Dr. Jonathan Guevera, President and CEO of the College of the Florida Keys, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on at the college.
The first TEDxCFK event was held on August 23 with 13 speakers presenting at the event.
Dr. Guevera said, “I hope you get a chance to at least review the online version, which is still up on our Facebook page, but it’s a great event. The 13 speakers came from all over the country, and we had quite a few locals who were there, and they gave some really touching stories about life challenges that they had to overcome to get to where they are, or to get something out of life in general. I want to thank all of the people, starting with Dr. Munroe, who pulled the committee together and did all of the work behind this. They received applications, they screened them, they interviewed, they watched these people practice through all of these sessions, and then they pulled off a fantastic event.”
The Lower Keys Women’s Club recently established an endowment to support the Nursing Scholarship at the College of the Florida Keys.
Dr. Guevera said, “The Lower Keys Women’s Club shortly after the College was established in ’65, they created a scholarship a couple of years later. So since 1967 they have been supporting students who attend the college. And these women who were primarily out of the Big Pine Key area, developed this program, and in the beginning it was geared for women who were returning to school so that they could fund their education. We had conversations with them many years ago and we talked about doing something like this, and they established a scholarship, and it will remain into perpetuity. Since both entities the Lower Keys Women’s Club, as well as the College of the Florida Keys, we’re celebrating our 60th anniversary this year, this was just perfect to have this come together at this time. The club members, they’re all very, very passionate about supporting the college, and especially nursing, so some time in the spring, the scholarship will award $1,000 and it will be available to any nursing student. So if you’re out there looking for a Nursing Scholarship, you’re attending college, or you’re going to begin attending college in the spring, this is your opportunity to get out there and apply.”
Three employees of the college were honored this year for demonstrating exceptional service to the college, starting with Lori Bosco who received a 30 year service award.
Dr. Guevera said, “We actually begin recognizing employees after their first year. You know how difficult it is when people move to the Keys to be able to just get them to adjust. So we actually start that recognition in year one, but I really want to highlight these three individuals, starting with Lori Bosco. And I said to Lori, I said Lori, we’ve been around for 60 years, and you’ve been here for 30? You’ve been here for half the life of the college. How many of us can claim that? And her record is not just as the director of the aquatic center, but she is our coach for the Tugas and the Key West High School Conchs. She literally started that program, coaching the High School swim program, and at one point, Lori also managed a pool for the Navy. So she’s just an exceptional, amazing individual, whose services to this community and the college are just remarkable and immeasurable. Then we have Nicole Gerard, who has been in our Advising Student Success, leading our transition programs, things like Project Access, distance learning and just a variety of things. She’s been us with, with us for 20 years. And Amber Ernst-Leonard, and her work, not just at the college, with Rotary and with all the other organizations that she supports it continues to shine a light for the college and this community. So I want to thank all three of those, Lori, Nicole and Amber, for their time, their dedication and passion to the college and the community.”
In July, four members of the swim team were named to the National Junior College Athletic Association All Academic team, which means they are continuing to perform in the classroom as well as in the pool.
Dr. Guevera said, “It is quite an honor. And some of these students have graduated, of course, but two students made the all academic first team, which means they have a 4.0 grade point average, and that would be Kaemon Fagley and Eddie Kertis. Kaemon is off to another institution now, and Eddie is still in town doing a variety of things within the community. They continue to work inside, outside the classroom. Two other students made the all academic third team with the NJCAA, which means they also have a 3.6 to 3.79 grade point average. And that’s Teagan Lavin and Isabel Oliverio. We have five swimmers who were named to the Florida System Activities All Academic Teams. So everybody that I mentioned Kaemon, Eddie, Teagan and Isabel, as well as Lucas Montiel made the Florida System Activities Association All Academic Teams. So congratulations to them. And of course, last year we had a very similar thing and congratulations again, coach and go Tugas!”
The Ready, Set, College events partners with local Chambers.
Dr. Guevera said, “Today at 5:30, at the college will host its annual Ready, Set, College event. And this event came out of a conversation that I had years ago with the then Chamber executive director of Virginia Panico, and they used to invite people to come to the Keys, but it was a costly event. And I said, Virginia, what exactly is this? And when she explained it to me, I said, well we have people who can help with that, and it won’t cost the chamber anything. And she says, oh, well, I’ll take a good deal any day and hence, that collaboration was born. The goal of the workshop is to help students , their parents, their teachers, general community, mentors, people who are working with young people in programs like Take Stock to figure out how you get through all of the maze of paperwork that gets you into college and allows you to be able to afford it. As recently as last month, the Secretary of Education was at I believe, Broward College, and they unveiled a brand new Free Application for Federal Student Aid. So that alone is reason for people to want to show up, because we talk about that whole process, and at most colleges, the FASFA is the beginning process of, how do you pay for college? The other part of the evening, we will spend time helping students with what to focus on when you write an essay for admissions or for scholarships, so that people will read it and you will jump out at them as the person they want to select for their college or and to give you the scholarship money. So this program is not about CFK. It would be nice, yes, if some of them decided to come, but this is about people who want to go to college.”
The annual Constitution Day will be held Wednesday, September 17, at 11 am at library on the Key West Campus
Dr. Guevera said, “We’ll have two events on the 17th. The first one is this one, 11 o’clock at the library. The entire community is invited, and we try to live stream these. So go to our Facebook page if you cannot attend. Professor Muffler, who’s our business law instructor and an attorney, he’ll kick off the event with an interactive trivia game, because, of course, we’re also celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. As part of this event, Judge Carol Rose, who is retired, she will present her piece called The Constitution: A Judge’s Perspective, and she’ll talk about the relevance of this document that predates all of us, but yet still has so much of an impact on our lives. I mean, you look at the news every day, and there is something, whether it’s a state, an entity, the federal government, and the Constitution is referenced again and again. So she will share her perspective as a judge and show how the Constitution remains a living document, as well as talking about its relevance today, about the amendments, how they came about, and how they are good examples of the kind of changes that we needed to make over the years to keep this document as a living document and how it informs structure and interpretation. The League of Women Voters will also be there, and people can register to vote through them, and as well as they will be providing free pocket constitutions.”
Academic Pathways is another important initiative where the college invites all prospective students to explore academic and career training opportunities with the College of the Florida Keys Virtual Academic Showcase event, which is also on Wednesday, September 17.
Dr. Guevera said, “I love these events because it gives me a chance to see what our prospective students are thinking, what they’re looking for and how we can help to make it happen for them. One of the things that I say to students over and over again, we may be the southernmost college, but despite our isolation and our distance away from everything else, we provide services that many other institutions don’t come close to. For example, I tell all the students that I meet who are prospective students, I say, if you are doing a college visit, I want you to ask when you’re there on that campus to speak to the president, even if it’s for a fleeting moment, and if that institution finds the time to get that person to talk to you, it’s okay if you go there. But if that doesn’t happen, I want you to come back to CFK, because you will have that opportunity most of the times when you desire it, to be able to speak with me. So this showcase event on September 17, I’ll say a few words. We’ll have our deans, faculty, students and alums. And in fact, the last one we did, we had a Coast Guardsman all the way out in Hawaii on his ship who took the time out to call back and talk to prospective students about his experience at the college. So he found a little corner, and so the advice and the information that you’re receiving is not just from people who are obviously trying to sell the college as faculty, students and employees, but also from people who have made it through. These individuals will talk about how their goals and interests intersected with the college, but we’ll also provide the kind of information that we do at Ready, Set, College, things like financial aid, scholarships, how to pay for college, and each participant receives a code that gives them a $30 waiver so that they don’t have to pay an application fee. It’s important to note that even if you don’t come to this event, applications are due December 1 for the spring semester classes starting on January 6, and you may be able to register at the showcase, so please take a minute, take the time to sign up.”
For more information, click here: https://cfk.edu/