FIND YOUR FLOW
AT THE RIVER

Where purpose meets possibility. Discover hands-on learning, flexible programs, and a college experience built for your life.

Explore Programs

GRADUATE SPOTLIGHTS

Discover inspiring graduate success stories from Indian River State College that highlight perseverance, innovation, and the pursuit of meaningful careers. From space exploration to healthcare and nursing, these spotlights showcase how River students are overcoming challenges, achieving their goals, and ready to make an impact in their communities.

Read Sela’s Story

Read Keith’s Story

Read Samuel’s Story

Read Avery’s Story

Read Titeus’ Story

News Type: Blog

RiverBlog: Training Tomorrow’s Hospitality Leaders at The River
Florida welcomed a record-breaking 143 million visitors in 2024 – nearly 3 million more than the previous year. But here’s the challenge facing the Treasure Coast and beyond: 76% of hotels nationwide are experiencing critical staffing shortages, with housekeeping being the most urgent need.
The hospitality industry is booming, but it desperately needs trained professionals. That’s where Indian River State College comes in.
Students in Chef Deborah Midkiff’s International and Regional Cuisine class at Indian River State College prepare a menu on October 25, 2023.
Building the Pipeline
In a recent episode of RiverTalk on IRSC Public Media, host Kathleen Walter sat down with Professor Deborah Midkiff, chair of the Hospitality and Culinary Management Department, along with students Megan DiPietro and Emily Day. Their conversation revealed how The River is addressing the workforce gap right here on the Treasure Coast.
“I think a lot of times people feel that what we do only happens in the classroom with our students, and that certainly is a big piece of it, preparing them for the workforce,” explained Professor Midkiff. “But another piece of that is, how do we connect all the pieces of the pipeline?”
That pipeline starts as early as middle school, exposing young students to hospitality and culinary careers. It continues through partnerships with local high schools, connections with employers seeking great talent, and even pre-apprenticeships in the area.
Students in Chef Deborah Midkiff’s International and Regional Cuisine class at Indian River State College prepare a menu.
More Than Just Cooking and Serving
Many people think hospitality education is limited to learning to cook or serve tables. The reality is far more expansive.
Indian River State College offers a two-year AS in Hospitality and Tourism Management, covering food and beverage, special event management, lodging, and travel and tourism. Some students have gone on to work with the county tourism board. The college also offers a degree in Culinary Management, where students learn not just cooking techniques but the leadership skills to become future sous chefs and executive chefs.
One standout program is the Culinary Apprenticeship – an “Earn While You Learn” initiative. It’s a one-year, tuition-free program where students work 40 paid hours per week in restaurants that cook from scratch, rotating through stations under highly skilled chefs.
Recently, Indian River State College reinvigorated its two-year Restaurant Management degree for students specifically interested in the restaurant side of hospitality, without the lodging component.
Students in The River’s Hospitality and Culinary Management programs gain hands-on experience in state-of-the-art kitchen classrooms, preparing for careers in Florida’s booming tourism industry.
Real Students, Real Success
Megan DiPietro came to Indian River State College after working at and managing a coffee shop. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” she recalled. When she discovered the culinary management program, she realized it combined two things she loved: working with food and management.
Now working at Sweet Desires Bakery, Megan sees how her education translates directly to the workplace. “The program gives you a base, a nice foundation for wherever you go to work,” she said. “Even when I went into working at the bakery, I had very little experience with that. But I was able to hit the ground running.”
Emily Day was drawn to hospitality because of her experience in food and beverage and managing personal estates. “I just kind of saw this degree option and thought that it was a good opportunity to kind of broaden my understanding of hospitality and the options that it offered,” she explained. In addition, Emily completed a summer internship at Chef’s Table Restaurant in Stuart and now has a position with them working with special events and catering.
What Employers Really Want
Indian River State College meets quarterly with an advisory board of industry professionals from restaurants, hotels, and even medical facilities that need hospitality workers. Their consistent message? Soft skills matter most.
“We’ve continued to hear soft skills,” Professor Midkiff noted. “What we’re really narrowing it down to is communication skills, teamwork… time management, prioritization are key things that they’re looking for.”
These skills are woven directly into the curriculum and reinforced through extracurricular events where students take on leadership, planning, and visionary roles.
Professor Deborah Midkiff, chair of the Hospitality and Culinary Management Department, prepares students for leadership roles in Florida’s growing hospitality industry.
A Booming Job Market
The employment picture for hospitality graduates is encouraging. According to Professor Midkiff, average hotel wages have increased 26% since the pandemic. “I’ve seen more of our students over the past three or four years being in positions where they can get promoted into better positions faster,” she said. “Instead of waiting for those opportunities 10 or 15 years, I’m seeing a lot of our really sharp students move into leadership roles within one or two years.”
By 2033, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that one in eight new jobs will be tied to hospitality or leisure.
The Technology Factor
Technology is reshaping the industry, but not replacing workers – it’s changing what workers do. From robotic vacuums for housekeeping to AI helping managers with paperwork and predictive analytics, technology is removing some of the physical burden and making professionals more productive.
“AI is not going to take over our jobs, but people that understand how to use it are going to be the ones that get hired for the position,” Professor Midkiff emphasized. The industry will see less blue-collar work and more white-collar, IT-focused, better-paying careers.
Beyond Stereotypes
Hospitality and culinary careers extend far beyond front desk clerks and line cooks. The industry needs IT professionals, finance and accounting experts, scheduling systems specialists, and as virtual reality becomes more prevalent, even more white-collar positions.
Students notice evolving trends too. Emily observes that while some guests want the convenience of mobile check-ins and online payments, others still crave face-to-face personal connections. “There’s still that need for face-to-face personal connection,” she noted.
Megan sees changing tastes in food: “Everyone loves that bright color, the bright flavor… They want things that are simple and just have this nice bright flavor, not so sweet.”
Advice for Future Students
Both students had encouraging words for anyone considering the field.
Emily emphasized the versatility: “There’s just so many options in it. You’re not going to be narrowing yourself into anything too specific… It just gives you a really good baseline education.”
Megan’s advice? “Work a summer job and see if you like it. Then take the leap and apply for a program. Even if you don’t end up using the skills you’ve learned and going into a full-time career in whatever path you choose, it’s still skills that you will take with you for the rest of your life.”
The holiday season is upon us – a time when the hospitality industry shines brightest. Behind every perfectly executed meal and seamlessly managed event are trained professionals like Megan and Emily, who’ve turned their passion into careers at The River.
October 27, 2025
RiverBlog: 65 Years of Transformation: The Story of Indian River State College
The Florida Legislature officially established Indian River Junior College on January 1, 1960.
By Kathleen Walter
From a single building in 1959 to five campuses serving nearly 24,000 students today, Indian River State College has become far more than an educational institution—it’s a lifeline for the region.
On a recent episode of RiverTalk on IRSC Public Media, two people who embody this remarkable journey shared their perspectives: Dr. Mia Tignor, Associate Vice Provost of Academic Affairs and college historian, and Professor June Wells, who has taught here for an extraordinary 53 years. Their conversation revealed not just the facts of Indian River State College’s evolution, but its soul.
A black and white photo of men in suits and women in dresses doing the conga dance.
From Junior College to State College
The transformation from Indian River Junior College to a state college authorized to grant bachelor’s degrees in 2008 stands as a pivotal moment. As Dr. Tignor explained, this shift allowed Indian River State College to serve students “across all levels of education”—from adult education through bachelor’s programs—making higher education accessible in a region where Indian River State College remains the only public institution serving four counties.
Congratulations to IRJC President Max King and Mrs. King (left) from Governor LeRoy Collins and Senator Harry Kichliter on the establishment of Indian River Junior College.
Professor Wells helped architect this change, literally building the bachelor’s programs in education from the ground up. “It was basically the idea that we were trying to make education available to a bigger kind of population,” she recalled, describing how faculty created courses, wrote syllabi, and adapted content for specialized populations in law enforcement, fire science, and other fields.
Professor Wells was recognized for 45 years of service to the college in 2018.
The Geography of Opportunity
Spanning Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Stuart, Okeechobee, and Fort St. Lucie, Indian River State College’s five-campus footprint shapes its identity in profound ways. Each campus serves distinct populations with unique needs, requiring flexibility in how resources are deployed. At the Pruitt campus, for instance, a joint-use library with St. Lucie County offers early literacy programs for an up-and-coming community—services that might look different at the Fort Pierce campus where other resources exist.
A Personal History
When Professor Wells arrived in 1973 as faculty member number 37, she could barely find Fort Pierce on a map. Fresh from the University of South Florida with a master’s degree in rhetoric and public address, she joined a small institution with just four or five buildings. But she quickly understood her mission: showing young people, especially young women, what they could become.
“Dr. Heise said to me, I want you to go out there and show people, especially young ladies, what they can become,” Wells remembered. In an era when college wasn’t assumed for women, she literally walked students from her neighborhood to registration, helping them believe they belonged in higher education.
Integration’s Legacy
Eight years before Wells arrived, Indian River Junior College merged with Lincoln Junior College as part of integration in 1965. While she inherited this history rather than lived it, she saw its effects—a conscious effort to bring diverse populations together and create a welcoming environment.
Lincoln Junior College was established in 1960.
Digital Evolution
The college’s learning infrastructure has transformed dramatically. Dr. Tignor traced this evolution from the library’s opening in the late 1960s—with its card catalog and physical books—through online catalogs, and now to comprehensive digital resources. Her mother attended library school with card catalogs; Tignor studied an entirely different system 20 years later.
Dr. Tignor attends a college event in 2018.
Today’s students access Adobe Creative Campus tools, Bloomberg Terminals, Wolfram Alpha, and institutional Grammarly subscriptions—professional-grade resources once available only to those already in industry. The 2013 launch of Indian River State College Online expanded flexibility even further, building on earlier innovations like VHS video classrooms that streamed to campuses without resident faculty.
Indian River Community College in 1983
What Endures
Despite all this change, Professor Wells identified something constant: the relationship between faculty and students. Unlike her own college experience, where professors seemed distant, she’s always maintained an atmosphere where students feel comfortable asking questions, seeking help, admitting confusion. “Never be told that’s a stupid question,” she emphasized, understanding that one dismissive response silences the next person.
This culture of accessibility connects directly to The River’s founding purpose. The junior college system emerged after World War II to meet workforce education needs that four-year institutions couldn’t accommodate alone. The recent Promise Program, which helps make college tuition-free for eligible local students, continues this tradition of opening doors for those who might not have thought college was an option.
Bold Moves Forward
Recent years have brought dramatic developments: a $45 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, the Eastman Advanced Workforce Training Complex, expanded nursing facilities that double capacity, and programs in rail industries, ballistics technology, and advanced manufacturing. The Center of Excellence for Veteran Students Success recognizes another population Indian River State College serves. These transformative initiatives occurred under the leadership of Indian River State College President Timothy E. Moore in 2020.
How does the college stay ahead of economic needs while remaining true to its mission? Dr. Tignor described a two-tiered approach: maintaining strong core programs like the Associate in Arts while partnering with industries to offer new certifications and short-term training for students who don’t need traditional degrees.
12,000 Students and Counting
Professor Wells has taught more than 12,000 students—a number she processes by remembering individual speeches rather than faces that have aged forty years. Students return and ask, “Do you remember my speech?” And often she does. Citrus blackfly. She remembers.
What drives someone to show up, in person, after 53 years? For Wells, it’s seeing how populations and needs change. Public speaking still needs teaching, but now she incorporates interview skills, because employers report young people “don’t interview well.” The content evolves; the commitment remains.
She wants future generations to remember that The River got them “on the starting block.” Many students tell her their best educational experience happened here. One became a state senator. Others built successful careers from that foundation.
Looking Ahead
What makes them proud? Professor Wells pointed to the college’s ability to see needs and evolve, to find people who can meet those needs and dedicate themselves to making things work. Dr. Tignor spoke of faculty and staff’s extraordinary care for students—a throughline she sees in archival materials from the 1970s through today’s blog posts and course discussions.
“Students are students, faculty are faculty,” Tignor observed. That focus on student success, that care from faculty and tutors and librarians, appears throughout Indian River State College’s entire history.
Students show their River pride in 1980.
Sixty-five years after opening in a single building, Indian River State College remains what it always was: a community deciding that education should be within reach, no matter who you are or where you come from. That commitment endures.
To read more about Indian River State College’s History, visit: https://irsc.edu/about/history/.
This blog post is based on a conversation that aired on RiverTalk on IRSC Public Media, featuring Dr. Mia Tignor and Professor June Wells.
October 20, 2025
RiverBlog: When Cold Cases Meet Fresh Eyes: Indian River State College Students Solve Real Crimes
The only program of its kind in the country teaches students to think like detectives—and close cases that have stumped law enforcement for years
By: Kathleen Walter
When Autum Clay sits down to work on a case, she’s not analyzing a textbook scenario or watching a crime documentary. She’s poring over actual evidence from an unsolved investigation—crime scene photos, witness statements, decades-old leads that went nowhere. It’s painstaking work that can mean spending weeks stuck on a single detail, then months chasing down what comes next.
Digging into the details. Indian River State College cold case investigation students collaborate on unsolved mysteries, applying real forensic techniques to cases that need a fresh perspective.
You could be stuck on a simple fact for weeks, figure that out, and before you know it, you’re chasing another lead for a month,” Clay explained.
Clay is a student in the Institute for Cold Case Investigations at Indian River State College, the only program of its kind in the country. Founded in 2018 by Dr. Kimberlie Massnick, a forensic criminologist, the Institute gives students something most criminal justice programs can’t: real-world investigative experience working on actual unsolved cases with local sheriff’s offices.
When the trail goes cold, these students warm it back up. The cold case investigation course brings together analytical minds to reexamine unsolved cases using modern forensic methods and collaborative problem-solving.
And it’s working. To date, the Institute has solved, closed, or resolved five cases. Students have helped bring closure to grieving families, identified suspects, and contributed evidence that’s been presented to state attorneys. One case even caught the attention of Kelly Siegler, prosecutor and host of Oxygen’s Cold Justice, who worked alongside the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, reviewing the suggestions and work done by students alongside the agency. Ms. Siegler then worked directly with the Sheriff’s Office to recommend and follow up on the case and pitch it to the State Attorney’s Office. (The Cold Justice episode aired on Oxygen on October 11, 2025).
A Program Born from a Simple Question
Dr. Massnick didn’t set out to revolutionize criminal justice education. She simply asked herself: what if students could do more than read about investigations—what if they could actually conduct them?
Dr. Kimberlie Massnick leads the Institute for Cold Case Investigation at Indian River State College
In an exclusive interview on IRSC Public Media’s RiverTalk, Dr. Massnick explained how the idea took shape. After speaking at a national conference about cold cases, she realized there was genuine public interest in the topic. She also noticed something troubling: when she asked audiences if they could name a victim of Ted Bundy, no one could. Everyone knew the killer. No one remembered the victims.
“At that moment, my entire life shifted,” she said. “This isn’t about the suspect, the person who did this. I’m going to change the narrative. We are going to talk about who is really important and who needs to be remembered.”
Massnick approached local sheriff’s offices with a bold pitch: let college students review cold case files. Surprisingly, one sheriff jumped at the opportunity. The college awarded her a grant, and the Institute was born.
The very first case they tackled? Solved in a single semester.
Learning from the Old School
The Institute operates as part of Indian River State College’s research methods course—a natural fit, since cold cases are essentially intensive case studies. Students apply everything they’ve learned across their criminal justice curriculum: critical thinking, criminological theory, investigative techniques, ethics, and evidence analysis.
Students in the Institute for Cold Case Investigation at Indian River State College work with Indian River County Sheriff’s Office detectives
But what makes the program truly unique is the mentorship component and the actual sharing of the complete case file. Veteran detectives with 30 or 40 years of experience work directly with students, sharing insights that can’t be found in any textbook. These detectives are often the detectives originally assigned to the case or detectives currently with the agency.
Hannah MacDonald, a former student who appeared on RiverTalk alongside Dr. Massnick, recalled discussing with detectives how the work follows you home—how you start dreaming about cases, how the details infiltrate your subconscious. “You work so much with this stuff and you start thinking about it in your off time,” she said. The detectives taught her how to cope, how to decompress, and how not to become consumed by the darkness.
Chandler Sillaway, another Institute alum, remembers the moment a detective handed him a sticky note with two words written on it: probable cause. “I’m thinking, oh, this is serious,” Sillaway said. “Probable cause is what you need for an arrest. And that’s exactly what we were reaching for.”
Technology Meets Experience
Part of the program’s success comes from a simple fact: today’s students grew up with technology in their hands. What might have taken detectives days or weeks to uncover 20 or 30 years ago—tracking down public records, cross-referencing voter registrations, finding addresses—students can now do in minutes.
Future investigators at work. Students in the cold case investigation course analyze evidence and explore new angles on unsolved mysteries.
“These guys were born with computers in their hands,” Dr. Massnick said. “They can do things and think of things and go down rabbit holes that would have taken law enforcement a lot longer to do.”
But technology alone isn’t the answer. Dr. Massnick emphasizes that students must learn to “follow the evidence,” not their theories. As Sillaway put it: “It’s easy to go down a rabbit hole in your own theories. When you have detectives looking over your shoulder and you have Dr. Massnick looking over your shoulder as well, even though it’s hard to follow the evidence, you need to.”
The program also teaches students that investigations require collaboration. Some students discover they’re better suited for fieldwork; others thrive behind a computer organizing data and tracking leads. Both skill sets are essential.
Filling a Critical Gap
Louis Caprino, former FBI agent and now Dean of Public Service Education at Indian River State College, says Dr. Massnick’s work goes far beyond the classroom. She’s preparing students to succeed in law enforcement careers at every level—and at a critical moment.
Across the country, police departments are hemorrhaging experienced detectives. Since COVID-19, many veteran investigators have retired early, leaving departments struggling to fill the gap. The Institute helps address this crisis by producing graduates who can confidently answer the question every employer asks: Do you have experience?
Institute graduates have been hired by federal agencies like the Office of Special Investigations and the Department of State. Others have joined local law enforcement or started their own investigative businesses. Some, like Hannah MacDonald, are pursuing paralegal work specializing in criminal law. Chandler Sillaway is completing his master’s degree and pursuing federal investigations.
“They’re much more likely to be employed quicker,” Dr. Massnick said, “simply because they are able to answer that question, do you have any experience? And now they can say, not only do they have experience in investigation, but they can turn around and say, we’ve learned how to use this piece of equipment. We’ve learned how to bring you into the 21st century.”
More Than Just Solving Cases
For current students like Arianna Crespo and Cassidy Koch, the Institute has been transformative. Crespo says the program teaches you that “it could be anyone around you”—meaning detectives must always be willing to consider every possibility, no matter how uncomfortable.
Koch, inspired by crime shows and her mother’s interest in investigations, says she’s caught “the bug” for detective work and continues to stay involved even after completing the class.
But Dr. Massnick is clear: this work isn’t just about closing cases or launching careers. It’s about something deeper.
“When you see those crime scene photos, those are real people,” Chandler Sillaway said. “You have a person’s life in your hands and you’re trying to get justice for them.”
The Institute currently has two more cases moving forward. One has been presented to the state attorney’s office. Another involves a suspect who’s been identified but is out of state, making an arrest logistically complicated. And then there’s the case that could rewrite everything: five unsolved cases that appear to be connected to the same suspect.
If students successfully tie those cases together, they’ll be the only students in the country to have caught a serial killer.
“People don’t think it can happen in your backyard,” Dr. Massnick said.
At Indian River State College, students aren’t just learning about criminal justice. They’re practicing it. They’re bringing closure to families who’ve waited years—sometimes decades—for answers. They’re honoring victims whose names have been forgotten. And they’re proving that with the right training, mentorship, and determination, fresh eyes can solve even the coldest cases.
Learn more about the Institute for Cold Case Investigations and Indian River State College’s Criminal Justice programs at irsc.edu.
For media inquiries, email the Indian River State College Office of Public Information: pio@irsc.edu.
October 17, 2025
RiverBlog: River Madness Is More Than a Tipoff, It’s a Call to Fort Pierce
By: Rodrigo Berlanga Rodriguez & Kathleen Walter
When Head Men’s Basketball Coach Travis “T.J.” Jackson talks about the 2025 – 2026 season, he rarely starts with stats. He starts with people: students, families, and the community that drive the success of Indian River State College Athletics. It is this same community that he encourages to fill both sides of the bleachers at the gym at the College’s main campus in Fort Pierce.
“I’ve seen on a good day, 20 people in the stands…I want to bring both sides of the bleachers out,” Coach Jackson said in an exclusive interview on IRSC Public Media’s RiverTalk.
Listen to River Talk
On Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, at 5:00 p.m., Indian River State College (“The River”) will debut River Madness, a high-energy, family-friendly showcase designed to do exactly that: connect the College’s storied basketball tradition with the heartbeat of Fort Pierce. Think live DJ, local vendors and food trucks, prizes and giveaways, plus your first look at a roster Coach Jackson says is “electrifying.”
Indian River State College Men’s Basketball Head Coach Travis “T.J.” Jackson.
Building a Culture, Not Just a Team
Coach Jackson’s vision is simple and ambitious: make Indian River State College basketball a gathering place. River Madness replaces the traditional Blue & Gold scrimmage with something bigger: a celebration of campus and community. The goal is more than just building hype; it’s about creating a habit. Get fans in the building and build the kind of home-court energy that lifts student-athletes all season long.
Coach Jackson is also explicit about the order of operations: academics, character, then performance. The team standard is a 3.2+ GPA and a diploma for every sophomore. Discipline and accountability aren’t slogans; they’re the scaffolding that allows talent to grow.
Why JUCO, Why Now
If you haven’t been to an Indian River State College game, or any junior college (“JUCO”) game, Coach Jackson thinks you’ll be surprised by the quality of play, especially in Florida’s Region 8. The league is stacked with Division I-caliber athletes and veteran coaches. The 2025–26 roster includes six freshmen who held Division I offers before choosing The River. The attraction? Real minutes, real development, and a culture that treats students like the adults they’re becoming.
Junior college also makes sense for families financially. “It is an opportunity where you’re debt-free, where you don’t have to take out student loans and all that crazy nonsense,” says Coach Jackson. It teaches the off-court maturity that makes the on-court performance sustainable. Coach Jackson’s pitch to parents and players is refreshingly candid: JUCO is the fast track to the four-year level when you combine playing time with academic momentum and character growth.
Coaching With Purpose
Coach Jackson’s story helps explain his drive. He learned the game in the driveway from his mother, a Hall of Famer at Alcorn State University. A devastating knee injury in college ended his playing career, but not his passion; he found coaching while mentoring youth back home in Mississippi. That lived experience shows up daily at The River, in how he develops players and how he talks about their futures.
He’s also meeting the moment on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). The River uses a creative program called “Riverbooks,” a mock-currency system that teaches athletes how value is built through discipline, conditioning, and consistency. The message is clear: control your habits, and you can control your narrative.
The Bounce-Back
Indian River State College won just 10 games a season ago. No one is ducking that. This year’s team is deeper, hungrier, and more balanced, and it plans to restore the standards that River fans know and expect. Coach Jackson credits smart recruiting and an unshakable locker-room culture. The bar is set high, and the path runs straight through home.
Poised for a breakout season, Indian River State College basketball players reflect the grit and confidence driving The River’s renewed spirit on and off the court.
How to Be Part of It
- River Madness: Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. at Indian River State College Massey Campus Gym (3209 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce, FL 34981)
- What to expect: Basketball, DJ, local vendors & food trucks, prizes, and giveaways
- Bring: Family, friends, community groups, youth teams, and your voice
- Season info: Schedules and social links are on the Men’s Basketball page at https://irsc.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/index.
Coach Jackson’s door is open, literally. He invites community partners, service groups, and local leaders to reach out about collaborations and game-day experiences for their organizations.
This is your team, Fort Pierce. River Madness is the starting whistle. Let’s make the gym sound like home.
October 10, 2025