Valencia College

, let’s revisit one of Valencia College’s famous graduates, Chase Stokes!

Stokes, who recently wrapped up filming of the last season of “Outer Banks,” graduated from Valencia College in 2013, after attending nearby Timber Creek High School.

Chase Stokes and ‘Outer Banks’ Cast Feel “Ready” to Say Goodbye: “We Want the Story to End on the Right Note” The fifth and final season releases on Netflix next year.

Coming from a family of veterans, Aedan Burgos has always been fascinated by military history.
In third grade, when his classmates came to Career Day dressed as police officers or firefighters, Aedan dressed up as General George Patton. (The other kids didn't know who he was, he says, but their parents did.)

That's why we're so excited to learn that Aedan, who earned his A.A. degree from Valencia College as a dual enrollment student while attending Harmony High School, will be starting his college career at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the fall!

He began researching military academies in ninth grade and worked hard to get the grades and experience to make himself a good candidate. Congressman Darren Soto nominated him and, in December, Aedan learned he'd received an appointment to the academy.

"West Point is the oldest military academy in the country and has the richest background," says Aedan, who will leave for basic training in June. "The graduates from West Point are the greatest war fighters of all time. Most of the Civil War generals went there. Patton went there. It’s very old and comes with a lot of history. So I'm very honored to be able to walk the same halls that they did."

Interested in starting at Valencia College this fall?
Sign up for our Summer Enrollment Bash!

At these events, you can take a campus tour, get help completing the Florida Residency and FAFSA (financial aid) forms, and get help selecting courses.

Sign up at https://valenciacollege.edu/info-summerbash

On this Memorial Day, we honor and remember the nation's military personnel who died in the line of duty.

Valencia College will be closed for Memorial Day. All offices and locations will reopen on Tuesday, May 26.

Reminder: Valencia College summer hours begin Friday, May 22, and continue through Friday, June 26. During this period, the college will be closed on Fridays. The college will also be closed on Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day.

You can find useful student resources here: https://valenciacollege.edu/alerts/

What a celebration the OCPS Academic Center for Excellence put on for their Annual Legacy Walk—a powerful celebration of the graduating seniors who attended the ACE School as elementary school students.
This event represents a full-circle moment for these students — and we can't wait to welcome them to Valencia College!

Orange County Public Schools

Congrats to Angelia Ramsay McKay, who was the oldest graduate at our May commencement ceremonies!

For Angelia, who earned her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) at 64, this was a goal a few decades in the making.

That's because Angelia earned an Associate of Science in Nursing from Valencia College in 1995. She was planning to transfer to UCF to earn her BSN when she got pregnant and began experiencing complications. After her daughter Amber was born prematurely, Angelia stopped taking classes and focused her attention on her daughter.

In recent years, Angelia's nurse manager at the Orlando VA kept pestering her to return to earn her BSN. So when Angelia’s daughter earned her nursing degree and began working at a local hospital, Angelia knew it was time to return to school -- because she wanted to be an inspiration to her daughter.

At the May commencement ceremonies, she told us she was looking forward to crossing the stage to accept her diploma. "I won't be walking; I'll be running!" she said with a laugh.

Congratulations to Angelia! And thanks for reminding us that it's never too late to achieve your goals!

Congratulations to Valencia College President Kathleen Plinske, who this weekend celebrated the completion of her second doctorate -- in Philanthropic Leadership, PhilD from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Her dissertation was designed to improve philanthropy in the community college sector to support student success.