This program is only for current Bahamian high school students that are non-U.S. Citizens living outside of the U.S. who want to enroll in a business college class with SPC while still attending high school. Bahamian students will be able to complete a course online from their home country.
To learn more about this program, watch our recent presentation here.
Fall Application Deadline is July 1, 2024
Criteria:
Be a current high school student
At least 16 years old
Minimum 2.0 GPA and submission of high school transcripts
As part of a Erasmus grant, 10 human services students and 2 faculty are visiting SPC for two weeks from North West Regional College in Northern Ireland. They have already attended multiple classes at the Tarpon Springs, Seminole, SP/Gibbs campuses and the Bay Pines STEM and Downtown Centers. In addition, they participated in cultural exchange luncheons with SPC staff and students and a variety of excursions/tours such as Weedon Island kayaking, city of St. Pete city hall and numerous local health treatment centers. They will return back to Norther Ireland on May 3.
SPC Freshman baseball player Andrey Martinez, a product of Barranquilla, Colombia, won his first FCSAA Player of the Week award after a stellar two-week span of baseball. Martinez hit a scorching .563 (9-16) with five runs scored in four games. During that stretch, he scored five runs, one double, two home runs, one stolen base, and nine RBIs. Additionally, he hit safely in all four games, which included a pair of games against both State College of Florida and Polk State. In game two vs. State College of Florida, he was 4-for-4, homered twice and drove in seven runs in the Titans’ 13-11 win.
Three International students from St. Petersburg College were the highlights of last week’s NJCAA National Women’s Tennis Tournament (May 7-11, 2022). Congratulations to Valeriia Cherfus from Ukraine, Naomi Mckenzie from Australia and Georgia L Browne from Ireland!
They spent this past week out in the desert with the mindset of “Together We Win”. The Titans did exactly that by competing as one and walked away with some championship recognition from the Reffkin Tennis Center.
St. Petersburg College won the doubles national championship as International Sophomore’s Naomi McKenzie and Valeriia Cherfus defeated top seeded Tyler Junior College’s Lauren Anzalotta and Destinee Martins Wednesday afternoon by a score of (6-7/6-3/6-4).
The pair started their journey for a national championship by competing in the round of 16 against Barton Community College’s Angelina Gnezdilova & Clara Penido winning easily (6-4/6-2). From there McKenzie and Cherfus moved on the quarter finals where they took down the team of Justine Lespes and Camille Belberka of Seward Community College. In the semifinals the Titans face a familiar opposition from the Suncoast Conference in Hillsborough Community College. The dynamic duo dominated HCC’s Mbali Langa and Viktoryia Zhadzinskaya winning (6-4/6-1) to claim a spot in the finals. The Titans had a tall task ahead in the finals as they prepared to face top seeded Apaches of Tyler Junior College. In the first set Tyler JC had the upper hand winning the first set but, momentum quickly swung to the Titans as the pair of McKenzie/Cherfus roared back to knock off the eventual national champion in the second and third sets.
Alongside the doubles crown another Titan captured a key win in SPC’s Georgia Lily Lynn Browne from Australia .She won #4 singles bracket by defeating Tyler Junior College’s Abigail Wild 5-7/6-2/7-6. Georgia earned this achievement by playing her way through the round 16 defeating Mesa Community College’s Alethea LaCroix to advance to the quarterfinals. In the Quarterfinals, Browne took down Lucia Popluharova of Seward County College defeating Popluharvoa (6-2/7-5) to advance to the semifinal round. Browne made her presence felt in the semifinals against Mbali Langa of Hillsborough CC winning (6-3/6-2) to claim a spot in the finals where she defeated Wild to capture the #4 singles crown.
Overall St. Petersburg College finished 4th only by 1 point behind Seward County College. It was a great post-season for the Titans of St. Petersburg College as they showed why they are one of the best programs in the country at the junior college level. The International Student Center is proud of their achievements and excited to see the Titans there again next season.
While on our study abroad trip to the Alps, one of our excursions took us to the beautiful city of Kufstein, which is a beautiful city located in the district of Tyrol, Austria. Our excursion was to visit the old fortress that rested on top of the mountain. During our trip up, we were able to secure a spot on one of the elevators that would take us up to the entrance of the fortress. Luckily, the elevator was surrounded by thick glass that allowed us to look out on the beautiful city view and the many architecturally splendid houses and buildings that lay within the city. After a short trip, the elevator took us up to the fortress and our guide explained what it was used for and how important it was to secure the safety of the city during the time of its usage. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip for me personally. The fortress was exquisite, ancient, and held many historical surprises such as the jail housing Marie Antoinette when she tried to escape France. Overall, the view from the lift up to the fortress was beautiful and I am so honored to share it with you.
-Mia, SPC Collegiate High School Student, Alps Program, March 2022
I have always wanted to travel abroad and experience Europe, especially so for the countries of Austria and Germany. It has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and I am happy to say that SPC’s Study Abroad in The Alps fulfilled my dream more than I ever could have imagined! The program was beautifully designed to minimize jet lag and had plenty of well-made tours, sightseeing opportunities, and adventures planned. Some of my favorites included scaling Alpine mountains, such as Mt. Rigi in Switzerland (where I am pictured above), and delving into the salt mines of Berchtesgaden, Germany. I loved all the cities we visited, including Vienna, Innsbruck, Lucerne, and Zurich, and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the different sights and foods each offered.
If I had to choose a favorite part of my trip, outside of what I already mentioned, I would have to say it was the SPC faculty and our tour director. Professors Earl Fratus and Kelly Rich were awesome during the trip and made the experience much more fun! Also, SPC’s study abroad staff were super responsive to questions and changing policies due to COVID-19, and they made the process of preparing for the trip simple and completely streamlined. Lastly, our tour director Raffaele Marmo was one of the coolest people I have ever met! He was very knowledgeable of the places we visited and had a wonderful personality; he was as important to my enjoyment of the study abroad trip as the countries we visited.
I had some of the most fun in my entire life on SPC’s Study Abroad in The Alps! To anyone who loves traveling, I would 100% recommend this program or others offered by SPC!
-Cade, SPC Collegiate High School Student, Alps Program, March 2022
On March 11, we explored the Lindt Chocolate factory in Zurich, Switzerland. We had limitless amounts of chocolate at our disposal! The state-of-the-art museum was built by world famous architects Christ & Gantenbein. When you walk through the door the first thing that your eye catches, is the chocolate fountain sitting 30 feet high! After you consume all the free spoonsful of all three kinds of chocolates and the free Lindt balls on your tour, you have the enormous chocolate shop waiting for your arrival. It is the largest Lindt chocolate shop in the world, and you can buy all the goodies you want. If you’re anything like me, I saved up my stomach and my wallet to splurge that afternoon. It was so delicious; I tried every free sample flavor they provided. It was if I was living in the real-life movie, and I was Charlie!!
The history of Lindt chocolate and chocolate in general goes back to 1845 when confectioner David Sprüngli-Schwarz and Rudolf Sprüngli-Ammann, his son, had a novel idea. They created the first solid form of chocolate in Switzerland. After David passed away, he divided the chocolate shop and chocolate factory between his sons. His younger son David Robert became the owner of the chocolate shop (patisseries) on Marktgasse and Paradeplatz, while his older son Johann Rudolf received the chocolate factory in Horgen. Johann Rudolf was a visionary and knew the chocolate business he once started with his father would become very successful. Johann acquires a small chocolate factory in Berne, a famous one from Rodolphe Lindt for 1.5 million Gold Frances. Which is where the name Lindt is now derived from.
Today Lindt chocolate is a household name all around the world and to some it is the most famous chocolate brand to ever exist. Before I went on this trip and the tour itself my favorite chocolate was Ferrero Rocher. Yes, I’m aware close competitors, but after March 11th I’ll certainly say I have changed sides. Certainly, for the better for my tastebuds!
I would love to go back to Zurich not only for the outstanding history and gorgeous scenery, but for some Lindt chocolates straight from Switzerland. The chocolate factory tour by far was my favorite part and I’m going to reminisce about it until I see it again.
-Cooper, SPC Dual Enrollment Student, Alps Program, March 2022
Visiting salt mines, walking through cities, and taking trains up the mountains, my trip to the Alps was absolutely amazing. Due to it being my first time out of North America, I wasn’t sure what to expect. This trip and the memories I gathered will be with me for all of my life. This trip will definitely be my highlight for 2022.
I’ve lived in Florida for over 5 years now, so the snow was something I forgot about! Taking the train up to the Alps was my favorite activity. Not only did we get to ride a boat across the lake to get to the train, but we also got to ride a skyline! I learned a lot about the cities and the mountains we went to that day. It also wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be! The view from up there was breathtaking! I think everyone had an amazing time up there, and we would all do it again. I think my favorite activity was building snowmen and sliding down ice slides!
The cultural shock was also something I had to overcome. The money difference in two different countries and overall etiquette is so different to America. For example, tipping isn’t a common thing, while in America it’s expected. There were also a lot fewer cars and more people on bikes in Austria. The cities that I saw had more parks and more greenery. They also had more historic buildings!
Another thing I really enjoyed was walking around the cities. Not only were they absolutely breathtaking, but the tour guides were amazing. I learned so much while walking around, and got to see famous churches, palaces, houses, and so much more. Vienna was one of my favorites, and the traditional food we ate was delicious! The Lindt factory in Switzerland was also an amazing experience. It was so much hung learning while also tasting chocolates with friends, and I want to go back with my family!
The 8 days I got to experience in Austria and Switzerland were amazing, and I would do anything to go back. We had the chance to experience things that changed our view of the world, and each city we visited had such a different, but amazing, atmosphere. Not only did I learn so much about history, but I also made good friends along the way! If you have to opportunity to go on any study abroad trip, 100% go for it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance and it was so much fun!
-Noela, SPC Collegiate High School Student, Alps Program, March 2022
My journey to SPC was longer than I had imagined. I am Rozalia from Hungary, currently studying towards my Radiography program. Living in the States was my dream in the last few years. (I visited Florida before as a tourist and fell in love with the warm weather all year around!) I applied for an F1 visa during the pandemic and the process of getting it required patience. The Radiography Program at SPC requires specific prerequisites and because in my high school I mainly focused on language and arts subjects, I had to take a substantial amount of prerequisites in order to be accepted. Surprisingly, many of my overseas courses were accepted as electives reducing my prerequisites to anatomy & physiology and math. All I had to do is to book an appointment with one of SPC’s friendly and knowledgeable advisor and things started to move forward rapidly. SPC advising is diverse and easy; whether it is online, face to face or over the phone there is always someone to answer the question.
What I found amazing at SPC, are the campuses. The college has campuses in Seminole, Clearwater, St. Pete and Tarpon Springs which makes students life really easy simply because we can go to campuses in about 10-20 minutes. I say that because I lived in big cities and I understand how bad traffic can get, so driving to college in St. Petersburg just makes my day.
My kitty cat Coco, is always “helping” me with my studies.
Apart from enjoying the warm climate in Florida, I really love the cost effective lifestyle (not including housing)! Things are relatively cheaper in Florida than let’s say in California! As students, don’t we all love getting more for our money? That brings me to scholarship opportunities at the college! You might rightly think that for international students, there aren’t many scholarships available but again all you have to do is ask! There is help available and the Center for International Programs is always looking for talented international students! Check out the college Foundation Scholarship opportunities. After two semesters, I can say that all the professors are very knowledgeable and the amount of support they offer (whether it is extra learning resources or tutoring) is what makes my college experience a true success.
The future looks bright and sunny in Florida and I am working hard to achieve all my goals!
Receive in-state tuition while studying in Florida.
The State of Florida Legislature established 11 International Linkage Institutes to develop stronger economic, cultural, educational and social ties between Florida and countries considered strategically important to the state (Florida state statute 288.8175). The Linkage Institutes’ Out-of-State Tuition Exemption program provides international students from eligible countries with the opportunity to apply for a waiver of the out-of-state portion of tuition. Selection is competitive and students must apply to the appropriate Linkage Institute directly.
Requirements for all Linkage Institute Waivers: Applicants must be admitted to one of Florida’s public universities or community colleges. Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA, and must commit to returning home within 3 years of completing their degree for a length of time equal to the tuition exemption period.
NOTE: Pay close attention to application deadlines. Many occur during the spring for the following academic year.
St. Petersburg College does not provide housing. All students must arrange for their own housing. Below are some resources that may be helpful. Please keep in mind that St. Petersburg College does not direct the operations of any of the suggested companies or resources and cannot be held responsible for problems that may occur. This information is provided merely to assist incoming students. St. Petersburg College received no compensation for this service.
The following websites may be helpful in searching for an apartment or for other housing options that are in relatively close proximity to your SPC campus.
SPC, students, faculty and staff can enjoy free bus service through the Universal Pass or U-PASS, an agreement between the college and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA). Simply show your current student or staff ID when boarding a PSTA bus and you can ride for free, any time, on all routes, including regular and express routes, shuttles, and trolleys. Students must be currently enrolled in one or more credit courses.
SPC Lady Titan’s Sophomore, Domenica “Dome” Zamora has quite the season both on and off the court during her time here at SPC. Dome, an international student from Ecuador, led the Titans to a Central Conference Championship and the team’s first State Tournament bid in 5 years, but she also racked up on academic and athletic awards as well. Dome graduated this Spring with a 3.9 GPA and earning her Associates in Arts Degree in Biomedical Sciences.
Dome is an international student from Ecuador.
Domenica’s work in the classroom has earned the recognition of being a two-time NJCAA and FCSAA All-American. This year, she was named the recipient of the Sandi Miller Award, an award that is given to an FCS women’s basketball player who demonstrates excellence on the court, in the classroom and within their community. This year, she was named 3rd Team NJCAA All-American after averaging 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assist per game!
Domenica has accepted a scholarship to continue her basketball career at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Congrats Dome!
