Category: Community

Panama City Beach is pleased to announce that it has been named the No. 2 “Emerging Destination” in the world by Tripadvisor’s Travelers Choice 2021 Best of the Best Awards. Known for its 27 miles of sugar-white sand beaches, brilliant emerald-green waters and 320 days of sunshine annually, Panama City Beach has become a beloved destination for families, couples and friends.

“We are thrilled to be named one of the top emerging destinations in the world by travelers,” says Visit Panama City Beach President and CEO Dan Rowe. “This honor, especially following such a difficult year in the tourism industry is a testament to our community, its scenic beauty and our unparalleled visitor experience embodied in the brand of Real.Fun.Beach.”

In spite of the challenges faced by Panama City Beach over the past year, the destination is seeing continued investment in the community, including hotel openings, innovative RV parks and new direct flight markets that position the destination to succeed in 2021 and build on its reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches.

By Marta Rose-Thorpe

Life in the Grand Lagoon a.k.a. the “East End of Panama City Beach” is wonderful as we roll into February! The Thomas Drive Corridor is abuzz with activity, both in terms of new establishments developing and events being held every night in various locations. The Grand Lagoon Coalition, created to provide a platform for the revitalization and promotion of the Grand Lagoon area, has its 2021 events lined up, so get your calendars out and save some dates.

The Coalition’s second Tacos & Tequila Fest, back by popular demand, happens Mother’s Day Weekend on Saturday, May 8 at Hammerhead Fred’s. This fierce but friendly competition is the ultimate quest to find the Grand Lagoon’s best tequila cocktail and best taco, and everyone votes! Freedom Rocks, the coalition’s Independence Weekend fireworks show off a barge in the middle of Grand Lagoon, happens on July 3. Pirates of the High Seas Fest, a weekend-long event over Columbus Weekend, takes place at Capt. Anderson’s Marina on Sunday, October 10. And the Bloody Mary & Music Fest, the Coalitions long standing signature fall festival, happens on Saturday, November 6 back at the Sheraton PCB Golf Resort & Spa, following the second annual Grand Lagoon Golf Tournament taking place on Friday, November 5.

A key initiative of the Grand Lagoon Coalition is to build awareness for the unique personality of the Grand Lagoon. The area embodies an entrepreneurial spirit and sense of adventure, evidenced by its dense and diverse collection of independent owner-operated businesses, bars and restaurants and its popularity with locals and visitors seeking a Gateway to the Gulf… or path less traveled. The Coalition held its first meeting of the year in January, and a new Board of Directors was voted in. For 2021 the Board includes Pam Anderson of Capt. Anderson’s Marina, President; Curtis Flower of Beach Liquors, Vice President; Grant Wittstruck of LAT30° Partners, Secretary; Terri Hoehn on Centennial Bank, Treasurer; Rob Hammer of Hammerhead Fred’s, Events; Matt Sutherland of Sheraton Panama City Beach Golf & Spa Resort, Marketing; and Trudy White of Dat Cajun Place, Membership. The Coalition’s website, GrandLagoon.com, was created to highlight the natural attributes of the Grand Lagoon and encourage visitors to explore all it has to offer. The Coalition also maintains social platforms on Facebook and Instagram to engage both locals and visitors and encourage them to share their experiences. Interested in what we’re up to… or in possibly joining the Coalition? Visit our website and shoot us an email!

The new Capt. Anderson’s Event Center, situated on the water between Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant and The Grand Marlin, is alive with fun happenings! On Friday, February 12, check out Prom Night – Dancing Through the Decades. Did you miss your high school prom… or didn’t have the ideal night you dreamed of? Well, this is your makeup – your redemption! From 7 to 10 PM dance your way through the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and up to current day tunes. Light hors d’oeuvres and spiked punch (!!!) will be served and SUIT UP for the Best Dressed Competition and Dance-Off. Tickets are $25 per person, available at the door.
Save the dates for Comedy & Cocktails (February 17 and March 17), The Pittman’s Magical Variety Show (March 13), Bridal Expo (March 21), Parrothead Night on the Harbor (March 27), and Wine Down Wednesdays – Swirl. Smell. Sip. Repeat! (March 31).

For details on any of these events call Capt. Anderson’s Event Center at 850.691.5653. Visit captainandersonseventcenter.com. Located at 5550 North Lagoon Drive.

By Anna McKay

It’s often said that leaving a positive impact on the world begins at home. After over two years of community restoration projects following the destruction caused by Hurricane Michael, The Sonder Project is returning to its roots as a non-profit focusing on sustainable development in Africa. Its mission is “to do the most good” for impoverished communities that need it the most through projects such as building schools, drilling wells for clean drinking water, and increasing food security. Chad Zibelman, CEO, sat down with PCB Life to provide an update on their current international projects.

Can you explain an overview of the process to those who are not familiar with TSP?

TSP: The Sonder Project approaches our global communities as partners. We do not invest in projects for a community but with a community. Every project we undertake begins by holding mass meetings where we are working and assessing needs and interests. Once a community is selected, we work with the community to nominate a Project Leadership Committee to mobilize and oversee the project. The community directly contributes to all projects, typically in the form of sourcing raw materials and providing necessary manual labor. By the time the project is complete, they are fully invested.

Can you provide an update on TSP’s current projects?

TSP: In 2020, we expanded our international operations and opened an office in Malawi, which is in Southeastern Africa. Collectively, we increased access to clean water for over 18,000 people through our wells. On the local level, we brought our Hurricane Michael housing recovery efforts to a close and completed the construction of a school garden at Walton High School to support their new agriculture program. In 2021, we plan to drill 10 new wells, new school blocks in Malawi, and revitalize our Community Farms program in Burkina Faso. Additionally, we are excited to be unveiling a new sponsorship program to support students in our schools that are vulnerable to dropping-out due to financial hardship. More details to be announced soon!

We also met Kurt Freudenreich when his Rotary Club, the Mid-Bay Rotary Club, volunteered with us for a hurricane recovery project and our partnership has been serendipitous since. Kurt shared his vision to fund a well in the developing world by backpacking the Triple Crown (Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Pacific Crest Trail). With over 2,000 miles hiked, he raised $12,129 in tandem with fellow hiker James Stiely to fund a well in Burkina Faso.

Since the onset of the pandemic, I’ve been unable to visit our project countries, and we had to postpone group trips as well but I have excellent communication with our project managers on the ground, and we were successful in meeting all of our 2020 goals.
How would you encourage those who wish to get involved with TSP to help locally?
TSP: In this altered landscape due to Covid, we have temporarily canceled all of our in-person fundraising events. Your support is greatly appreciated to make a donation, or support us on AmazonSmile. You can also check out our website to learn other ways to Get involved! If you have specific non-profit experience, such as grant writing, fundraising, or marketing and would like to lend your time, please feel free to email chad@thesonderproject.org.

By Julie McConnell, UF/IFAS Extension Bay County

One of the benefits of living along the coastline is the gentle sea breeze that always seems to swirl around us. As refreshing as that can be to people outside on a hot day, salt particles carried in wind can wreak havoc on sensitive plants. When you are assessing your landscape site to match it with appropriate plants, be sure to factor in salt spray.
Determine which areas of your landscape have the highest potential exposure and choose plants with high to moderate salt tolerance for those areas.

Here are some trees and shrubs that perform well in Northwest Florida and have moderate to high salt tolerance. These selections are good candidates for areas with a high likelihood of being impacted by salt spray and may be used as a windbreak to shelter less salt tolerant species.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), Tree, EV. Native tree with glossy green leaves and large, fragrant, white flowers
Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria), Tree, EV. Native bush-like tree with small olive-green leaves. Female hollies have red berries. Weeping varieties available.
Live Oak (Quercus virginiana), Tree, EV. Native oak tree with wide, spreading canopy.
American Holly (Ilex opaca), Tree, EV. Small native tree. Female hollies have red berries.
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), Tree, DEC. Native tree that can grow in areas that flood or are dry. Shaggy reddish bark, delicate light green leaves.
Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera), Small tree/large shrub, EV. Native bushy small tree or large shrub. Attractive to birds and can tolerate flooding.
Oleander (Nerium oleander), Shrub, EV. Evergreen shrub with showy flowers available in several colors. Note that all parts of plant are poisonous if ingested or burned.
Beautyberry (Callicarpaamericana), Shrub, DEC. Native shrub that has tiny lavender flowers in the spring that lead to bright purple berries in the fall.
Pineapple Guava (Acca sellowiana), Shrub, EV. Evergreen shrub with bluish green leaves, edible flowers and fruit.
Junipers (Juniper spp.), Shrubs or groundcovers, EV. Many types available with various needle coloration and growth habit.
Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata), Shrub/Herbaceous perennial, EV-DEC. In cold winters this shrub may die back to the ground for the winter. Light green foliage and blue flowers.
Beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis), Shrub/Herbaceous perennial, EV-DEC. Native plant with sprawling habit that also reseeds. Great plant to fill in hot, dry, open areas. Yellow flowers most of the spring and summer. This plant is very drought tolerant once established and dislikes regular irrigation.

Foliage Key: EV Evergreen leaves, DEC Deciduous (all leaves drop seasonally).
For more Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ guidance, contact our office at 850.248.8091.

An Equal Opportunity institution, Extension Service, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Participation shall not be denied on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status, or political beliefs.

By Mark Stanley and Tracy Steely

Jaysa Hunter is the owner and operator of Avenue 117 Design, an interior design firm that serves the entire Emerald Coast. She provides the full range of services you’d expect from a designer, but says her passion and specialty is kitchen and bath remodels. The current trend along the Gulf Coast is still “Coastal,” and she is happy to work with her clients to provide that look, but her preferred style is a little different. She describes it as an “edgy, eclectic, mid-century vibe.”

But what really sets her apart is not her design style. When you choose to work with Jaysa Hunter, you are contributing to the support of those less fortunate, both locally and abroad.
Jaysa’s grandmother on her father’s side, Sara Anchors, once ran one of the first interior design businesses in our area. Jaysa grew up in Missouri but moved to Destin in the early 2000s and began cultivating relationships that would allow her to eventually thrive in the industry, taking on many of her grandmother’s past clients as referrals.

She left our area for a time and moved to California. She got married, had two kids, Adilyne, now 13, and Liam, who just turned 10. She returned to the Emerald Coast after a few years and picked up where she left off in the interior design industry.

Jaysa said the catalyst for her current business model was a flash of inspiration that occurred to her in August 2012. She had hit a low point in her life and was, she explains, searching for new meaning. She just happened to be reading from the Book of Isaiah while a documentary about sex trafficking played in the background. She came to Chapter 1, Verse 17: “Learn to do good; Seek justice; Help the oppressed; Defend the cause of orphans; Fight for the rights of widows.”

As she recounts in her website, the documentary she had been watching made her feel profoundly sad about the world situation. The verses from Isaiah gave her the inspiration to do something about it, “full force. No reservations. Totally and completely.” Interior design would be the avenue she would travel to fulfill the mission outlined in Isaiah 1:17.

Since that moment eight years ago, Jaysa has used her time, talents, and a considerable portion of her business proceeds to help where she can. After Hurricane Michael devastated our community she organized relief efforts through social media to get needed supplies to those most affected. She filled her dining room with donated food and other essentials and figured out how to distribute them in record time.

The following year she again used social media to provide Christmas presents to kids of single mothers who could not afford to buy them. The kids were able to create a wish-list of four presents each, which appeared in an Amazon wish-list distributed through Facebook. The response was overwhelming, and 40 underprivileged kids had a very merry Christmas.

More recently Jaysa has joined forces with an organization in the East African country of Liberia to design a pillow that is made from indigenous Liberian fabrics. The proceeds from the sale of the pillow are then used to help supplement the income of the women who created the fabrics in Africa.

These things are just the start of what Jaysa envisions for her business. She is working now on a plan to provide micro-loans to widows in Liberia and other third-world countries. The idea is to empower these women to produce marketable crafts that can be exported to places like the Emerald Coast, where they would be sold for a profit, thus helping to alleviate poverty in these vulnerable populations.

“But that’s the long-term goal,” Jaysa says. “The short-term goal is making houses pretty.”
For more on Jaysa’s vision, and visuals of her handywork, visit her website at avenue117design.com.

Humane Society Low Cost Clinics
Take advantage of our low-cost medical clinic offered each month on the 3rd Saturday. Shots, testing, microchipping, nail trims, flea prevention and more. For a full list of services and updates on vaccination availability for the events, view our Facebook event.

February 20th at Hobby Lobby 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
March 20th at Shore Thing Grooming 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

No appointment needed, so stop by! Rabies vaccinations ($13.00) are done by Dr. Susie McKnight of Bayview Veterinary Hospital. (Rabies are not available every time). Rabies vaccinations are good for one year.

Community Bag Program by Winn Dixie
For the month of February, The Humane Society of Bay County will receive a $1 donation from each purchase of the $2.50 reusable Community Bag at Winn Dixie on 132 South Tyndall Parkway.

The Humane Society’s Thrift Store is Open!
Have you visited the all-new store yet? We’ve got a great selection of items to choose from. New inventory daily! Follow us on Facebook for inventory arrivals. Now taking donations. To find out how you can donate to the store, visit the website at adoptme.org. Help us out with supplies! We are in need of items for operations. Purchase from Amazon, and ship directly to the store. All purchases are tax-deductible donations. Located at 1352 W. 15th Street, PC 32401 in the Panama Plaza on the corner of Lisenby and 15th. Open Monday – Saturday 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

CAUSEway Car Show: Cruisin’ for Kids Feb. 20!
100% of the proceeds will be donated to The Optimist Club’s Childhood Cancer Program. There will be top 10 people’s choice awards, vendors, giveaways, DJ Awesome Ant and The Chris Beverly Experience will play from 3-7 p.m. after the trophies are awarded. Online registration available at Bit.ly/causewaycarshow. Join us February 20, 2021, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at The Shrimp Boat, 1201 Beck Ave., Panama City. For more information visit www.facebook.com/events/651111392253329.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters’ The Big Event March 6
Panama City’s beloved Corks ‘N Canvases event has received a makeover, and you are cordially invited to the Big Event presented by Bill Cramer Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC on Saturday, March 6, 2021, at The Barn at Wicked Wheel! This past year has been filled with challenges for our community, but we are looking forward to coming together and putting our focus on who needs our support: our local children.

The Big Event will be filled with many of our signature elements including a silent and live auction, chances to win and live entertainment by Christon Birge and Katie Spillman! We will have COVID-19 precautions in place, as the health and safety of our guests are our top priority!

Another new and exciting addition?! We will be streaming the event LIVE! If you are more comfortable, you can stay at your home, participate virtually, and give back to a BIG cause. Individual in-person tickets will be limited.

If you’d like to secure your spot, sponsorship opportunities are now available! Contact Paula Shell at pshell@bbbsnwfl.org or call 850.763.5437 for more information.
There are many other ways you can support our mission and make a big difference in a little’s future. Shop Amazon Smile! Visit https://bit.ly/BBBSSMILE, choose BBBSNWFL as your selected nonprofit, and shop the same Amazon you know with the same products you love. Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida.

We have partnered with the local tax collectors from Pensacola to Panama City to promote our Big Brothers Big Sisters Florida State License Plate. For each plate sold, our agency will receive $25. These funds help support the one-to-one mentoring services that serve over 600 children annually. Visit bbbsnwfl.org/fl-state-license-plate/ to purchase your plate today.

By Bill Husfelt, Superintendent, Bay District Schools

By now I hope you’ve heard that we’re getting a new school on the beach when A. Gary Walsingham Academy opens in August of 2021 for students in pre-kindergarten through second grade. We anticipate adding a grade a year to the school until it reaches K-5 status. At some point in the future, board members could decide to add middle school grades, which would make A. Gary Walsingham a K-8 facility. This school, which will have a Wahoo mascot, will focus on conservationism and environmentalism to take full advantage of the amazing location which was donated by the St. Joe Company.

But before we get too far along in that conversation, we need to talk a little bit about zoning. Obviously, we’re building a new school based upon anticipated growth and we need to rezone a few beach neighborhoods to ensure that Breakfast Point is no longer at, or over, capacity and that the new school has an adequate zone.

Rezoning is always difficult because, in my experience, most parents are pretty happy with the school their child attends and change is hard. Rezoning is also challenging because neighborhoods, and roads, are not always aligned equitably and natural boundaries can be hard to find.

In this case, all of the students for the new school will be coming from areas previously zoned for BPA due to the exponential growth in that area. Likewise, there’s a huge development planned adjacent to Walsingham Academy and several hundred new apartments are being constructed. We know that this area will quickly experience significant growth and that’s why we’re so excited that the School Board had the foresight to begin construction on the new school this year. That project was slated to begin before the hurricane but, as you know, new construction was delayed so we could focus on rebuilding hurricane-damaged facilities.

At the January 12th board workshop, new zone boundaries were discussed and later approved at a meeting for advertising. As you can see from the graphic attached, we’ve selected a highly-concentrated area of students to pull out of the BPA zone to create the zone for the new school.

Additionally, many parents want their children to attend a new school so parents in all school zones will have the opportunity to apply for out-of-zone attendance and, eventually, hardship waivers, for the new school.

Conversely, we also know that some parents will NOT want to leave BPA for the new school … particularly if they have a fourth grader at BPA (not eligible currently for the new K-2) and a kindergartener. We completely understand the challenge that would be associated with two elementary school students at different schools and we will do ALL we can to accommodate “grandfathering” students into BPA as long as space is available.

There will be a public hearing on the new zone (date and time TBA). Stakeholders are welcome to attend and board members are always willing to listen to suggestions and concerns.

I know that change is hard for many people and changing schools for entire neighborhoods is a momentous adjustment. However, as I’ve seen in the past, everything generally works out and parents are always excited when their students have a chance to become part of the founding student body at a brand new school.

By Bill Husfelt,
Superintendent, Bay District Schools

It’s not a surprise to anyone that the beach is growing by leaps and bounds. With that growth comes change and diversity and that’s something that we’re embracing at Bay District Schools.

Hutchison Beach Elementary School houses the beach’s self-contained English Language Learner (ELL) program for newcomers in kindergarten and for fourth and fifth grades. Those programs blend both English and the child’s native language to create a seamless curriculum delivery model that helps the child assimilate and acquire English fluently. According to Principal Glenda Nouskhajian, ELL students in grades 1-3 are served in their mainstream classrooms with the support of bilingual paraprofessionals and a host of curriculum materials in their native languages.

Since the ELL students have many peers at Hutchison Beach, they are able to gather in small groups and converse in their native languages as needed which helps ensure rich discussions and deep understanding of new material. Currently, students at Hutchison Beach speak a staggering 12 different languages at home, but that diversity ensures the school has a rich cultural heritage.

At neighboring Surfside Middle School, Principal Matt Pitts says 93 of his 771 students speak a language other than English at home. Surfside ELL students speak a total of 14 different languages and the school has an on-campus translator to assist parents in meetings.

Surfside’s comprehensive ELL program includes multi-lingual and native-language groupings for class activities and daily push-in and pull-out services with bilingual paraprofessionals who can provide support in the student’s native language. Computer-aided instruction is also available in multiple languages and students are provided picture and word dictionaries to help in language acquisition. Surfside’s teachers are well equipped to help their ELL students with individual support provided as needed.

At West Bay Elementary School, three bilingual staff members help their 18 ELL students with individualized academic support. West Bay Principal Deniece Moss says her school provides all students with social and emotional lessons to support diversity in the classroom and throughout the school.

The ELL students at Patronis Elementary School are supported with a vast array of library books in their native languages, according to Principal Ellie Spivey. Housed together in the school’s media center, these books ensure students have access to grade-level literature in English and in their native languages. In the upper grades, teachers have found that visual aids and photographs really help with comprehension of science and social studies materials and so Patronis teachers ensure they include many of these materials in their lessons.

The staff at J.R. Arnold High School are currently supporting the high school version of the newcomer’s program with a diverse, culturally-rich curriculum and several bilingual employees. Recently, Arnold took their guidance department “on the road” with pop up guidance offices set up throughout the beach community. A specific outreach into areas where Spanish is the prevalent language was designed to “help our Spanish-speaking families make a connection in a community setting or environment that is less intimidating than the high school campus,” according to Principal Britt Smith. With more than 100 ELL students at Arnold currently, Smith said their campus is always rich with a variety of languages including Arabic, Batu, Bulgarian, Creole, Czech, Mandarin, Mongolian, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Uzbek and Vietnamese.

And finally, at Breakfast Point Academy, Principal Clint Whitfield has a cadre of bilingual paraprofessionals who assist students throughout the day and are able to quickly translate curriculum materials as needed. One of those paraprofessionals is the district’s only Portuguese translator.

Approximately 86 students at BPA are identified as ELL and information at the school is available in English and a host of other languages.

To continue to support our families, information on our BDS website is translated into Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese with just the click of a button (on the upper left-hand corner). We embrace diversity at all of our BDS schools and our beach schools are no exception! The beach will continue to grow and change and become more diverse, and Bay District Schools will continue to be ready to support students from throughout the world.

By Jamie Zimchek, Editor

Dr. John Holdnak, Gulf Coast State College’s president, has Panama City roots so deep he was delivered at Lisenby Hospital on 11th Street by a doctor who sat on the college’s board of Trustees when he was originally hired in 1982. Lisenby Hospital has long since closed, but Holdnak, at the helm of GCSC since 2014, through a major hurricane and equally daunting pandemic, is still going strong.

Like most career paths, Dr. Holdnak’s has had a twist or two. A Bachelor of Science in Leisure Services from Florida State University in Tallahassee set him on the general road toward administration, first as an intern at a commercial resort, then in a position running the college’s student activities programs. He detoured from these more administrative roles to finish a Master of Science from Florida State University Panama City in Psychology, and spent some time teaching before really locking in on his calling. Equipped in 2005 with a Doctor of Education from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Dr. Holdnak continued to take on more administrative responsibilities, including time spent as an academic department head, Director of Wellness and Athletics, Human Resources Director, and the Dean and Vice President of Administrative Services, at GCSC, with a sum total of 26 years at the college on his first watch. Subsequently, over the next six years, he manned the position of Vice Chancellor for Fiscal Policy, and later the Executive Vice Chancellor, for the Florida College System.

The Florida College System includes 28 Florida community/state colleges – and though Gulf Coast State College might be one of the smaller in enrollment size, it plays an outsized role in the community, offering not just a two year Associate of Arts degree, but also associate degrees and certifications in a variety of occupational fields, and a handful of options for full four year degrees, like a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media, or in Organizational Management. Holdnak also notes that GCSC boasts the lowest tuition and fees fees of all 40 public institutions in Florida, including both public colleges and the state’s public universities. Better still, you can finish an Associate of Arts degree here for far less than at a traditional university, and then transfer over to one of Florida’s 12 universities, where you are guaranteed acceptance to the university as a junior. Limited access programs at the university may require a separate application and the completion of specified prerequisites, also typically taught at Gulf Coast. In other words, this is a state college with its community and the needs of its students at its core.

What take-aways does he have from his many years of experience? “Perspective is everything,” he says. “Every second we have with students is so precious.” This approach guides decision making for the college, where the focus on impact to students is paramount. He relates that this is relevant even in thinking about school closures due to inclement weather. “Closing is not a simple decision,” Holdnak explains. It’s particularly crucial near the end of a term, when the remaining time spent in class is even more limited. Though major storms have fortunately been less of an issue these past two years, GCSC has not been immune to the changes necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Because growing evidence suggests that student academic performance often drops with online learning, Holdnak has worked to make faculty more accessible and provide more online and supplemental resources. For classes that, out of necessity, involve in-person learning, like lab classes, clinicals, or fire fighting training, they’ve done things like reducing class frequency by making class sessions longer, and reducing class sizes so that students can spread out more in existing facilities. Thanks also to close adherence to CDC guidelines, and a flexible approach to classes that includes virtual or hybrid options when possible, there have been “zero transmissions of the disease that occurred on campus related to college events,” he says. Which is impressive, no matter your degree.

Head to Gulf Coast State College’s website, www.gulfcoast.edu, for more information on degree programs and to register now online for spring 2021.