Osceola Prosper, the local initiative that offers high school graduates from the county a paid-for Associate’s degree at Valencia College or certification training program is having an impact.
That feeling comes from Osceola County, which has brought it forward; Valencia, which is now welcoming higher numbers of students; and the students themselves.
Dr. Kathleen Plinske, president of Valencia College who roamed the halls leading the Osceola and Lake Nona campuses before presiding over the entire multi-campus school, made a presentation the Osceola County Commission, which is now funding the program.
The graduating Class of 2024 forms the third year of the program. The initial investment came from unassigned federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act, designed to help the county recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
With 2,127 students contributing to what Plinske said is the largest enrollment in Valencia history, the program now boasts over 7,000 participants. Some of those are now finishing those degrees and certifications, and 60% are first-generation college students — nobody in the their families attended college until Osceola Prosper came around, Plinske said.
She told the story of a new student she encountered Monday while at the Lake Nona campus.
“I met her in the elevator, she was looking for her math classes. She said she was from Tohopekaliga (High School), and I said, ‘Great, you’re in Osceola Prosper!’” Plinske said. “She nodded, and she said she was nervous. When I asked why, she said, ‘Because I didn’t expect to be going to college.’”
In 2010, Osceola County ranked 61st among Florida’s 67 counties in graduates going on to college or technical programs. Back then, the county, Osceola school district and Valencia partnered on the “Got College?” marketing campaign, and raised the percent from the mid-20s to low-40s, moving up to the top 15 in the county. A plateau followed, with a small decline during the pandemic, but in 2022, the first year of Osceola Prosper, it jumped to 62%, putting Osceola fourth among the 67 counties.
“And they take the opportunity to enroll in more classes than they normally would, meaning more can complete their degree with fewer opportunities for life to get in the way,” Plinske said.
Her data also showed a graduation rate for for Valencia College’s Accelerated Skills Training programs near 90%, and 81% get placed in the field they’ve enrolled in. It provides an anticipated return on investment of $85 million of added income to the Osceola County economy.
County Commissioner Ricky Booth was a community stakeholder, then a School Board member, during those early “Got College?” days.
“We’d sit around asking, ‘How do we grow this?’ There was a ton of work done by Valencia and the school superintendents, and we made some great strides,” he said. “But you see the jump this makes, and it’s a game-changer. I just wanted to say thank you, because we can invest $8 million, but what is our community getting back? Now we know there is more to come.”
