Jonathan Willis A.A. Degree/ University Transfer Florida Community College, Class of 2004

The Future Is An Open Book

Jonathan Willis
Florida Community College, Class of 2004

When Jonathan Willis started attending Florida Community College, his future was an open book. His youthful dreams about future careers were diverse — becoming a professional basketball player, the governor of Florida and a chef. One of the things he liked best about FCCJ was the ability to open himself to all the possibilities life offered.

“I had no idea what I wanted to study,” Jonathan said. “I chose FCCJ because it gave me an opportunity to take various courses in different areas. This was key for me because I really didn’t know what I wanted to major in. FCCJ allowed me to get my feet wet in several areas before I had to officially declare a major.”

After completing his associate in arts degree at FCCJ, he went on to study interdisciplinary social sciences at the University of South Florida. Today, he’s in the management-training program at Stock Building Supply and also serves as an assistant basketball coach at Mandarin High School, his alma mater, where he played on the team.

“The thing I liked most about Florida Community College was really the total experience, from the faculty and staff to the smaller class sizes and the diverse atmosphere,” said Jonathan. “The staff makes you feel like a person and not a number. And the classes were small, just like in high school. So that made FCCJ a nice transition from high school to college.”

Jonathan appreciated all the help that was available to him at FCCJ, too. “The toughest part about college was having the discipline to get all of your work done while there were so many activities going on,” he said. “FCCJ really helped me develop that skill.” In addition to his studies, Jonathan took full advantage of college life, participating in intramural sports, student government and the Student Ambassador program. He even served as president of Campus Knights.

About his long-range plans, he said, “My ultimate goal is to be able to design a sports complex and be an athletic director of a major university.” Even with all his success, Jonathan still sees the future as an open book!