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Judy Zemko Earns SFCC's Highest Honor

KATHY WATERS/HIGHLANDS TODAY

Counselor Judy Zemko, right, advises colleague Kim Hemler about a student issue on Friday at South Florida Community College.

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By MANDY SHEETS | Highlands Today

Published: January 14, 2008

AVON PARK — Judy Zemko's love for helping people is so obvious that even her coworkers see it.

"She has such a caring attitude about the students," said Jennifer Buchanan, who works with Zemko in South Florida Community College's advising office. "She is always the one staying late and in meetings coming up with great ideas. She is a very hard worker and very busy, but she always makes time for the students."

Many of her colleagues nominated Zemko, a counselor at SFCC, for the prestigious President's Award for outstanding employee of the year, and SFCC President Norm Stephens said she was "an obvious choice for this award."

"She is an exceptional employee who works very hard and is loyal and dedicated," Stephens said. "She was nominated by several of her peers who felt her commitment to the college made her deserving of this award."

Although Zemko is proud of the award, she is more excited about the impact she has made on the students that made her worthy of it.

"I love to see the student when they realize they can achieve their dreams," Zemko said. "I also love watching that light bulb go on in their minds when they really understand something for the first time."

Zemko has taught a wide spectrum of classes at SFCC, ranging from honors leadership to developmental math classes.

"It's always neat to see students with math anxiety overcome their fears and become a good math student and develop confidence," Zemko said.

As much as she enjoys teaching, Zemko said her true passion is in academic advising and counseling.

"I found that my real love is working directly with students," Zemko said. "I enjoy teaching, but I felt like I could make a larger impact in the counseling department."

Zemko, who started college 20 years after having graduated from high school, said she instantly relates to nontraditional students.

"I feel like I know what they are going through because I went through the same thing," Zemko said. "The connection is very easy to make from the beginning."

She enjoys watching the nontraditional students gain confidence and become comfortable in the classroom.

"I usually observe the same pattern with nontraditional students - they sit in the back of the classroom, and as their confidence grows, they start to move forward," Zemko said. "It's neat to watch them grow and discover they can succeed."

Zemko, who has advised thousands of students during her 10 years at SFCC, said graduation time is difficult because students leave.

"It's difficult when the students move on, because you become somewhat attached to them," Zemko said. "But it's so important to make sure they move on with their educational goals and personal goals."

Many of her students keep in touch and keep her updated with their lives.

"It's really exciting for me to see students succeed," Zemko said, noting one of her advisees recently graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and many are currently deans of schools.

In her free time, Zemko is an avid reader and antique collector. She also loves traveling to Virginia to spend time with her 14-month-old granddaughter.

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