Both Jain and her daughter were awarded Edgar H. Price Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015
A new Manatee County middle school that is slated to open in 2019 will be named after Indian American physician and educator Mohinder “Mona” Jain, who served as the Director of Family Health Services for Manatee County’s Head Start program.
The Manatee County School Board had released the names of 27 nominees earlier this month and Dr. Jain’s name was selected unanimously after putting the names for a vote.
“I am humbled and really touched,” Jain said, bradenton.com reported. “I think that in a way when someone is an educator, the greatest reward they get is when their students do well. And that’s all the recognition and respect they want, really”
After immigrating to the United States from India in 1964, Jain has been relentlessly serving the County for five decades. She started her teaching career at Bayshore Middle School in 1970. She is the first-ever Indian American teacher of the school that was upgraded to a high school during her tenure.
The Indian American along with her daughter Dr. Anila Jain are active members in the board of Just for Girls Academy, that provides the framework within which girls can aspire to more successful lifestyles, to seek a better education, to secure meaningful and financially-equitable employment, and to become responsible and caring members of the society.
Both Jain and her daughter were awarded Edgar H. Price Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 for their tireless efforts to give back to the community.
Jain is also a founding member of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women Foundation and served on the steering committee for the Manatee County Aging Network.
According to Manatee County, the new middle school will have a capacity to admit 1048 students and will be set up near BD Gullett Elementary on 44th Avenue East in Lakewood Ranch.
According to reports, six board members addressed the committee and recommended Jain’s name with ex-students and colleagues and other members backing them with stories of how Jain inspired children over these many years and the attention she paid to the struggling students.
“We are more than proud of Dr. Jain for receiving this wonderful and enduring honor,” USFSM Regional Chancellor Dr. Karen Holbrook said. “Not only has Dr. Jain been a stalwart and longtime supporter of USFSM and her alma mater, USF, but also of the larger community here in Manatee County, especially the public school system. Dr. Jain is a true friend to Manatee County school children and it is fitting to see her legacy honored in this way.”