People

After graduating from John I. Leonard High School, Deborah Arocho-Maisonet, like so many of her fellow classmates, wanted to attend a university.

She didn’t know what the experience would be like, but she did know about PBSC, thanks to her two older sisters and alumnae Alondra and Fabiola.

“Hearing about their time and seeing just how successful they were as students while also holding jobs made me believe PBSC was the better choice,” said Arocho-Maisonet, president of the Student Government Association on the Lake Worth campus.

Arocho-Maisonet graduated with her Associate in Arts degree and was honored to stand in front of a crowd of more than 8,000 to give the invocation at the 2023 spring commencement. It’s a memory she says she will cherish along with so many others she had while attending PBSC.

At PBSC, she became a student ambassador after a Zoom interview with Keana Roberts, director of recruitment, who she says is the reason she became so involved at PBSC.

She also enjoyed finding a familiar face who became one of her favorite professors.

“I was so excited to get to be in class with Phillip Mancusi again,” Arocho-Maisonet recalled. “He taught me American government at Palm Springs Middle School and then again at PBSC. He was such an amazing professor because he really got you interested in politics and how you could play a part.”

Mancusi recommended that Arocho-Maisonet join the Student Government Association. She took his advice and would later become president. She says he also helped push her to further study the field.

She plans to major in political science at Florida International University and one day become a lawyer. When asked what advice she would give to other students considering attending PBSC, she simply says to do it.

“Don’t even hesitate. You won’t regret it. The staff and professors at PBSC are so supportive and will help you get involved and find the right path for you. It’s the best decision I ever made.”