ABBEVILLE, Ala. — Farjana Yasmin of Pahokee will have help pursuing her dreams as a student at the University of Florida this fall, thanks to her selection as a Jimmy Rane Foundation scholar. Miss Yasmin is among 40 students being awarded scholarships from the foundation this year. She will major in engineering mechanics.

“I was extremely surprised when I heard I had received the scholarship over the phone call,” she said. “It means the whole world to me. I feel that my hard work has truly paid off.”

A 2020 graduate of Pahokee Senior High School, Miss Yasmin served as president of the National Honor Society, president of Math Club (Mu Alpha Theta), president of Pahokee High School Gardening, president of Art Club, vice president of SECME (Science, Engineering, Communication, Mathematics and Enrichment), vice president of Debate Club, president of Interact Club, captain of Girls’ Cross-Country, co-captain of the Girls’ Weightlifting Club and was also a member of Dreamcatchers Club, Literature Club and Spanish Honor Society. She was named Girls’ Cross Country MVP, Girls’ Track and Field MVP, and Girls’ Track and Field Most Improved. Among her other honors, she received Outstanding Achievement in Trigonometry and was named to the Principal’s Honor Roll.

“There are not enough words to express how grateful and thankful I am,” Miss Yasmin said of her scholarship award. “My parents were proud of me and said that hard work always pays off. The scholarship means a lot to them also because they would not have to worry about my college finance. That burden was lifted.”

The Jimmy Rane Foundation is dedicated to providing college scholarships for deserving students and strengthening communities through education projects and grants.

The coundation has awarded 462 college scholarships since it was established in 2000. These scholarships are for eight semesters, not just for one year, which makes them even more critical to the success of recipients. Foundation scholars are attending universities all over the nation, and many have now graduated and become engineers, teachers, nurses or accountants, and several students are currently in medical school and law school. This year’s round of awards includes students from 12 states and represents the largest class of scholarship recipients since the foundation was established.

Jimmy Rane, founder of Abbeville, Alabama-based Great Southern Wood Preserving Inc. traditionally hosts an annual golf tournament as the single fund-raising event for the foundation, drawing both corporate and individual sponsors. In keeping with COVID-19 large-event cancellations, the foundation was unable to host its annual Jimmy Rane Charity Golf Tournament and awards banquet where recipients are usually recognized. However, the generous support of sponsors made it possible for the foundation, now in its 20th year, to award the highest number of scholarships to date.

For more information, visit jimmyranefoundation.org, or you can find the Jimmy Rane Foundation on Facebook.