Pasco-Hernando State College Volume XIV, Issue I Spring 2020 | Page 5

P
PHSC GRADS
C E L E B R AT E S U C C E S S
HSC’s winter commencement held in December,
was the culmination of perseverance and
dedication for this year’s summer and fall
graduates. The College’s newest alumni include many
ambitious and accomplished individuals, and some
who have encountered adversity in pursuit of a higher
education. Approximately 345 degrees and certificates
were conferred at the ceremonies with an estimated
1,328 graduates eligible to participate. Here are a few
of PHSC’s remarkable graduates.
Meclina Priestley, 44, of Wesley Chapel, earned
her Associate in Science in drafting and design
technology with honors. Priestley, a single mom of
three daughters, is a successful artist and an Art Fellow
at the James Weldon Johnson Foundation. Priestley
has been doing shows and events for that foundation
in New York and the Berkshires. She is also the Artist
in Residence at the Renaissance Tampa International
Plaza Hotel. Priestley combines her love of art with the
skills she learned in the drafting and design program
at PHSC. “My goal is to work alongside architects and
developers to integrate the thought of design and art,
making it a part of the architecture,” said Priestley. She
is a member is Phi Theta Kappa and the SkillsUSA club
where she was a medalist at the state competition.
despite their diagnosis—it’s not the end.” She aspires
to give back, working as a nurse either in pediatric
oncology or in breast oncology.
Steeven Andrade, 20, of Wesley Chapel, was born
in Ecuador and moved to the United States three
years ago. Coming to a new country with very few
possessions and not speaking the language did not
stop Andrade from pursuing his dream of a higher
education. “I remember my first day of class, I didn’t
know anyone or what to expect,” said Andrade. “It was
my first time in college, in another country, in another
language, far away from where I felt comfortable.”
Andrade made friends, became familiar with the
college and professors, and by the fall of 2018, he was
the Student Government Association vice president
at the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. He earned
his Associate in Arts degree, with honors. He plans
to pursue a bachelor’s degree in management with
a minor in global business at the University of South
Florida in spring while working at Publix.
To read more graduation stories,
visit: phsc.edu/about/news
From left: Timothy L. Beard,
Ph.D., PHSC president;
Richard Corcoran, Florida
education commissioner;
and Rao Musunuru, M.D.,
member, PHSC District
Board of Trustees.
Meclina Priestley offered the
student remarks at the winter
commencement morning
ceremony.
Patricia Jauregui, 30, of Dade City, has overcome
many obstacles, from kidney failure and transplant as
a teen, to developing breast cancer when she was 22
years old. She enrolled at the college in fall of 2010
and the following year learned her kidney transplant
had failed and she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast
cancer. A true fighter, Jauregui never gave up. She
resumed her studies as soon as her doctors would
allow. “I still required dialysis three days a week
because I was not eligible for a transplant at the time,”
said Jauregui. “I would go to dialysis in the morning,
come home to sleep for a couple hours, go work part
time at a daycare center, and afterwards go to school
part time.” Her health issues and the compassion
she received from her nurses shaped her career path.
Jauregui is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and Psi Beta
who earned her Associate in Science degree in nursing
with honors. “No matter what I was going through, I
always tried to maintain a smile. I thought about the
many people I would one day help and that motivated
me. I want to inspire and give my patients hope that
From left: Rao Musunuru,
M.D., member, PHSC
District Board of Trustees;
Sheriff Chris Nocco, and
Timothy L. Beard, Ph.D.,
PHSC president.
COLLEGE TRUSTEE EXPRESSES
GENEROSITY AT COMMENCEMENT
The commencement ceremony included presentations
of two $10,000 donations to the PHSC Foundation
provided by Rao Musunuru, M.D., member, PHSC
District Board of Trustees, and nationally renowned
cardiologist. The two donations create endowed
scholarships in honor of Pasco County Sheriff Chris
Nocco and Florida Education Commissioner Richard
Corcoran. The PHSC Foundation funds nearly 1,000
scholarships annually to students. The generous
support from donors like Dr. Musunuru help make
this possible.
SPRING 2020
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