 |
Ken
Angell
|
Coming Into His Own
Ken Angell
Florida Community College, Class of 2000
Ken Angell was born in Fall River, Massachusetts. His family moved to Jacksonville in 1992 for better employment opportunities for his father, a carpenter. Ken was a troubled child, always in trouble, both in and out of school.
Ken’s the first to admit he wasn’t a stellar student. Barely graduating with a 1.5 GPA, he had wanted to study painting and graphic art, but his poor grades made college seem impossible. He fell into a routine of dead-end jobs: fast food, video and grocery stores. At one point, Ken even found himself homeless, sleeping on friends’ couches and sometimes, outside. Eventually he found help. “Fortunately, God put the right people into my life at the right time and I was able to get off the street.”
Ken heard about Florida Community College from a co-worker while working in a sandwich shop. “At the time, I didn’t even know the community college option existed for someone like me. No one in my family or circle of friends had ever attended college. When I learned about FCCJ it was like I had been given a second chance.”
Ken’s second chance at education proved vastly different from his first. “I loved FCCJ! For the first time in my life, it was all on me — I was in control. I picked the classes; I prepared the schedule; I paid the tuition. The one thing I never understood was why some of my classmates didn’t take FCCJ more seriously. I don’t think they believed that FCCJ would ever take them anywhere. Trust me — they were wrong! FCCJ will take you as far as your determination and intelligence let you.”
Ken counts art professor Derby Ulloa as his favorite. “He always encouraged my artistic expression. I am truly grateful to have studied with him.” But he’s quick to name others: Stephanie Galloway, Mary Sue Koeppel and Paul Kleinpoppen. “They were all amazing professors who really showed that they cared about their students.”
Ken excelled in and out of the classroom. As a member of the honor society Phi Theta Kappa, he worked with school children through the HabiJax “College Bound” program and tutored FCCJ students through the honors program. He earned academic honors and scholarships, including the All-Florida Academic Team, which led to scholarships at the University of North Florida, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English in 2003.
Ken then entered the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. He was recently awarded the James F. Bailey Jr. scholarship; he’s also the recipient of the Florida Bar’s Young Lawyers Scholarship. He will finish next December.
From the sandwich shop to the court room, Ken Angell counts Florida Community College as a big part in his success. “I felt like I had finally found a place where I could become the person I wanted to be. And I did.”
