Carol Mitchell (left) and Alyson Smyth

Carol Mitchell (left) and Alyson Smyth

AVON PARK, Fla. – April 21, 2022 – The Florida College System (FCS) has named two South Florida State College (SFSC) students to the 2022 All-Florida Academic Team.

Each year, the FCS names a Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-Florida Academic Team to honor students enrolled at Florida’s public state and community colleges for their academic achievement, leadership, and service to the community.

The SFSC students earning this recognition are Carol Mitchell and Alyson Smyth. They join 144 of their peers from the 28-member FCS in being named to the academic team.

This year’s team of students were recognized at the annual college awards Thursday, March 31, and during an induction ceremony held at the Florida College System Chancellor’s Celebration in Orlando on Friday, April 1.

Mitchell, of Sebring, Fla., is a student in the Licensed Practical Nurse to Registered Nurse (LPN to RN) program. She anticipates graduating from SFSC in May 2023. Her plans are to continue her nursing education through the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at SFSC and, ultimately, become a nurse practitioner. She is the first person in her family to attend college, works as a lab tutor for the College’s Anatomy & Physiology classes, and is vice president of the Tau Epsilon chapter of PTK. Mitchell has also presented her undergraduate research on “Myxomatous Mitral Valve Degeneration with Secondary Congestive Heart Failure” at various professional and student scientific conferences across the country.

Smyth, of Sebring, will graduate from SFSC with her Associate in Arts at Commencement on Tuesday, May 10. She plans to continue her studies in biology at Florida Gulf Coast University in the fall and would like to, eventually, attend medical school. Smyth has also been involved in undergraduate research at SFSC and has made presentations on “Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy: An Underutilized Option for Healing Collegiate Athletes” at professional and student scientific conferences across the country.

Students named to the All-Florida Academic Team were drawn from SFSC’s Honors Program and the College’s Tau Epsilon chapter of PTK. In nominating students for the All-Florida Academic Team, colleges consider participation in academic honors programs, membership in and awards from collegiate societies, and academic enrichment gained from internships and special projects.

PTK is an honor society that recognizes the academic achievements of community and state college students and helps them to grow as scholars and leaders. The society is made up of over 3.5 million members in the United States and 10 additional nations. For more on PTK, visit ptk.org.

For more information about SFSC’s PTK chapter, contact Renee LaDue, PTK advisor, at 863-784-7327.