Philomena Mafeni

Philomena Mafeni is a student at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing who expects to graduate this December 2021. Mafeni, a Florida Blue scholarship winner for the academic year of 2020-2021, as well as other scholarship awards from FAU, decided to pursue nursing after having worked in a variety of fields, including human resources, corporate and retail sales in her birth country, Nigeria and in the United States. She hopes to be an inspiration to all especially for women who are considering changing careers to the nursing profession. "It's never too late to switch to your dream profession!" she said.

Mafeni earned her master’s in human resource management and marketing at Middlesex University Business School in London, a master’s in international law and diplomacy, and her bachelors in English Language at the University of Lagos in Nigeria. Mafeni has also worked as a vacation planner, for a law firm, as a nursing assistant with an agency for Memorial Healthcare and has done volunteer work at West Side Regional Medical Center in Florida. She is also busy as a mother raising a family.

"I decided to pursue a career in nursing to specifically assist and dedicate my time to vulnerable populations," Mafeni said. "Having had so many varied professional work experiences, I believe I have acquired skills that will enable me to work with people from different backgrounds and handle situations adeptly." Mafeni, who moved to the United States in 2010, said her favorite experience at FAU thus far "has been the immense support from faculty and classmates, having come from a different country with a different system of education. "My goal is to become a mental health nurse/educator with a focus on women's mental health." said Mafeni, who loves to travel, exploring different cultures and spending time with her family.