FCAN Talent Strong Summit Through the Eyes of a First Timer
By Joy McCracken
upliftED Network Group Photo at the FCAN Summit
Hello there! Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Joy McCracken; I’m the first full-time Coordinator for upliftED (yay)! I have likely met many of you already, and if I have not yet had the pleasure of doing so, I look forward to when that day arrives. I have been in this new role since March 12th, so I’m still a newbie to the world of LCANs (Local College Access Networks). I am learning SO much, and the FCAN (Florida College Access Network) Talent Strong Florida Summit honestly came at a perfect time for me to learn even more and solidify my place with upliftED.
So, let me give you a debrief, if you will, of how the FCAN Summit went. Let’s go!
Let me preface by stating that I love conferences. I mean, I truly love them. In a deeply nerdy way. The energy, excitement, getting to meet new people or finally connecting in person with others who I have only seen in a box on a screen, the invaluable sharing of ideas and information, and let’s not forget-the freebies. 😉 Since I love conferences so much, I was really excited for my first FCAN Summit. Spoiler alert: it did not disappoint. The two and a half days spent convening with the best of the best in the arena of Florida college access left me feeling fulfilled, inspired, and motivated.
Let’s jump into the good stuff: what I learned. I received a lot of great information at the sessions I attended. There was a generous variety of subject matters covered, such as comparing financial aid offers, FAFSA resources, out-of-school career programming, and facilitating a successful student-led group.
If I had to choose three key takeaways, they would be:
Four out of five of the top FAFSA states have universal FAFSA. Universal FAFSA would be transformative for Florida and should continue to be advocated for.
65% of Osceola County students are first-generation. As a first-generation student myself, this will help me better relate and connect to the students I serve.
The immense success of the Immokalee Foundation’s Career Pathways program gave me a lot of practical ideas for how to implement career programming as upliftED’s capacity continues to expand. A couple of their impressive data points:
100% of their 8th graders developed a career action plan.
100% of their students graduate from high school and are placed in postsecondary education.
One of the biggest observations from these sessions was how eager the presenters were to share not only their expertise, but their resources and tools as well. This generosity reaffirmed just how committed everyone is to the common goal of expanding education access and completion, without concern over competition or credit. This was really encouraging and beautiful to see. After all, we all know sharing is caring.
I want to take a moment to recognize and discuss all the amazing presenters that are an esteemed part of the upliftED network. They each led exceptional workshops, so I want to give them a shout out and sincere thanks.
Mx. Lynn Hansen (Career Services, UCF) and Shelby Melfi (UCF) presented “Creating a Career Ready Campus: Best Practices and Opportunities to Engage the Campus Community”.
Danielle Malfara (School District of Osceola County) and Robert Palmer (Orange County Public Schools) presented “A Roadmap to Success: Building Support & Capacity for High School College & Career Readiness”.
Dr. Jan Lloyd-Lesley (Seminole State College), Kelly Astro (Heart of Florida United Way), and DJ Feliciano (Heart of Florida United Way) presented “A Successful Community Collaboration: Helping A.L.I.C.E Students Stay Enrolled in College”.
Dr. Kimberly Hardy (UCF) and Dr. Wendy Givoglu (Valencia College) presented “Collaborating for Successful Pathways: Ensuring Students are Major and Transfer Ready”.
Diana Pienaar (CFEED/Valencia College), Ashton Terry (School District of Osceola County), and Sabrina Gonzalez Blohm (CFEED/Valencia College) presented “CFEED: Interactive Readiness Model-Driving Opportunity for All in K-12 and Higher Education”.
Pauletta DaSilva (School District of Osceola County) and Mayra Cotto (School District of Osceola County) presented “Student-Led Impact: Establishing a Peer Advisory Council for College & Career Readiness”.
I was thrilled to be able to attend a few of these, as they provided me with some valuable information about Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties, which are the counties that upliftED serves. In order to properly fulfill my role in serving students in these three counties, I feel that I need to learn as much as possible about them, their families, and their communities. It’s imperative for me to know what the districts and individual schools are doing-what’s working for them and what’s not-in order to know how to best uplift (😉) and support them. For these reasons, these workshops were incredibly beneficial for me, and so exciting to be a part of!
I would be remised if I did not mention that the Keynote presentations were also fantastic. Keeping in line with the Summit’s theme of Higher Education, Higher Rewards, we heard from various esteemed speakers who shared their programs and experience. I was particularly invigorated by hearing the inspirational story and words of Ashely Butler (Ice Cold Air and Discount Auto Repair). She closed our conference with poignant words and a heartfelt message: to go out in the world and be somebody, and to know when to take a break versus when to go hard.
The Summit was not only informative, but also lots of fun. The evening receptions did not disappoint. We celebrated Cinco de Mayo in style with Mariachi Orlando Tequila and were uplifted the next evening with the beautiful voices of Oak Ridge High School chorus. Enjoying local talent enriched the experience even further. I would also like to give a shout out to the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort staff for accommodating us so well and serving delicious food.
All in all, the 2025 FCAN Talent Strong Florida Summit was an immense pleasure to take part in, as I’m sure you can tell from my glowing remarks and everyone’s happy smiles in the photos. If you were unable to attend this year, we hope to see you next year!
