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AVON PARK, Fla. – May 1, 2024 – Francesca (“Frannie”) Chillemi has wanted to be a teacher since she was in high school. On Tuesday, May 7, she will be the student speaker during South Florida State College’s (SFSC) 4 p.m. spring Commencement ceremony at the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park. Her dream to become a teacher comes closer to a reality when she is conferred her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Teacher Education (BSETE) that evening.
A native of Lake Placid, Fla., Chillemi graduated from SFSC with her Associate in Arts in May 2020 and has been a member of the SFSC Panther Cross Country team since her freshman year in college.
Chillemi’s greatest inspiration for entering the teaching profession was her high school cross country coach, Marne Black. Black was also a teacher at Lake Placid Elementary School, where Chillemi participated in a high school internship as a teacher’s assistant. “I liked who she was as a person,” Chillemi said. “She influenced me to want to become a teacher.”
Chillemi is a first-generation-in-college student. “I wanted to go to college, primarily, because cross country is important in my life. At SFSC, I could get a good education and continue to participate in cross country races. Besides that, I liked what I saw when I was interning at the elementary school, and Marne’s family was a college family. They believed that going through college is the best way to have a good career. Sadly, Marne passed away in 2020. But as a teacher, I’ll be able to keep that part of her.”
Although she was provided a scholarship as a student-athlete at SFSC, Chillemi’s road to educational success hasn’t necessarily been a walk in the park.
Prior to beginning her first season with the SFSC Panther Cross Country team, she was involved in a head-on auto collision, which left her with minor injuries and a broken foot. For a runner who loves competing, a broken foot is devastating and, in Chillemi’s case, it could have meant that she would sit on the bench throughout her first season. But with excellent physical therapy and patience, she became a stronger person physically and mentally and rallied. She was able to continue her freshman cross country season, that is, until the COVID-19 pandemic circled the globe. The remainder of the cross country season was on hold. However, Chillemi and the SFSC Panthers were back for the next season and, because the team wasn’t able to compete a full season during her freshman year, Chillemi qualified to run her junior year.
Chillemi’s schedule as a student has been, at times, grueling. During her first year as a college student, her classes were online courses because of COVID-19. During her second year, she continued to take online courses, allowing her to work at her 35-hour a week job at Publix supermarket until 2 or 3 p.m. Through the week, she attended cross country practice at 5 or 6 a.m. and again at 5 p.m. On weekends, if she didn’t have a race, she worked and studied. “Weekends were my get up and do homework kind of day,” Chillemi said.
Chillemi now heads for the finish line and can see her future before her. She hopes to teach at a Highlands County elementary school shortly after graduation and wants to nurture self-confidence in her students and serve as a resource for them when they need assistance. And cross country certainly won’t be left in the dust. In fall 2024, she will serve as the assistant coach for the SFSC Panther Cross Country team.
