to receive their degrees, but completing their journey with a relative made it much more enjoyable. "I have been given some news that I had cancer and I was only given a certain amount of time to live." Mark Moten said. "I surpassed that time and I challenged my son to get his degree. And sometimes when you ask your kids to get something and they look at you and say 'well you never finished' so I decided we'll both go." Mark and his son Demaurio Moten both majored in business with a goal of managing their own funeral home. Chyenne Reynolds and her mother Stephanie Reynolds said that TCC was the best choice due to its affordability. "It's a more affordable option," Chyenne said. "It's easy to get my A.A. done at TCC for a lower cost and go wherever I need to go afterwards." Stephanie and Chyenne Reynolds plan to pursue their B.S. degrees in the fall. Carice Cartwright said her daughter Madison Cartwright was her encouragement to complete her associate degree at the College. "I felt overwhelmed by going back to school after being out of it for 20 years," Carice said. "It was pretty interesting to go back and try to learn again but it makes you feel good about yourself when you finish." International student Jahmilah Lake said attending TCC allowed her to experience the American campus lifestyle. She said faculty and staff have been very supportive during her time at the College. "They're for you getting educated," Lake said. "All you have to do is show that you are interested and show that you're willing to learn."

Tallahassee Community College held a traditional pinning ceremony for graduates of its Dental Hygiene program on May1 in the Turner Auditorium. Dental Hygiene program graduates received an Associate in Science degree. In addition to recognizing each graduate, the faculty honored several students for outstanding performance.

Graduating Respiratory Care students were recently recognized during their pinning ceremony. Campbell Connor Allen, Lailoni Carey and Shelby Paugh received A's in all of their course classes. Kendall Blair Moret-Cushing was named the "Best All Around Student," an award voted on by the class for the person that most exemplifies the qualities of a respiratory therapist

Tallahassee Community College's Olivia Russell has been named Second-team All-Panhandle Conference by the league's softball coaches. Russell, a Tallahassee native and former standout at Florida High, led the Eagles with a .348 batting average and 27 RBI while finishing second on the team with five home runs during the recently completed 2019 season. This is Russell's second All-PC honor - she was a first-team selection as a freshman in 2018.

The TCC Stem Center recently recognized students enrolled in the STEM program. William Gilmore received the "Leaving A Legacy" STEM Award during the celebration.

Tallahassee Community College women's basketball student-athlete Aliyah Lawson has been named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar. The annual Ashe Awards were announced on Thursday by Diverse: Issues In Higher Educationand recognizes outstanding minority young men and women who have distinguished themselves in the pursuit of excellence, both academically and athletically. Lawson was named to the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar First-team. A native of Whitby, ONT, Canada, Lawson has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA through three semesters at TCC. Athletically, she was a redshirt freshman in 2018-19 after sitting out all of 2017-18 to rehab an injury. As the team's starting point guard, Lawson helped the Eagles to a record of 25-5 and a No. 6 national ranking in 2018-19. She played in 25 games and averaged 5.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Though she was unable to participate on the floor in 2017-18, she remained an active member of the team as the Eagles captured their first national championship, attending each practice, game and workout. Further demonstrating her commitment to the team and TCC's athletic department, she served as the official scorer for all home basketball games. Despite a demanding schedule as a student-athlete, Lawson has actively participated in numerous community service activities such as Black Male Achievers Protect Your Shield event, Domestic Violence March to End the Silence, Leon County Children's Business Fair, feeding local veterans at the Veterans Village, Get In the Game, Inc., and basketball clinics for kids and Hoops U basketball clinic. In addition to their athletic ability, the students named 2019 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars have maintained a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5, are at least a sophomore academically, and have been active on their campuses or in their communities. Close to 1,000 scholar athletes nationwide were recognized this year.

During the Phi Theta Kappa induction ceremony, several TCC students received special awards.

Thirty-four Tallahassee Community College (TCC) students, including four from the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, were inducted into Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) on April 24. PTK is the largest and most prestigious honor society for community colleges in the United States. The 34 inductees, which is a record number for TCC, include: Solana Banks; Joshua Breauchy; Ruth Carr; Dylan Ceballos; Seunghui Chae; Thomas Chatelain; Ana Claus; Karey Cone; Delana Duca; Sarah Forner; John Giugliano; Marco Gratta; Lauren Hampton; Rosencio Hassell; Kamaria Imani; Jahmilah Lake; Maurice Lake; Chaquan Marlin Virginia; Cierra Christie McKenzie; Brittany Nix; Savanah Nix; Tamera Phillips; Joshua Reynolds; Deidra Robinson; Thomas Ruriani; Caitlin Scarborough; Nicolas Timmons; Kori Travis; Leila Trom; Kimberlee Watts and Edwin Dewayne Washington, Jr. Eight of these students are international students from China, Brazil, South Korea and Jamaica and 25 from the United States.

The TCC Honors Pinning Ceremony was held on Monday to celebrate graduating students in the program who satisfy the Honors graduation requirements and others who participated in the program. District Board of Trustee member Donna Callaway, District Board of Trustee member Frank Messersmith, TCC President Dr. Murdaugh, Provost Dr. Moore-Davis, and Honors Director Vijay Subramanian offered words of encouragement to graduating students and recognized student achievements. Others in attendance were Associate VP of Academic Affairs Dr. Calandra Stringer, Honors faculty, Honors Council, friends and families of students.

Sixteen students from Tallahassee Community College (TCC) recently traveled to New York City to attend the National Model United Nations (NMUN), the oldest and largest intercollegiate Model United Nations conference in the world. They joined nearly 6,000 students coming from nearly 50 countries in New York to participate in the simulation from April 14 to the 18. The students met for those five days to discuss important issues facing the international community, endeavoring to overcome the obstacles diplomats face when addressing them.

Tallahassee Community College's Transitional Studies Division hosted its annual Academic Support recognition ceremony on April 19. The ceremony honored graduating students who began their TCC coursework in developmental education classes, which are designed to ease students' transition to college-credit courses. Two outstanding students, Jahmilah Lake and Ian Carter, delivered remarks at the ceremony.

Tallahassee Community College unveiled the 38th edition of the Eyrie Art & Literary Magazine before an audience of more than 100 people at an event Tuesday, April 17. Attendees enjoyed light refreshments, speeches and presentations of student works. In addition, genre winners were recognized: Aubin Ellis (nonfiction, "If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say") Natalie Etheridge (fiction, "The Great Equalizer") Chelcy Simpson (poetry, "Caught in a Lie") Sarah Schaper (photography, Natural Beauty) Yasuko Miyamoto (art, Vermeer Study Over a Japanese Kimono Pattern) Chinye're Brown (poetry, "Don't Ever Wanna") Madison Wolfe (art, Girl with an Arcane Smile) 55 works of art and literature were selected for publication. TCC has published a yearly edition of the Eyrie since 1982. The magazine is a student-run project showcasing previously unpublished literature and artwork created by TCC students. For information, contact Niki Costantino at costantn@tcc.fl.edu.

During the Word of South festival, students a part of TCC's award-winning literary and art magazine, the Eyrie, read prose and poetry and showcased art and photography. Presented pieces were: "Vermeer Study Over a Japanese Kimono Pattern," by Yasuko Miyamoto (art work) "Natural Beauty" by Sarah Schaper (photograph) "The Great Equalizer" by Natalie Etheridge (fiction) "Don't Ever Wanna" by Chinye're (poetry) "If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say" by Aubin Ellis (nonfiction)

At the April 2019 District Board of Trustees meeting, the Trustees featured Abigail Strickland during the Student Spotlight segment. Abigail is currently a freshman at Tallahassee Community College and majoring in Social Work. She was born and raised in Wakulla County, where she graduated from Wakulla High School in 2018. "Throughout high school, I knew I had to apply for several scholarships to be able to attend college without any financial barriers," said Abigail. "During my junior and senior year, I applied for so many scholarships, even if I knew I may not be able to qualify. When I completed the TCC scholarship application, I filled out every scholarship that they have available." Abigail's hard work paid off, and she received the Peer Leadership Scholarship after being recommended by her school counselor. "The Peer Leadership Scholarship has helped me tremendously," said Abigail. "Not only has it helped me with my college funds, [but] it has helped me come out of my comfort zone and stretched me to be an outgoing person that I was not before." In order to continue receiving funds from the Peer Leadership Scholarship, Abigail works on campus as a peer leader. She has gained more leadership skills and friendships due to this experience; she helps set up events around campus, partners with other TCC organizations and assists other students if they have questions or need information about TCC. Abigail plans to transfer to FSU in 2020 and obtain her Master's in Social Work. She would like to go into the welfare aspect of social work, as she's always had a passion for helping children and families. "[The Peer Leadership Scholarship] has helped me come up with the career I want to pursue," said Abigail. "I believe the Peer Leadership Scholarship will continue to help me and shape the person I am to be able to achieve my career goals. I would like to thank everyone for giving me recommendations I needed to receive this scholarship."