BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Some of LaToya Chandler’s memories from growing up in Bradford County make her think of Santa Fe College, such as playing softball with the Starke Recreation Department when its director was Cheryl Canova (who would go on to become director of the college’s Andrews Center in Starke) or attending Santa Fe as a student on a Board of Trustees Scholarship.
The 2001 Bradford High School graduate can now make memories as a Santa Fe employee as she is the interim director for both the Andrews and Keystone Heights Watson centers.
“It’s very surreal because I’ve lived in Bradford,” Chandler said. “I grew up here. I just never thought that I would come home. Then, on top of coming home, work for the college.
“It’s exciting to work for the college, and it’s very exciting to serve the community in this type of way.”
Chandler had actually already been involved with the college, working with its GRRATE (guitars, rocketry, robotics, advanced technical education) Project, which is funded through a grant to introduce STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) concepts to high school students. The opportunity had her working at both the Andrews and Watson centers.
“I heard about the job (of interim director) being open,” Chandler said. “Since I worked at both centers for a few years, I just thought, ‘Hey, maybe I would be a good fit.’”
Santa Fe College President Paul Broadie introduced Chandler as the interim director of the Starke and Keystone centers at the Oct. 18 board of trustees meeting.
Chandler hit the ground running.
“I haven’t even had time to decorate my office yet because I jumped right in working,” she said. “It was almost as if I had always been here. I hit the ground, and things had to happen as soon as I got here.”
People have commented about how busy she’s been, but Chandler said it pales in comparison to her experience in the Navy.
“It’s really nothing,” she said. “It’s a privilege to do regular work.”
The Navy is a part of what Chandler describes her “colorful” journey.
Creating a strong work ethic, helping to educate youth
Chandler, the daughter of Michael Chandler and Sharie Hankerson-Johnson, played basketball and softball at BHS. Her brother, Traavis Chandler, a 2002 BHS graduate, was a student-athlete as well who returned to be the Tornadoes’ varsity boys basketball head coach from 2009 through 2013. He’s now the head coach at Fleming Island High School.
After graduating in the top 10 percent of her class and attending Santa Fe College, Chandler went to Florida A&M University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. While at FAMU, she worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“A lot of my mentors there, they had a lot of experience through the Navy,” Chandler said. “A lot of their experience and their positioning came from that service that they provided for the country. I thought, ‘Hey, I want to be where those guys are.’”
She joined the Navy as an electronics technician and was selected for commissioning as an oceanic officer. She worked on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, where she was one of 5,000.
“It was orchestrated in a way to where everyone moved together as a unit and got these really, really big tasks done,” Chandler said.
Chandler learned just how much work can be accomplished in a short amount of time.
“The Navy really challenged me because of the work ethic and discipline you have to have,” she said. “A Navy workday is different from a workday out in the civilian world. We got more done by 12 p.m. — by lunchtime — than someone gets done during an entire week.”
Her time in the Navy was cut short by medical issues, but the experience has impacted whatever job she’s held since.
“Having that discipline sort of changed the way I work,” Chandler said. “I know that things can get done. I set my goals. I meet my time deadlines.”
Following her time in the Navy, Chandler returned home and began working at the University of Florida in the field of instructional design. She worked as part of the nationwide CSforAll initiative, which makes computer science a part of the educational experience for K-12 students.
It was through that experience that she met former Santa Fe College employee Cheryl Calhoun, who was dean of access and inclusion. That meeting eventually led to Chandler working with Santa Fe and its GRRATE Project.
Helping Santa Fe move forward
Chandler believes that since she grew up in Bradford County, more people will feel comfortable approaching her with questions about the Andrews Center, whether they’re about dual-enrollment opportunities for high school students, how to enroll in courses or how to go about returning to school as an older adult.
“Hopefully, I can reach people, whether they’re in high school, or whether they’re a 50-year-old woman who’s deciding to come back and change her career,” Chandler said, adding, “People know me by name. When they find out I’m working at the center, I notice they’re more willing to ask these questions they probably weren’t willing to ask before.”
Of course, in her current role, she’s helping to answer people’s questions about the Watson Center, too.
“It’s a challenge because you have two different communities to juggle,” Chandler said. “I think it’s about learning the players in each community and learning the needs of both communities so we can align the right resources with their needs.”
During his Oct. 12 state-of-the-college address in Starke, Broadie talked of adding programs to the Andrews Center’s offerings so that students in Bradford County can complete their educational requirements toward a job without having to drive to the college’s main campus in Gainesville. Chandler said plans are for the Andrews Center to offer a 30-credit hour Sterile Processing Technology program beginning in the Summer 2023 term.
“Students can get their certification in just two semesters — very quickly — and be pipelined into our hospitals,” Chandler said, adding that students can be hired for jobs starting out at $20 per hour.
The goal is for the Andrews Center to eventually offer multiple programs, making educational and employment opportunities more readily available to students in Bradford County.
“We want to see more options like this available,” Chandler said. “A lot of times, for students, if the program is too far away, then transportation becomes an issue. We want to fix that.”
Besides being the director for two Santa Fe College centers, Chandler is also in the final stages of working toward her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Therefore, she says she doesn’t have a lot of time for hobbies, though she goes to BHS football games or listens to them on the radio. She does have one hobby, which is making soap — something that started from watching YouTube videos during the onset of the COVID pandemic.
Chandler’s main focus is the Andrews and Watson centers and how they can best serve the people in their communities. The word “interim” may be before her job title, but she’s working as if it wasn’t.
Perhaps one day, it won’t be.
“Hopefully, I’m a good fit for the community,” Chandler said. “If they see I’m a good fit, then I’ll stay.”
