Santa Fe College will celebrate its 2009 Fall Commencement beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 at the Northwest campus gymnasium, 3000 NW 83rd St. Approximately 200 students typically participate in the fall ceremony; 809 have applied for graduation.
In addition to the “main” commencement, the college is also celebrating:
- A graduating class of 11 paramedics from the Emergency Medical Services program. The paramedic graduation ceremony will be held at 10 am. Friday, Dec. 11 in the auditorium at the Institute of Public Safety, 3737 NE 39th Ave.
- Ten patient care assistants and 12 nursing assistants in our Assistive programs will graduate at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9 in the W Annex, room 104.
- The Dental Bridge program is recognizing 11 graduates and the Cardiovascualr Technology program is graduating 15, at 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 in the E Auditorium.
Featured grad: Dylan Harrison
President Jackson Sasser typically features at least one special graduate at the college’s main commencement. This year, it’s Dylan Harrison, who is earning his AA degree at age 16.
Harrison seldom showed for class yet he graduates from Santa Fe as a Dean’s List student.
Harrison took his entire 9th grade set of classes through the Florida Virtual School, an online educational program. Since then he mixed online courses with classroom attendance in person, mostly at the SF Andrews Center in his hometown of Starke.
The classes applied simultaneously to his record at Bradford High School and Santa Fe through the High School Dual Enrollment Program.
Harrison admits that he needed self-discipline and his mother’s urging to earn a college degree at such a young age.
But the most difficult part, he says, was the many hours taking classes with a computer monitor as his sole company.
“I am a people person,” Harrison said. “It was hard learning on the Internet with little human contact. I was in a room staring at a screen instead of being with classmates and a teacher.”
Harrison plans to attend the University of Florida and will wait a while before deciding upon a major.
Before then, he plans to take a year off to conduct mission work for his church, perhaps in Belgium or Costa Rica.
“I feel I have not had enough time to socialize because of school work,” he said. “I want to travel, see people, conduct a ministry and teach some classes.”
More on the Paramedic program
The Paramedic program is three semesters long (one year), and in addition to standard injection techniques, students learn to start IVs, read cardiac rhythms, administer medications, and treat a variety of patients in emergency situations.
The program is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions and the Florida Bureau of Emergency Medical Services has recognized Santa Fe’s Paramedic program as the No. 1 school in the state for first-time pass rates of the state certification examination.
The Paramedic program will welcome a new class at an orientation scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon on Monday, Jan. 4, in the auditorium of the Institute of Public Service. Please contact Louis Mallory for more information at 352-271-2902.
Spring 2010 dates
Santa Fe is closed for the winter holidays from Saturday, Dec. 19 until Monday, Jan. 4.
Faculty and staff will come together for Spring Convocation at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4 in the Northwest campus gym, when President Sasser will discuss the college’s priorities for the spring semester.
Spring and Spring A classes begin Tuesday, Jan. 5, with enrollment expected to top 17,000 students.
For the first time, Santa Fe will begin offering college prep classes in January in Alachua, at the Charles R. and Nancy V. Perry Center for Emerging Technologies.
Contact
- Larry Keen, 352-395-5164 or larry.keen@sfcollege.edu, to arrange an interview with SF President Jackson Sasser
- Julie Garrett, for help facilitating your story, 352-870-2924 (cell) or julie.garrett@sfcollege.edu
Program graduations
- Louis Mallory, EMS Programs, 352-271-2902, or louis.mallory@sfcollege.edu; program website: http://dept.sfcollege.edu/EMS
- For information on the remaining Health Sciences graduations, contact Scott Fortner, 352-395-5733 or scott.fortner@sfcollege.edu