Osceola Prosper will provide a fifth graduating class of county seniors the opportunity to attend Valencia College’s Osceola and Lake Nona campuses or earn technical certifications from Osceola Technical College free of charge.
Osceola County Commissioners approved the plan at their Monday meeting. Commissioners will hold announcement events at high schools next week when students return from Spring Break. County leaders approved $10.4 million for them to enroll in one of the schools’ specialized programs.
School Board member Bethzaida Garcia said at an announcement event last year at Gateway High that Osceola Prosper sets graduates up to succeed even after they graduate from Valencia or O-Tech.
“For some of us, it took forever to pay off our student loans,” she said. “They won’t have to worry about that, and they’ll be able to better support their family, or pursue a Master’s degree or a PhD.”
Kissimmee’s Jody Gillespie is a now-relieved mom of a senior at Tohopekaliga High and watched the county approve it the prior years.
“This is a huge motivator to apply for college, and direct connect to UCF,” she said. “So it opens a lot of doors without worrying about a lot of debt.”
That first year of the program, a gift to the Class of 2022, was funded by federal dollars set aside for the COVID-19 pandemic recovery. In 2023 and ’24, Osceola County funded the program, at a cost of $8 million, from its general fund. Valencia College President Kathleen Plinske announced earlier this year the Class of 2025 pushed the total number of enrollees over 10,000 and the school had its 1,000th graduate among students taking advantage of Osceola Prosper.
“Some 5,000 of the 50,000 students enrolled in Valencia are Osceola Prosper students,” Plinske said in August.
Osceola County featured a rate of high school graduates going on to college among the bottom of Florida’s 67 counties prior to Osceola Prosper and the “Got College?” mission a decade ago. Plinske said the efforts have pushed Osceola County to the third-highest rate in the state.
Students who want to take part must fulfill their high school graduating requirements, apply for admission to Valencia College or O-Tech, complete the FAFSA (federal student aid) form as federal money students qualify for will be spent first, then enroll in classes no later than the Spring 2027 semester.
According to Osceolaprosper.com, Valencia will hold orientation nights at the campuses and a virtual Zoom event (April 4) during the month of April.
