They say that perfection doesn’t exist, but Jill Poletis might just be living proof that it can. A successful career rooted in passion, a husband she met in a storybook moment, two loving children, and a lakeside home complete with two happy dogs shows that Poletis has reinvented what it means to “have it all”.

Living a life seeming more curated than chaotic, Poletis manages to balance all of her responsibilities, now residing at Cape Coral High School as not only the marketing essentials and yearbook teacher, but also the co-advisor of DECA.

However, Poletis’ journey was not a road without sharp turns. She made the transition from boardrooms to classrooms in her 30’s, taking a nontraditional path towards her current career. 

After leaving high school, Poletis pursued a job at a Fortune500 company, and her high stakes corporate job taught her everything she needed to know about structure and organization. 

After 17 years of navigating a high-stakes corporate job in a Fortune 500 company atmosphere, Poletis decided she was ready for something new.

She wanted to challenge herself and to be further educated in the business realm in which she found herself residing. This pushed her to enroll in college to attain her undergraduate degree. 

However, her college adventures weren’t much like those of other students in her class. While they were coordinating a designated driver for a night of bad decisions, Poletis, in her 30s, was organizing pickup and drop-off schedules for her two young children.

Poletis was the oldest in all of her classes, next only to her husband, who was also going back to school to get his master’s degree. They were both looking to open up new avenues for themselves in a society where a college education was seen as so necessary for success.

“That was interesting, going to class as they were confusing me for the teacher, because I was like the oldest one in school.”

Both Jill Poletis and her husband Derek, went back to college for business administration with a focus on marketing. In their 30s, they had veered off a traditional path, but never once did they regret it. 

Poletis recalls that walking across the stage alongside her husband after earning her undergraduate degree, with her parents and children all watching, was the proudest moment of her life.

Once the Poletis unit moved down to Florida for Derek’s job, they decided to embrace the lunacy and proposed the idea of continuing their education to include a master’s degree.

By this point, Jill Poletis knew that her goal was to become a teacher. She obtained her master’s degree in education and, amidst the COVID-19 quarantine, virtually walked the stage yet again. 

“It wasn’t as exciting as we were virtually walking across the stage, not as much pomp and circumstance, but it was still an awesome accomplishment nonetheless.”

After that, Poletis was able to secure a job at Gateway High School, teaching AICE Business and marketing essentials. She stayed there for four years before a bittersweet goodbye for the convenience of being closer to home and the opportunity to work at Cape Coral High School.

Throughout Poletis’ life, she has adjusted and adapted to all types of different atmospheres, always looking for the next big thing. During this journey, her husband has been there to support her every step of the way.

Derek Poletis said, “She is an amazing person and I am lucky to call her both my wife and best friend.”

The story of Mr. and Mrs. Poletis is unreal, their meet-cute coming straight out of the script for a Lifetime movie.

Jill and Derek had lived in the same little town, just across the lake from one another, for their entire lives. They even worked together for a brief period of time, but never really noticed each other enough for a close relationship.

They went their separate ways after high school, with Derek being drafted to play hockey in Canada and Jill going to Tampa for a couple of years. Nonetheless, they were brought back together when they both moved back to their quaint town. 

Randomly, they registered for the same class at the local community college, and fate put them in the same classroom. Still, though, this was not enough to spark any kind of relationship.

Then, they both happened to skip class one day for the same concert. Upon seeing him at the concert, it could not be denied that they were meant to be. 

Poletis’ love story, though unconventional, worked out. The Poletis’ started dating in 2003 and have now been happily married for almost 20 years.

“I am absolutely still head over heels in love. He is an amazing man.”

They now have two boys, one entering his first year of college and the other entering his junior year of high school. 

Both of them went to North Fort Myers High School, and being a teacher taught Poletis exactly what she needed to know about college applications and scholarship opportunities in order to support them and push them to strive for greatness throughout their educational journey.

“As a high school teacher, I had an excellent college and career specialist at Gateway, and seeing all the stuff that she would send out, I was like, ‘boys, get in this, please volunteer.’”

Now, Poletis finds love in traveling. She enjoys exploring new cultures and people, her favorite place so far being Venice, Italy. When she’s not discovering new cities, she resides on the water with her two dogs and amazing family.

She is currently researching and looking into getting her doctorate, to again further her educational opportunities, as education is something she values and holds dear to her heart.

Poletis is proof that the career path is not concrete, and happiness does not depend on it. Her exemplary way of adapting and staying on her toes is what makes her so successful today, and guiding students to do just that is where she finds joy.