FAMU student Nemmi Cole knows the value of persistence and
hard work.
Currently a doctoral student at the FAMU-FSU College of
Engineering, Cole recently concluded a stint as a Florida Gubernatorial Fellow
and was selected as the Florida Gubernatorial Fellows Program’s Washington D.C.
Outstanding Leadership Fellow.
As a D.C. fellow, Cole will represent the State of Florida
and the Governor’s office while working with federal agencies to develop and
propose ideas for policy development and changes, and monitor and evaluate
federal legislation and its impact on the citizens of Florida.
Cole, who is pursuing a doctorate in environmental engineering, holds a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering and a master’s degree in civil engineering from FAMU. The 26-year-old San Bernardino, Calif. native hopes her story of determination will motivate others to set goals and maintain the firmness required to do what is necessary to accomplish them.
“I am a firm believer that hard work pays off,” said Cole.
“I hope to make a fundamental impact and inspire others that may follow in my
footsteps.”
Clayton Clark II, associate professor in the FAMU-FSU
College of Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and
Cole’s faculty advisor, said Cole’s ability to stick to her plan and focus in
spite of the challenges she faced impressed him the most.
“I’m very proud of Nemmi,” Clark said. “She was reluctant to
start graduate school, but she stayed the course, worked multiple jobs, and
earned the score she needed on the GRE. Since then, she has done very well.”
Clark, who is also a FAMU alumnus,
said FAMU’s students are among the best and the brightest of any university.
“A student doing well in the government policy arena
provides another example of the far reach of FAMU’s excellence,” Clark said.