LAKELAND, Fla. — Florida Polytechnic University is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a public university focused solely on STEM degrees, and this year, they have record enrollment.
Angeleena Figueroa is one of over 600 new students at Florida Polytechnic University. She said she actually saw the school before she’d ever heard of it when she was on a trip from New Jersey visiting her brother.
"I just saw this huge building that we’re in right now called the ITS, and I was like, what is that? He’s like oh it’s a school, and I was like, really??? I want to go there! So I went home, looked it up, and I was like this is exactly what I wanted because I always wanted to be an engineer," said Figueroa.
While the unique, futuristic design of the school is a big appeal for a lot of students, the university is also the only state university dedicated exclusively to STEM, and since it’s public, it’s affordable.
"I looked at a few other schools in jersey as well, like NJIT, Rutgers, but I have to say this school is the one that offered me the most financial aid, they definitely have a good financial aid program that helps students get here," she said.
Florida Poly is starting the school year with almost 1,800 students, which is a 9% increase from last year. The school is building a third facility on campus that will be an engineering building, focusing on research and labs. They also opened the third residence hall for students this school year.
Lydia Guzman, Director of Communications, says the growth here has been dramatic. "That just shows you that what we offer, the university, in terms of the quality of the stem degrees that we offer and the affordability, making it accessible, is really what’s increasing the demand for our university."
The plans for the future include more growth, but Guzman says Florida Poly isn’t meant to be a big university like USF, UF, or UCF, but instead, to continue on their own path, with a specific type of student, like Figueroa, who is passionate about her path in the STEM field.
"I’ve wanted to be an engineer since I was a kid, but I’m not the kind of person who just sits down and waits for things to happen, I want to do things, and that’s what engineers do, they get to things done," said Figueroa.
And while her days at Florida Poly are just beginning, Figueroa says she’s excited to see the growth in herself, and her school, years from now.
Florida Polytechnic University set a goal to have 3,000 students by the year 2030.