PBSC has prepared generations of leaders to achieve lifelong success and give back
to our communities. Alumni enter the workforce with the skills and knowledge to innovate
in fields such as business, finance, technology, public service, healthcare, law,
criminal justice, and other industries. To commemorate our 90th anniversary, we will
be highlighting the accomplishments of many of our graduates through our Panther Proud:
Alumni Spotlight series below.
Want to be featured? Complete our short questionnaire and someone from our Alumni Team will reach out.
In addition to these spotlights, we've also collected 90 of our past alumni stories
in our Panther Proud 90 series.
John Charmant
When Palm Beach State College alumnus John Charmant came to the United States in 2009
from Haiti, he couldn’t speak English and struggled adapting to the culture. Today,
thanks to the support and encouragement of some of his high school and PBSC professors,
he is the proud author of "Luxers' Multiverse: The Grand Design." |
Read the Full Story
Patrick Higley
Since graduating from Palm Beach State in 2019, Patrick Higley, now employed by Boynton
Beach Fire Rescue, has embodied the mission of the College, impacting both lives and
community. A former U.S. Marine, Higley was hired immediately upon completing his
PBSC program. However, his first on-the-job challenge didn’t come from an emergency
call for help. |
Read Full Story
Katerine Pais
PBSC alumna Katerine Pais encourages today’s students to “never give up and stay strong.”
Her mantra is backed by a philosophy that has served her well. “Even when we feel
like the underdog, it’s important to be proactive and resilient. Many doors will open
as long as we don't give up.” Now an academic advisor at the University of Connecticut,
Pais says being a hard worker has paid off, and she encourages others to be driven
by their own goals. |
Read Full Story
Jenny Big Crow
Palm Beach State College alumna and Native American expert and activist Jenny Big
Crow hopes to help change the world through her message promoting nonviolence. Big
Crow speaks often on her Native American heritage and the importance of civil disobedience,
especially the lessons she learned as part of the 2016 Standing Rock Protest. The
grassroots movement happened in reaction to the planned Dakota Access Pipeline construction
in the northern United States. | Read Full Story
Kristy Brown
Kristy Brown lives by three great mantras: try everything, be your most authentic
self and make a difference. Today, she is doing exactly that – making a difference
in young lives as the chief financial officer for the Olivet Boys & Girls Club in
Reading, Pa. |
Read Full Story
Daniel Sorrow
Palm Beach State College was a game changer for Daniel Sorrow when he enrolled and
graduated with an Associate in Arts degree in 1999. |
Read Full Story
Ezra Saffold
Since graduating from Palm Beach State College in 1997 and 1998, Ezra Saffold has
become an accomplished business leader in the community, now the president/owner of
All-Site Construction. As a third-generation general contractor, Saffold is clearly
demonstrating his expertise in industry strategies, market identification and business
acumen. |
Read Full Story
Travis Dietz
Palm Beach State College alumnus Travis Dietz, the senior service delivery analyst
at The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, gave the commencement address at PBSC
President Ava. L. Parker’s first graduation ceremony when he graduated in 2016. |
Read Full Story
Fabiola Sardinha
Palm Beach State College alumna Fabiola Sardinha is a senior vice president and international
wealth advisor who joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2003, after five years
of working at Morgan Stanley. Read Full Story
From left, Weston Demino, Ava L. Parker, Hick Abraham and Jamila Abraham.
In 1990, the Abraham family decided to move from New Orleans to Belle Glade. Wanting
to introduce the unique foods of the Bayou to the Glades, they opened a family business
called Mr. Shrimp using original Cajun family recipes. | Read Full Story
Anthony J. Davis, Sr.
If you’re looking for someone who will believe in you, inspire you and help you achieve
your potential, it’s Palm Beach State College alumnus and Director of Operations for
the Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County Anthony J. Davis, Sr. Why? Because he
has overcome many challenges, is now thriving personally and professionally, and believes
anyone, no matter their circumstances or beliefs, can do the same. Recently, he encouraged
a group of 75 PBSC students in the NexGen Summer Bridge program on how they could
have the confidence and mindset to thrive in school. |
Read Full Story
Eric Godinez
Eric Godinez, MSRS, R.T.(R), earned his Associate in Science degree in Radiography
in 2018 from Palm Beach State, where he was inspired to pursue a career in health
sciences. Today, the magna cum laude graduate is a radiologic technology educator
at Baptist College of Health Sciences and a PBSC adjunct instructor of medical imaging.
|
Read Full Story
George Gentile
Palm Beach State College alumnus George Gentile has practiced as a landscape architect
and planner in Palm Beach County for more than 35 years. He is the founder, senior
partner and principle of Gentile Holloway O’Mahoney & Associates Inc., a full-service
landscape architecture, planning and environmental consulting firm in Jupiter. |
Read Full Story
Brad Peacock
When Brad Peacock was a high school third baseman in 2006, Palm Beach State College
recruited him to play for the Panthers. There was one change. Instead of third base,
former PBSC baseball coach Alex Morales signed him as a pitcher. That turned out to
be the best move for Peacock, who helped lead the Houston Astros to its first World
Series Championship in 2017. |
Read Full Story
Susan Klarich
When Susan Klarich was 15 years old, she was a student at Twin Lakes High School.
She was also working full time, eventually as a 911 dispatcher for the Palm Beach
Sheriff’s Office and a technician in a crime lab. It was there that a colleague suggested
Palm Beach State College.
Read Full Story
Alexiou Gibson
Palm Beach State College surprised Alexiou Gibson, the keynote speaker at PBSC’s Spring
2023 Commencement, with an honorary Bachelor of Applied Science degree presented at
the ceremony. Gibson, a PBSC alumnus who founded The Transformation Factory, a multimillion-dollar
Palm Beach County-based business, said he was overcome with emotion by the “recognition
of his achievements with an honorary degree.” |
Read Full Story
Zach Ingram
After earning an Associate in Arts degree in business, Zach Ingram had initially started
a bachelor's program at another university but decided to transfer back to Palm Beach
State College for his bachelor's degree. “Palm Beach State had just as good an educational
program and was exactly what I needed,” says Ingram, who recently earned his Bachelor
of Applied Science degree in Supervision and Management with an entrepreneurial focus.
|
Read Full Story
Michael Garrison
Life has come full circle for Michael Garrison, a community business owner for the
past 23 years. Growing up in Belle Glade, Garrison earned his associate degree in
architectural design at Palm Beach State’s Belle Glade campus and has designed some
of south Florida's most prestigious properties. |
Read Full Story
Thomas Beckwith
When Thomas Beckwith graduated from Santaluces Community High School, he dreamed of
being a college student far away from home. That dream, however, didn’t immediately
come to fruition as he lacked discipline and struggled academically. Instead, Palm
Beach State gave him a home advantage that developed him and gave him the skills which
would lead to success at future institutions and in his current role as the associate
director of the Academic Advisement Center at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Fla.
|
Read Full Story
Ornella Barile
Today, Ornella Barile is the accessibility advisor for Palm Beach State College at
the Boca Raton campus. In 2018, she was a Palm Beach State student who graduated with
an Associate in Arts degree. As both a Palm Beach State alum and an employee, Barile
sees the College from two sides. For students, she encourages them to keep learning
always. “Look for opportunities; they are out there waiting to be discovered.” |
Read Full Story
Dr. J. Marc Davis
When Palm Beach State College alumnus Dr. J. Marc Davis moved to Boca Raton from Washington,
D.C., in his early 30s, he had been out of school for 12 years. “It began to weigh
on me that I started something and did not finish,” said Davis, who today is a professor
and chair of PBSC’s Student Life Skills Department on the Boca Raton campus. “Moreover,
I was a dad. I wanted to be a good example. I couldn’t rightfully advocate for education
and have given up myself.” | Read Full Story
Sandra Raymond
Palm Beach State College alumna Sandra Raymond remembers the student-oriented, friendly
environment she experienced as a student earning an Associate in Science degree in
Nursing after graduating high school. Raymond was working as a cashier at the time
and chose the PBSC Nursing program partly because of its flexibility so she could
continue to work while attending college. She also wanted to stay local. |
Read Full Story
Jean Louis Fadino
PBSC alumnus Jean Louis Fadino has accepted an invitation of lifetime membership in
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), the nation’s leading certified
honor society for high-achieving first- and second-year college students with a minimum
of a 3.0 GPA. NSCS is an honors organization that invites less than 10% of all eligible
students nationwide to join the ranks of its diverse membership each year, a tremendous
honor for Fadino. A leading interdisciplinary academic honor society, NSCS is made
up of scholars from two-year, four-year and online institutions. |
Read Full Story
Ana Isabel De La Cruz
Ana Isabel De La Cruz graduated from PBSC with her Associate in Arts degree in 2022.
She is now pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services to become a mental
health counselor. De La Cruz's experience at the College had such a significant impact
on her that she is currently working as an Administrative Assistant II with Palm Beach
State at the Lake Worth campus and the TRIO Upward Bound Program. |
Read Full Story
Dorothy Sanders
When Dorothy Sanders moved to Riviera Beach in January 1957, attending college was
not on her list of life ambitions. Her dream was simple: join her husband and his
family in South Florida because there were better opportunities for people of color.
At the time, she was pregnant with her first child and remembers the bus ride clearly.
|
Read Full Story
Kerima Gorigoitia
Palm Beach State alumna Kerima Gorigoitia earned her Associate in Science degree in
Nursing in 2014. Today, she is enjoying a career at Kindred Hospital in Riviera Beach,
serving in the Clinical Appropriateness Management department. Gorigoitia conveys
a strong sentiment to all the PBSC students that they are at the right place to complete
their education and professional dreams. In fact, according to Gorigoitia, Palm Beach
State completely changed her life for the better with an opportunity to become a highly
skilled professional while taking care of her family. |
Read Full Story
Noel Guillama
Noel Guillama has been a resident of Palm Beach County since he was a child, attending
elementary, middle and high school in Lake Worth, where he enrolled in Palm Beach
State College. Since 1984, he has been in real estate, construction, health care and
technology as a lifelong entrepreneur and serves as president/CEO of Guillama, Inc.
and OXIO Health, Inc. He has been recognized as an innovator with over 20 patents
issued in his name by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Read Full Story
Luis Angel Arroyo
Luis Angel Arroyo needed his own angel, someone in his corner who believed in him.
He found more than one at Palm Beach State College and truly transformed his life.
Beyond thankful, Arroyo has been empowering young people since graduating from PBSC
in 2019 with his Associate in Science degree and in 2022 with his Bachelor of Science
degree, both in Human Services.
Read Full Story
Bernard Harrigan
Bernard Harrigan has interned with local constituencies to use the power of cultural
expression to empower communities impacted by environmental injustice. His goal is
to work in the environmental justice field as a community change agent to mitigate
climate change impacts and seek environmentally focused funding through state and
federal grant programs for the Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities
in South Florida. Read full story
David Baldeo
The fear and loneliness of an intensive care unit can be devastating. When Palm Beach
State College Foundation Board Chair Ricky Wade found himself at Good Samaritan Medical
Center, he expected quality care but not from who would give it, his own good Samaritan.
Wade spent 17 solitary days in the ICU. “The nights were the worst,” recalls Wade.
“I was afraid to sleep, the anxiety unbearable.” Several nights into his stay, Wade
was greeted with something unexpected: a familiar voice. “Is that you, Mr. Wade?”
Read full story
Matt Cox and his wife, Laura.
PBSC alumnus Matt Cox has been brewing since 2000. When Cox opened Copperpoint Brewing
Company in 2015, he brought a gem to Boynton Beach. Keeping everything close to home
with local resources for both beer and bar—from the ingredients for brewing to the
tables for gathering—Copperpoint is a true neighborhood establishment that has become
a staple of local craftsmanship. Read full story
Isabella Henderson (left) with her mom Paula McLeod.
When Isabella Henderson started taking classes at PBSC, she was confident she would
get a great education. That’s because Henderson was following in the footsteps of
her mother, Paula McLeod, who not only shared with her the benefits of attending but
that the College would offer her a great path to a university like it did for her.
McLeod, the vice president of major gifts at the United Way of Palm Beach County,
and Henderson, who is pursuing an Associate in Science degree in Human Services, are
an example of the many alumni legacies being built within families at PBSC. Read Full Story
