5’ Outlook A Publication of Florida Community College at Jacksonville Student speakers exemplify success May 4, 1990, exactly ten years to the day after she arrived in the United States from the Phillippines, Patricia Ann Acedera was addressing the hun— dreds of graduates participating in the 1990 FCC] college credit commencement ceremony in the Civic Auditorium. The fact that she was speaking on that anniversary was merely a coin- cidence, having nothing to do with why she was being honored that evet ning. This 33—year old wife and mother had earned the title of student speaker, graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average from the College’s Nurs— ing program. Among her many other honors, Acedera was the recipient of the Nursing Excellence Award for comr munity service and academic excellence. Acedera credits her many successes to the American school system and more specifically, FCCJ. “Coming here (to the United States) I was able to look at your educational system in comparison to that of the Phillippines. Here in America you don’t have to dream about opportunities like we did. Here you can live them. I’ve always dreamed of becoming a nurse!” In her speech she said, “It has been my good fortune to have acquired the best from both worlds — discipline and perseverance from the Asian way and originality, exuberance and optimism from the American system.” As someone who also holds a bache‘ lor’s degreé‘ in Psychology from the University of the Phillippines, Acedera was able to share some insight as to the quality of a community college educa- tion. She said, “I found the caliber of teaching at the community college (FCCJ) to be excellent and the scope of the teaching so wide.” She elaborated, at commencement saying, “At this college I have found a high quality education that was both practical and innovative.” Jennifer Lea James, a dynamic young woman in the College honors program who earned her associate in arts degree after only two terms, expressed similar views. “When I graduated as valedic- torian at Bartram last year, everyone naturally expected me to go to either a military academy or an Ivy League school. They (my former classmates) are very surprised when they find out I go to FCC .” Actually Jennifer James’ classmates’ aspirations for her weren’t too far off. She received an appointment to and at— tended the United States Military Academy at West Point before transfer— ring to FCC] a few weeks later. Regard— ing her transfer; James said, “I’m more of a non—conformist. I needed to be able to think more freely.” Although she has been released from West Point, James is still considered a cadet until she receives her formal military discharge, which is expected next month. Until then, James couldn’t enroll in a four-year college, only a two-year institu— tion, which is what brought her to FCC]. As her first experience with a public institution of learning, James ad- mits, “I originally thought it was going to be such a breeze, but it wasn’t. FCC] really challenges you. I love it and I can honestly say I am going to miss FCC .” She laughingly added, “Every one always teases me that I’m the best spokesperson for the College — that’s how much I love it here.” When Jennifer James isn’t attending class, working or modeling, she works with incoming students as a Student Ambassador in the Black Student Suc- cess center. This International Relations major even finds time for a boyfriend and an occasional lunch with her mother, Warner James, who works on FCCJ’s Downtown Campus as a project coordinator. Like Patricia Acedera, Jennifer James was a student speaker for the 1990 commencement ceremony and gradu— ated with a 4.0 grade point average. Among her many honors and achieve- ments, James received the College’s Geography Award for academic ex— cellence and is listed in Who’s Who Among Students In American Junior College. Additionally, James’ essay, “Congress and the Presidency of the 1990’s” won her the Moses Leo Geis Soviet awarded degree FCC] made international history during its twenty’third commencement ceremony when President Charles C. Spence confer- red an honorary associate in arts degree to Dr. Mirza Ismail Makhmoutov, Director of the Institute for Professional Education Research in Kazan, USSR, “for significant leadership provided in developing cooperative programs between our two countries.” Makhmoutov is presently investigating plans to establish a community college system in the Soviet Union, similar to ones found in the United States. He has been meeting with Dr. Spence and two other community colleges as he searches for models for this new glasnost educational endeavor. Award given at the let Annual Stu- dent Symposium in Washington, DC, sponsored by the Center for the Study of the President. Jennifer James has already been 80' cepted to University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill, Howard University, Spelman College and is awaiting word from George Washington University. Meanwhile, this honors program stu— dent is participating in the talent pool of Inroads, an exclusive program which offers a series of workshops on resume writing, interviewing and other prer employment skills. The workshops are followed up by corporate interviews from which 34 of the 100 students will be offered internships for each summer until completion of their degrees, at which time it could possibly lead to full-time employment. Jacquelyn Ann Davis has a lot more in common with Jennifer James than just being a student speaker for com- mencement. Jacquelyn Davis was in the high school honors program at Stanton College Prep where, according to Davis, “everyone just naturally expected you to go away to college.” She, like Jennifer James, surprised everyone by coming to FCC]. Davis explained her decision this way, “I got scholarship offers to JU (Jacksonville University) and UF (University of Florida), but decided to stay at home and go to FCC]. I wanted to try out FCCJ’s honors program and so far it (FCCJ’s Honors program) hasn’t disappointed me.” Davis spoke highly of the honors pro— gram, known as the Program for Academic Excellence, saying that the students in the program had “more close’knit relationships to those of a family. Regarding the coursework, Davis said. “It’s not really that hard. It’s more of an awareness. We learned about things like the Vietnam War.” She quickly interjected, “We never seemed to get that far (the Vietnam War) in high school history classes — we always stopped somewhere around World War II.” That wasn’t the case at FCC]. Jac- quelyn Davis noted, “We even had a Vietnam veteran come into our honors class and talk about his experiences.” She further brought home her “aware- ness” point with another example, “When we discussed cultural Anthro‘ pology, We actually went out and did some excavating.” “The important thing I learned here is that you meet a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds. Everybody wasn’t ‘just like me.’ ” No one at FCC] is ‘just like Jac— quelyn Davis,’ that’s for sure. She graduated with a 3.93 grade point average and was the recipient of an Honors Award. Davis is also FCCJ’s selection for National Distinguished Student Scholar. Davis also finds time to teach Sunday School to second graders at First Baptist Church, which she calls “the highlight of the week.” This experience has proven to be a valuable one for Davis, leading her to thoughts of becoming a pediatrician. This fall, Jacquelyn Davis will take the next step toward reaching that goal when she enters PIMS (Program in Medical Science) at Florida State University. This special program allows students to take their first year of medical school while still attending FSU. While Jacquelyn Davis and Jennifer James were singing the praises of the College honors program, a fellow honors student was singing that song to a different tune. Just four short years ago, Terry Dale Hashey never expected to graduate from college, much less be in any honors program. Hashey explained why to the thousands gathered in the Civic Auditorium. “March 11, 1986, the day after my 16th birthday, I withdrew from the public school system. I decid- ed to make it on my own in the real world. But after a few months of minimum wage, I began to realize the importance of an education!” As a result of what Hashey called, “the guidance of the world’s greatest mom,” he enrolled in FCCJ’s Adult High School Completion program. There he recalls, I was greeted by the friendliest, most caring people I had ever met. They took me, in making no rash judgements and helped me to suc— ceed on my own.” See STUDENT SPEAKERS, page 3 May/June 1990 Patricia Ann Acedera Jennifer Lea James Jacquelyn Ann Davis Terry Dale Hashey INSIDE 1990 Commencement Highlights . . . 4,5 College Safety Issue.........6 President’s Purchase Award........8 , OCR Text: 5’ Outlook A Publication of Florida Community College at Jacksonville Student speakers exemplify success May 4, 1990, exactly ten years to the day after she arrived in the United States from the Phillippines, Patricia Ann Acedera was addressing the hun— dreds of graduates participating in the 1990 FCC] college credit commencement ceremony in the Civic Auditorium. The fact that she was speaking on that anniversary was merely a coin- cidence, having nothing to do with why she was being honored that evet ning. This 33—year old wife and mother had earned the title of student speaker, graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average from the College’s Nurs— ing program. Among her many other honors, Acedera was the recipient of the Nursing Excellence Award for comr munity service and academic excellence. Acedera credits her many successes to the American school system and more specifically, FCCJ. “Coming here (to the United States) I was able to look at your educational system in comparison to that of the Phillippines. Here in America you don’t have to dream about opportunities like we did. Here you can live them. I’ve always dreamed of becoming a nurse!” In her speech she said, “It has been my good fortune to have acquired the best from both worlds — discipline and perseverance from the Asian way and originality, exuberance and optimism from the American system.” As someone who also holds a bache‘ lor’s degreé‘ in Psychology from the University of the Phillippines, Acedera was able to share some insight as to the quality of a community college educa- tion. She said, “I found the caliber of teaching at the community college (FCCJ) to be excellent and the scope of the teaching so wide.” She elaborated, at commencement saying, “At this college I have found a high quality education that was both practical and innovative.” Jennifer Lea James, a dynamic young woman in the College honors program who earned her associate in arts degree after only two terms, expressed similar views. “When I graduated as valedic- torian at Bartram last year, everyone naturally expected me to go to either a military academy or an Ivy League school. They (my former classmates) are very surprised when they find out I go to FCC .” Actually Jennifer James’ classmates’ aspirations for her weren’t too far off. She received an appointment to and at— tended the United States Military Academy at West Point before transfer— ring to FCC] a few weeks later. Regard— ing her transfer; James said, “I’m more of a non—conformist. I needed to be able to think more freely.” Although she has been released from West Point, James is still considered a cadet until she receives her formal military discharge, which is expected next month. Until then, James couldn’t enroll in a four-year college, only a two-year institu— tion, which is what brought her to FCC]. As her first experience with a public institution of learning, James ad- mits, “I originally thought it was going to be such a breeze, but it wasn’t. FCC] really challenges you. I love it and I can honestly say I am going to miss FCC .” She laughingly added, “Every one always teases me that I’m the best spokesperson for the College — that’s how much I love it here.” When Jennifer James isn’t attending class, working or modeling, she works with incoming students as a Student Ambassador in the Black Student Suc- cess center. This International Relations major even finds time for a boyfriend and an occasional lunch with her mother, Warner James, who works on FCCJ’s Downtown Campus as a project coordinator. Like Patricia Acedera, Jennifer James was a student speaker for the 1990 commencement ceremony and gradu— ated with a 4.0 grade point average. Among her many honors and achieve- ments, James received the College’s Geography Award for academic ex— cellence and is listed in Who’s Who Among Students In American Junior College. Additionally, James’ essay, “Congress and the Presidency of the 1990’s” won her the Moses Leo Geis Soviet awarded degree FCC] made international history during its twenty’third commencement ceremony when President Charles C. Spence confer- red an honorary associate in arts degree to Dr. Mirza Ismail Makhmoutov, Director of the Institute for Professional Education Research in Kazan, USSR, “for significant leadership provided in developing cooperative programs between our two countries.” Makhmoutov is presently investigating plans to establish a community college system in the Soviet Union, similar to ones found in the United States. He has been meeting with Dr. Spence and two other community colleges as he searches for models for this new glasnost educational endeavor. Award given at the let Annual Stu- dent Symposium in Washington, DC, sponsored by the Center for the Study of the President. Jennifer James has already been 80' cepted to University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill, Howard University, Spelman College and is awaiting word from George Washington University. Meanwhile, this honors program stu— dent is participating in the talent pool of Inroads, an exclusive program which offers a series of workshops on resume writing, interviewing and other prer employment skills. The workshops are followed up by corporate interviews from which 34 of the 100 students will be offered internships for each summer until completion of their degrees, at which time it could possibly lead to full-time employment. Jacquelyn Ann Davis has a lot more in common with Jennifer James than just being a student speaker for com- mencement. Jacquelyn Davis was in the high school honors program at Stanton College Prep where, according to Davis, “everyone just naturally expected you to go away to college.” She, like Jennifer James, surprised everyone by coming to FCC]. Davis explained her decision this way, “I got scholarship offers to JU (Jacksonville University) and UF (University of Florida), but decided to stay at home and go to FCC]. I wanted to try out FCCJ’s honors program and so far it (FCCJ’s Honors program) hasn’t disappointed me.” Davis spoke highly of the honors pro— gram, known as the Program for Academic Excellence, saying that the students in the program had “more close’knit relationships to those of a family. Regarding the coursework, Davis said. “It’s not really that hard. It’s more of an awareness. We learned about things like the Vietnam War.” She quickly interjected, “We never seemed to get that far (the Vietnam War) in high school history classes — we always stopped somewhere around World War II.” That wasn’t the case at FCC]. Jac- quelyn Davis noted, “We even had a Vietnam veteran come into our honors class and talk about his experiences.” She further brought home her “aware- ness” point with another example, “When we discussed cultural Anthro‘ pology, We actually went out and did some excavating.” “The important thing I learned here is that you meet a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds. Everybody wasn’t ‘just like me.’ ” No one at FCC] is ‘just like Jac— quelyn Davis,’ that’s for sure. She graduated with a 3.93 grade point average and was the recipient of an Honors Award. Davis is also FCCJ’s selection for National Distinguished Student Scholar. Davis also finds time to teach Sunday School to second graders at First Baptist Church, which she calls “the highlight of the week.” This experience has proven to be a valuable one for Davis, leading her to thoughts of becoming a pediatrician. This fall, Jacquelyn Davis will take the next step toward reaching that goal when she enters PIMS (Program in Medical Science) at Florida State University. This special program allows students to take their first year of medical school while still attending FSU. While Jacquelyn Davis and Jennifer James were singing the praises of the College honors program, a fellow honors student was singing that song to a different tune. Just four short years ago, Terry Dale Hashey never expected to graduate from college, much less be in any honors program. Hashey explained why to the thousands gathered in the Civic Auditorium. “March 11, 1986, the day after my 16th birthday, I withdrew from the public school system. I decid- ed to make it on my own in the real world. But after a few months of minimum wage, I began to realize the importance of an education!” As a result of what Hashey called, “the guidance of the world’s greatest mom,” he enrolled in FCCJ’s Adult High School Completion program. There he recalls, I was greeted by the friendliest, most caring people I had ever met. They took me, in making no rash judgements and helped me to suc— ceed on my own.” See STUDENT SPEAKERS, page 3 May/June 1990 Patricia Ann Acedera Jennifer Lea James Jacquelyn Ann Davis Terry Dale Hashey INSIDE 1990 Commencement Highlights . . . 4,5 College Safety Issue.........6 President’s Purchase Award........8 , Z ArchiveInABox,JAX,Outlook Newsletter,Outlook Newsletter 04-05,May - June 1990,P01 (2).tif, P01 (2).tif