Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Frambo.
Nina, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am presently attending Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. I have pasted an “Essay” I wrote while attending Tallahassee Community College. In May 2020, I graduated from Tallahassee Community College with my AA. I transferred to Florida State in August 2020. I was encouraged by TCC to write an essay for an opportunity to receive a scholarship to assist in pursuing my bachelor’s degree, but I did not receive a scholarship. Nevertheless, I enrolled utilizing my retirement funds. In May 2021, I became a part-time employee for Fellowship of Christian Athletes providing support to Florida State University’s Women Basketball Team. I work 15 hours a month. I earned my AA while employed with the First District Court of Appeal utilizing the state waiver tuition, I resigned from my position to concentrate on my education and to accomplish my goal of being the first in my family to graduate from a university. It has taken me forty years, but I never stop pursuing my dream of attending a university. I want my story to encourage women of any age to never stop pursuing their dreams. I also want to educate and motivate young people not to take educational opportunities for granted. I am 60 years old preparing for a career in sports management when I retire. I am presently coaching first and second-grade students through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes winter program by volunteering. I am elated and gratified that I took a leap of “faith” and pursued my dream. I thank God for making a way for me to continue my education and I want to encourage others to do the same. Thanks for giving me this platform to share my story and I pray it touches the lives and be an inspiration to all who reads it.
If only I had an Education those are the words of my late mother, Nina Thelma Johnson who died in 1998 of a triple by-pass heart attack. My mother was a migrant farmworker with only a third-grade education. She raised eleven children as a single parent after the death of her husband and was forced to rely on state public assistance to assist in caring for her children. I was approximately eight years old when my stepfather died. I remember vividly as a child hearing my mother say on several occasions, “If only I had an Education,” I could work and earn a living for my children.
Because of the industrial revolution, mechanized production became prevalent due to its efficiency and employment for migrant farmworkers became obsolete. Although the Industrial Revolution ended in 1840, my mother was farming in 1970 to provide a living for our family. She would rise early in the morning around 5:30 a.m., catch a bus that would transport workers to a cucumber or tomato farm to pick produce for the day. The work was eight hours of hard labor but paid the workers daily for their work. During the Christmas holidays, my siblings and I worked the farm to earn spending money to purchase gifts for our loved-ones and friends. In addition to working during the holidays, we farmed during the summer to earn spending money for entertainment; it was during those long hard days that I decided I must get an education and position myself for a better life.
Moreover, my mother’s deepest desire was for her children to receive a quality education because she knew that without having an education, our options in life would be limited. Her words have resonated with me all my life! I graduated early from high school at the age of sixteen. I married my high school sweetheart and raised four children while earning a Diploma in General Business and an Associate of Science Degree in Paralegal Assisting. I am enrolled in the TCC2FSU Transfer Program and will be receiving an Associate of Arts Degree in May 2020. I have been accepted into the Sports Management Program at FSU, pending my final transcripts, and will be attending FSU in the Fall. If I am fortunate enough to receive the TCC2FSU Transfer Scholarship, it will assist me in achieving my educational goal of receiving a bachelor’s degree.
In addition, I took advantage of the employee state waiver tuition program while working in a state capacity. Because I am no longer employed with the state and without the addition of the scholarship, my desire of accomplishing my educational goals of graduating from a state university and making my mother proud would be delayed.
To summarize, as I reflect over my life and remembering the words my mother uttered when I was a child, I realized I am fulfilling her wishes and still trying to make a better life for myself and my children. Now, I allow my experiences to provide an example to my children as well as encouraging them to pursue an education from a post-secondary institution. I remind myself often of the difference a person’s life can be if “only they had an education.” In this assumption, my mother was correct! I am proud of my accomplishments but look forward to my future as I wait with anticipation to start the Fall semester at FSU. Thanks in advance for considering me for a scholarship.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not been. My husband and I are high school sweethearts, I graduated from high school at the young age of sixteen, my husband was nineteen. He joined the military (U.S. Army) and retired after 21 years. We traveled the world, but I often put my career goals on hold to support his career and raise our children. We have four grown children. The aforementioned essay has most of our challenges listed.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Presently, I am a college student. My previous experience has been in the legal field working as a paralegal for the Florida Department of Children and Families and an administrative assistant with the First District Court of Appeal.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I see myself earning a Bachelor of Science degree and impacting women and student’s lives through sports or working as an advisor in a college institution.
