{"id":242022,"date":"2026-04-22T16:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T16:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/242022\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T16:40:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T16:40:17","slug":"dr-adrianne-wilson-professor-of-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/242022\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Adrianne Wilson: Professor of Education"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>ABOUT ME\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I am a native Tampanian, born and raised in Progress Village. I\u2019ve seen so much growth in Tampa over the years, and I\u2019m excited for what\u2019s to come in the future. As a first-generation college student, I know what it feels like to walk into spaces that are difficult to navigate. I\u2019ve also learned that talent is everywhere, but access is not.<\/p>\n<p>As a professor, I enjoy creating real opportunities for access by opening doors, demystifying the unwritten rules and helping students connect to resources, networks and experiences that can change the trajectory of their lives. I also decided to earn my doctorate for legacy building, so that education wouldn\u2019t just be something to achieve, but something passed down as a standard.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-38853\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Dr.-Adrianne-Wilson-_0726-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1954\" height=\"2560\"  \/>Dr. Adrianne Wilson<br \/>\nMY LOCAL KNOWLEDGE<\/p>\n<p>I love catching beautiful sunsets anywhere in Tampa, but especially at Eagle Park in Wesley Chapel. It\u2019s truly a hidden gem.<\/p>\n<p> When visitors are in town, I always take them to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armatureworks.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Armature Works<\/a>. It\u2019s one of my favorite places to show off Tampa because the outdoor views are beautiful, the <a href=\"https:\/\/thetampariverwalk.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Riverwalk<\/a> atmosphere is unmatched and there\u2019s a great variety of food options so everyone can find something they love.<\/p>\n<p> I\u2019ve been a member of the dining club Offline since it launched in Tampa a few years ago. As a result, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to dine at places throughout the city. Some of my favorites are <a href=\"https:\/\/jimmystacosfl.com\/?utm_source=google\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Jimmy\u2019s Tacos<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tlr.restaurant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The Living Room<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/hamptonchocolatefactory.com\/?srsltid=AfmBOorFUEqkq8um9F6uJqTe0-2Ylg21-GXky-vVG6ftH-im9CmDJD5p\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Hampton Chocolate Factory<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> Some of my favorite Southern and Caribbean restaurants in the Tampa Bay area include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eatatmrbs.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Mr. B\u2019s Southern Kitchen<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mangossouthernkitchen.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Mangos Southern Kitchen and Bar<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.caribbeanrestaurantseffner.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"> Jahiti Caribbean Restaurant<\/a>. Each offers flavorful, culturally rich dishes.<\/p>\n<p> I absolutely love a great ocean view. My perfect staycation is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opalcollection.com\/opal-sands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Opal Sands Resort and Spa<\/a> on Clearwater Beach.<\/p>\n<p> I enjoy the annual cultural festivities in Tampa Bay, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/tampablackheritage.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival<\/a> and Juneteenth celebrations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> For me, a perfect date night could be a great meal at a local restaurant, attending a community event or finding something interesting on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Eventbrite<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> When I\u2019m not working, I enjoy traveling with my family. Cruising is my favorite way to travel. I love being able to explore new destinations while still having time to truly relax together. I\u2019ve been on almost 30 cruises and I\u2019m still just as excited every time we set sail.<\/p>\n<p> I wish more people in Tampa Bay understood that higher education is not just about classrooms and degrees. It\u2019s one of the most powerful engines a community has for building opportunity and strengthening the workforce.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ABOUT ME\u00a0 I am a native Tampanian, born and raised in Progress Village. I\u2019ve seen so much growth&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242023,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[92584,135,92585,137,136],"class_list":["post-242022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-people-of-tampa-bay","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-confidential","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}