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Tacoryal White earned her A.A. and B.A.S. degrees from Pensacola State College, graduating cum laude this spring as a four-time President’s List honoree, a Robinson Honors Program scholar, a Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society member, a member of PSC’s 2026 Business Strategy Game championship team, and a recipient of the Dr. Marjan Mazza Business and Management Endowed Scholarship. Pictured with her mother, Patricia Mims.
Tacoryal White now holds two degrees from Pensacola State College, most recently earning her B.A.S. in Business and Management with a Health Care Management concentration. She completed the program as part of PSC’s Business Strategy Game (BSG®) championship team, winning top international ranking among 3,203 teams from 131 colleges and universities — a fitting finish to her PSC journey, overcoming life’s hurdles along the way.
White took a nontraditional education path early on, leaving Crestview High School as a freshman and earning her diploma online in 2015. She was 21 when she first enrolled at PSC, and she received her A.A. degree in 2021.
As a first-generation college graduate, White was encouraged about the future and had applied to the PSC sonography program when she learned she was expecting a baby. Determined to succeed, she attended classes during her pregnancy until a medical emergency threatened her life and prompted an early delivery.
She credits the rapid response team at Sacred Heart Hospital with her survival and the college’s faculty and staff with helping her succeed in meeting her academic goals through challenging circumstances.
“What makes Pensacola State College special is the people they hire,” she said. “The staff consistently follow up, check in, and make students feel valued. That level of care is truly rare.”
White returned to classes in 2024 with a change of heart for sonography and switched to the busines
s program with a renewed sense of purpose and an ambitious course schedule. “I was hungry, focused and determined,” she said. “My drive and motivation came from my son.”
“My experience at PSC has impacted me tremendously. It showed me that I can accomplish my goals and that there are resources and people who genuinely care about student success,” she said, specifically acknowledging Chelsea Thornhill, a student services advisor at the Warrington campus, and Assistant Professor Brian Ward, for their consistent encouragement.
Business major Tacoryal White (right) and her teammates Haley Thompson, Kevin Weaver and Kadiyah Nelson (not pictured) were crowned Industry Champions of the Business Strategy Game (BSG®) in March.
She graduated cum laude this spring as a four-time President’s List honoree, a Robinson Honors Program scholar, a Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society member, and a recipient of the Dr. Marjan Mazza Business and Management Endowed Scholarship, which helped her balance her education with the responsibilities of being a mother to her now two-year-old son.
Her advice to other students is to never give up and to beat the odds. “No matter how long it takes or how many breaks you may need along the way, your goals are still worth pursuing,” she said. “There is always light at the end of the tunnel, and persistence truly pays off.”
“If I can do it, so can you.”
White has been accepted into the Master of Healthcare Administration program at Auburn University at Montgomery. “My ultimate dream is to become a CEO, whether by creating my own company or starting in an entry-level position and working my way up through dedication and hard work.”
“I’m so thankful for everything PSC has done for me — the resources, the scholarships, the counseling, just everything,” she said, “and I love that I can continue leveling up and making my son proud.”