FLORIDA EDUCATION GUIDE The Ultimate Resource for Comparing Postsecondary Educational Options in Florida > Keeping Students > Bright Futures Motivated & Financial Aid > Hot Careers > Participating Schools & Programs > Academically Speaking Sponsored by AT&T FLORIDA EDUCATION GUIDE Keeping Students The Pivot Did you know? There are over 80 Motivated institutions of higher learning in the The effects of COVID-19 have hit our high school state of Florida. Despite the challenges students especially hard, disrupting important years of that 2020 threw at these schools, we academics, athletics, socializing, and college preparation. have a lot to celebrate. Proms and graduation ceremonies have been canceled. ■ Florida Polytechnic Institute As is so often the case, students with greater needs for launched the state’s only support have suffered even more. How has the pandemic undergraduate program in Health impacted pipeline and mentoring programs? Systems Engineering, For the answer, we turned to Lynne bringing together STEM W. Gassant, founder and executive majors and health director of Scholar Career Coaching, care majors to forge a United Way of Palm Beach County new paths in medical affiliate mentoring program that technologies. coaches, motivates, and supports high-need, high-potential students ■ The University of South Florida who are at risk of falling behind in the consolidated its three campuses (in While the classroom. Lynne writes: Tampa, Sarasota, and St. Petersburg) online Despite the pandemic, we are under the leadership of new president experience pushing forward. We have transitioned Steven Currall, rebranding as “One completely to a virtual learning USF.” is different, platform. With the app, students can ■ Florida Gulf Coast University it is the new email, chat, video call, and share was named the best school in Florida documents with their mentor. “norm.” (and in the top 10% nationwide) for Additional resources for virtual Lynne W. undergraduate entrepreneurship. Gassant mentors are available from the National Mentoring Partnership, a ■ Governor Ron DeSantis included national database of youth mentoring over $123 million in the state budget programs connecting volunteers to opportunities and to help fund Historically Black Colleges youth to resources in their local communities. Visit and Universities. mentoring.org to learn more. ONLINE CLASSES Every student in Florida has had some experience with digital education in 2020, whether it was temporarily going remote in March or enrolling in online courses in the Fall. It’s pretty likely that your student will take at least one class online while in college, even after we stop doing so for health and safety reasons. It’s important for your student to know that online courses can be more time- and labor-intensive, and that they require quite a bit of internal motivation and self-advocacy. Professors of online courses are just as willing to help and communicate, but the student is often expected to initiate the conversation. 84 APRIL 2021 FLORIDA EDUCATION GUIDE / FLORIDA TREND CUSTOM CONTENT FLORIDA EDUCATION GUIDE The 12 schools in Florida’s State PUBLIC COLLEGES University System can be very AND UNIVERSITIES selective, admitting about 40% of applicants. Prospective students should take AP and Honors classes in their areas of interest and aim for SAT scores of 1200+. Tuition for in-state students can be less than half of the tuition at a private college. Because these schools have, on average, more than 250,000 students, they often offer lots of extracurricular and athletic options, plus a wide variety of major and minor areas of study. “Staying in state for college [helps] me save money for graduate school.” Historically Black Colleges Catherine Discenza, sophomore and Universities at the University of Florida The state of Florida has 4 HCBUs— Bethune-Cookman University, There are more than 40 private Edward Waters College, Florida A&M PRIVATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES colleges and universities in Florida, University, and Florida Memorial and they differ widely in size, cost, and University. These schools alone contribute admissions rates. Private schools tend to be much smaller than public almost $900 million dollars per year to the schools, averaging just over 4,000 students per campus, at an average state economy, and graduates of HCBUs admissions rate of 65%. Many students choose a private college for can increase their lifetime earnings by smaller class sizes and more focused or individualized courses of study. 64% (over $1 million!) by completing their degree. Admissions rates are on par with Florida has 25 community colleges that serve other Florida institutions. Most African TWO-YEAR our students seeking an associate’s degree or American doctors and teachers in the U. S. SCHOOLS were educated at HCBUs. professional certification, looking to get a jump on a bachelor’s degree, or earning college credit while still in high school through a dual enrollment program. Most students at two-year schools live off-campus, and total enrollments vary, largely based on location. Schools in more remote areas can have fewer than 2,000 students, while those in metropolitan areas can have up to 20,000. Tuition rates follow similar trends. GOING ON COLLEGE TOURS. “Getting a jump-start on my bachelor’s degree ”Being on campus at Full Sail [through dual enrollment at the introduced me to the real University of West Florida] is an process of recording arts, opportunity I’m incredibly grateful for.” and I learned that I want to Megan Brown, junior at Booker T. work in music production Washington High School and music psychology.” CAREER AND If your student already knows that they want TECHNICAL to pursue a career in a skilled trade and wants Harrison Lundy, 18, SCHOOLS to get started right away, one of Florida’s Kids Community College many specialized technical schools is a great Preparatory Riverview choice. These schools offer training and certification in popular fields like nursing, radiology, hospitality, aesthetics and cosmetology, mechanics, electrical work, plumbing, aviation, and dental hygiene. FLORIDATREND.COM FLORIDA TREND CUSTOM CONTENT 85 Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Florida’s Public Florida’s Technical Colleges A Message from Florida Association Make an Impact for Career and Technical Education Technical Colleges Post-Secondary Chair 14,249 9,049 “Florida’s public Career Industry Florida must become workforce ready. Career and Certifi cates Credentials technical colleges Awarded Awarded 544 are laser focused technical education is the way to get there. 221 Applied on preparing Technical Technical Florida’s 48 technical colleges o er 200-plus programs and Programs Diplomas students to be part O ered Awarded Diane of the skilled, 21st train thousands of highly skilled workers each year. “Career in 179,840 Culpepper century workforce. a Year” programs o er training in targeted industries such as Students Served Executive *2018-2019 Director By partnering manufacturing; health care; public safety; automotive, marine, Lake Technical with business and aircraft mechanics; and computer programming, IT, and College 84% 95% and industry, we digital disciplines. Hands-on real life experiences provided in Average Average Statewide Statewide meet needs unique to each Completion 86% Licensure classrooms, labs, simulations and registered apprenticeship Average local community. With fl exible Statewide programs — all delivering tomorrow’s critical workforce today. Placement scheduling, competency based instruction, microcredentialing, and affordable tuition, our 10,769 institutions offer students and Registered Apprenticeship Enrollment Errin Gill graduated from Lake Technical Leah Marley has always been fi ercely employers alike the critical College’s Automotive Collision Technology Technician independent and up for a challenge. components needed to improve program in December of 2020. The auto collision program She earned her high school equiva- and expand Florida’s economy.” merged her love of two things, art and cars. As a woman lency at age 16. Leah completed the in a non-traditional fi eld, she was pleasantly surprised to Welding Technology Program at Haney Practical Nursing Graduate Amoy McPherson, while feel completely encouraged by her instructors and peers. Technical Center and was one of the in high school, was part of a Health Science program About midway through the program, she was awarded top three welders in her 2020 class. See how Florida’s public technical which visited Atlantic Technical College’s PN class- the Women in Industry scholarship. Errin was ultimately She is now excelling in her new career colleges are delivering rooms and labs. During these visits Amoy realized hired by Lockheed Martin to fabricate windows for the as a welder with Eastern Shipbuilding. the middle-skilled workers he wanted to enroll at a Technical College because it our state needs to grow F35 fi ghter jet and the Apache helicopter. was so practical. He wanted to become a part of the in the 21st century. solution to help others achieve a healthy life. Visit www.careerinayearFL.com “My job at Lockheed “Being a welder Martin job is the coolest has provided “Here’s a school offering job ever and I would me with a great a career in a year. After a never have had this income and career year you can become a opportunity without opportunities!” nurse. That’s something Lake Tech’s training.” unheard of!” FACTE_FEGApr21.indd All Pages 3/4/21 11:34 AM Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Florida’s Public Florida’s Technical Colleges A Message from Florida Association Make an Impact for Career and Technical Education Technical Colleges Post-Secondary Chair 14,249 9,049 “Florida’s public Career Industry Florida must become workforce ready. Career and Certifi cates Credentials technical colleges Awarded Awarded 544 are laser focused technical education is the way to get there. 221 Applied on preparing Technical Technical Florida’s 48 technical colleges o er 200-plus programs and Programs Diplomas students to be part O ered Awarded Diane of the skilled, 21st train thousands of highly skilled workers each year.