Pinellas Tech to Host Winter Graduation at the Coliseum

ST PETERSBURG - More than 170 students will graduate from the Pinellas Technical Education Centers (pTEC) Thursday, Jan. 13, at the Coliseum, 535 4th Ave. N, St. Petersburg. Ceremonies start at 6 p.m.

 pTEC hosts two commencements a year. Winter graduates will receive certifications from 60 full-time and apprenticeship programs. Dr. Gus A. Stavros will be the keynote speaker. Pharmacy technology teacher Jeanne Pappas will deliver the faculty address. India Welch, singer and daughter of a pTEC staff member, will perform the national anthem.

Guest dignitaries include School Board Chairperson Carol Cook, School Board member Lew Williams, Pinellas County Commissioner Karen Seel, Seminole Mayor Jimmy Johnson, NAACP Past-President Ray Tampa and Deputy Superintendent Jim Madden.

The student address will be delivered by pTEC award-winning photography student Nicole White. Before enrolling at pTEC, White spent four years serving in the United States Air Force. She was interested in the photography program as a way to enhance her graphic design background. 

Over the past two years she has won numerous awards for her work.  Recently she was named "Student of the Year” by the Tampa Area Professional Photographers Association and was also included in their list of Top Ten Photographers of 2010.