Growing up in South Florida, Jhaneil Thompson remembers playing school with her four sisters as a youngster.
“They always chose me to be the teacher,” said Thompson, who was born in St. James, Jamaica. “I just began loving teaching from there, even if I had imaginary students.”
Jhaneil Thompson
After graduating from high school, Thompson enrolled in a community college and when it was time for her to continue her education at a four-year-institution, it was Florida A&M University (FAMU) that welcomed her right from the start, even before she officially enrolled in fall of 2019.
At FAMU, Thompson began taking education courses in her major.
"I remember clearly the day she first sat in my methods class as a transfer student. Even then, her passion for teaching and her dedication to her future students’ success was undeniable—she does not play about her scholars," said Dr. Cheron Hunter Davis, an associate professor of reading education at Florida A&M University. "I often joke that I’d love to take credit for her remarkable abilities, but the truth is, she came with that drive and commitment."
