Duval Times

Florida Career College-Jacksonville  issued the following announcement on July 14.

After years of working in customer service, sales positions and real estate, Michael Turino decided to take a step back and reevaluate.

“I realized at a young age that I always had a passion to fix things, problem solve, build things and use tools,” Michael said. “I never knew how to get myself going in the right direction until I learned about Florida Career College and its HVAC program.”

The Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) program at Florida Career College (FCC) can completed in as few as 10 months, which appealed to him. Also, with his customer service background, interest in doing hands-on work, and the demand for HVAC technicians in Florida, Michael said he thought HVAC would be a perfect fit.

“From the moment I walked into the Tampa campus, I was greeted by staff that honestly wanted to push me forward in life,” Michael said.

Michael said the staff at FCC Tampa supported him throughout the application process with an inviting and positive spirit. Once he started in the HVAC program, he experienced that same encouragement and positivity from the FCC faculty.

INSTRUCTORS WHO CARE ABOUT STUDENT SUCCESS

“Our instructors are very driven to help you succeed. They try expose me and my classmates to as much knowledge and experiences as possible in every lab and class,” Michael said. “With all this exposure, I’ve seen a change in my confidence when working on any unit.”

Michael describes Mr. Rozecki as one instructor who makes him excited to come to class every day and master the craft. “He’s great at calming your mind so that you just enjoy the process,” Michael explained.

“Michael always comes to class on a mission to absorb as much knowledge as possible during his time at Florida Career College,” said HVAC Instructor Richard Rozecki, Sr. “He has balanced his classwork with challenges at home with such synergy that when he came to school in the morning, he would jump right in and start learning and helping other students pick up the day’s lab work. He was selected for the Student of the Month Award within his first two months in the program. He is one of my best students I have had during my five and half years teaching at FCC.”

Michael appreciates how each instructor in the HVAC program at FCC has a unique teaching style and brings distinctive expertise into the classroom. For example, instructor Jorge Hernandez “pushes students to be their very best,” he said.

“Michael is motivated, engaged with class activities and always willing to help his classmates. His grades are on the top on every module. He is that kind of student teachers never forget,” Jorge said.

Apart from an excellent student experience at FCC, Michael has had several obstacles to overcome outside of the classroom. Balancing his family life and schoolwork has proven to be a bit of a challenge. His wife was suffering from end-stage renal disease and had to undergo dialysis for the past two years. While supporting his wife through this difficult time, he was also the primary care provider for their toddler. Add classes and homework into those mix of demands, and his schedule was jam-packed.

“The great thing with FCC is that they are understanding and they worked with me,” Michael said. Thankfully, his wife had a successful kidney transplant this past April. Michael continued to take care of everything at home during her three months of recovery.

Since starting at FCC, Michael’s life and his outlook on life as completely changed. “Not only do I have confidence to do well in school but confidence in everything I do. My family life is better, I’ve been training for my first triathlon and I am really looking forward to the future.”

“Micheal is such a delight to have on campus and it has been rewarding for us to see his personal growth as he progresses through the HVAC program,” said CiCi Reidy, Campus President at FCC Tampa. “We are obsessed with student success at FCC, and Michael is a great example of perseverance through challenges with a focus on the future.”

Original source can be found here.