On Wednesday, April 19 the Poinciana Council of The Osceola Chamber celebrated four amazing high school seniors and presented them with $1000 scholarships at the PC’s Annual Scholarship Awards Luncheon at Poinciana High School.
The event began with lunch catered by the Poinciana High School Culinary Arts students under the instruction of Chef Juan Alamo. Attendees were served in the students’ classroom, complete with views of their kitchen studio. These students learn all aspects of planning, preparing, and serving their meals, and they could not have been greater hosts. They offered an Italian-inspired menu of bruscheta and caponata for an appetizer, followed by a rolled lasagna for the main course, and a dessert of lemon polenta cake.
Each year the Poinciana Council Board of Directors solicit applications from eligible graduating seniors that live within zip code 34758, 34759, or 34746. Thanks to an Osceola County Community Betterment Grant from District 3 Commissioner Brandon Arrington, the Council was able to match their collected funds and offer the $1000 scholarship to a total of four students.
After an application review process, the Poinciana Council board chose four remarkable students with diverse interests and life goals from three different Osceola County School District schools. The decision was based on extra curricular and volunteer activity, recommendation from the students’ teachers and advisors, and, most importantly, the student’s essay response to the question “Explain your educational goals and future career path. How will achieving your goals impact your community?”
Amina Ahmed, a Poinciana High School student, will pursue an MBA in Healthcare Administration. Tianna Daley from Liberty High School plans to pursue a career as a phlebotomist before ultimately becoming a pediatrician. Gian Molina-Torres, also a student at Liberty, will study computer science at UCF in the fall and looks forward to the various career opportunities that training could lead to. Esther Hilaire, who attends the Professional and Technical High School, was inspired to pursue a career as an OBGYN to improve high rates of complications and death experienced by Black women in childbirth.
Our keynote speakers for this year’s luncheon were Commissioner Arrington and Valencia College Poinciana Campus Executive Dean Dr. Mike Bosley, who both encouraged the students to enjoy their last days of high school and savor the journey to their next phase of life.
The annual scholarship awards could not be possible with sponsorships and community support. This year’s event was sponsored by Osceola Community Health Services, Valencia College, and MIDFLORIDA Credit Union. Poinciana High School continues to support and celebrate this event year after year, and the Poinciana Council’s impact is heightened by the generous Community Betterment Grant program and Commissioner Arrington.
If you would like to support this event or assist the Poinciana Council Board with their other education- and future-focused programs in the Poinciana area, reach out to us at cpilkington@theosceolachamber.com. See more images from the event in the gallery below.
This year, the eight area councils of the Osceola Chamber are inviting the public into their board meetings at least once a year to bring you informative content from great speakers that can be found among the membership in our Chamber.
The first of these was hosted by the Small Business Council on April 27. The SBC board identified a need among small business owners who are often tasked with fulfilling their business’ marketing needs themselves. This can be daunting when it is not your area of expertise. At the SBC’s open meeting, two very diverse Chamber members with marketing experience unleashed tips that they have gained from their experience in very different areas of marketing a business.
First Kevin Crain, President of Osceola Press – Printing & Signs, shared the benefits that continue to come from the use of Direct Mail Marketing. For one, everyone looks at their stack of mail as they sort it, providing your postcard or mailer with a guaranteed moment of visibility. Here are some highlights of Kevin’s presentation:
Next, the program took a complete 180 and Bianca Belabre, founder and owner of A Creative Station, shared a series of social media marketing hacks that every business owner can tap into to strengthen their social media presence. Here are a few points of note from Bianca’s presentation:
Attendees also enjoyed lunch catered by Susana’s Cafe and time to learn about each other’s businesses. Small Business Council Chair Marcy Theobald with Iron Valley Real Estate raffled off a Dunkin’ Donuts gift card to one lucky attendee, and Bianca also offered a raffle for a free consultation with her.
Our next council open board meeting will be hosted by the Hospitality & Tourism Council. We will once again meet here at the Chamber on May 16. Lunch will be served and attendees will learn about the County’s budget and budgeting process from Osceola County OMB Director Matthew Fuhrer. You can register to attend that luncheon HERE.
On Tuesday, April 25, the Chamber hosted the first event in our Front Porch Series. This new event series will offer regular networking, education or business training opportunities, and other exciting offerings to help you as an active employee, business owner, business operator, or entrepreneur. The first in this series included a half hour New Member Orientation, a presentation on attracting, retaining, and engaging employees from JKL Associates, and plenty of time to network and enjoy tasty food from Florida Technical College.
New Member Orientation
The Chamber hosts New Member Orientations at least quarterly. New Member Orientations cover all things Chamber and are a great Chamber refresher for longtime members as well as new members. Established members are also welcome to send new employees that would like to get involved or learn more about us. Join us for a New Member Orientation at a future Front Porch event, or drop by the Chamber any time and pick up a Member Quick Guide.
Your Employees A.R.E. Your Best Asset (Attracting, Retaining, Engaging) by JKL Associates
The Front Porch Series will regularly offer educational content to help you navigate running a business. Larry Klimek, a Promise Guide with JKL Associates, helped us send out a survey to our members to find out what is keeping YOU up at night. We learned that attracting and retaining employees was the number one issue. Some points of interest from Larry’s presentation include:
Networking
Despite a slight bit of wind and rain, we had a great time networking with our attendees both under the front porte cochere and inside the Chamber lobby. Florida Technical College’s culinary program supplied us with garlic chicken, rice, and beef to enjoy alongside wine and beer.
Watch the Chamber website events page for the next Front Porch event. Future offerings will include free headshots, additional business training, and more.
