Odessa High’s Princess Frema was on the varsity track team all four years of her high school career.
Frema, who competed in sprints, long jump and triple jump, considered it an honor to be selected as a team captain during her senior season because of the impact she had on her younger teammates.
“Getting to know the freshmen, kind of leading them and telling them what to do, I felt like I played a huge role on the team,” Frema said. “It gave me a new sense of purpose and I love helping people, so that new role on the team was something I was honored to do.
“I felt grateful for my coaches for believing in me and for seeing the potential that I could do something like that. It meant a lot to me.”
Her leadership qualities carried over to the classroom, where she set herself up to graduate 10th in Odessa High School’s Class of 2022.
She took AP and dual credit courses while maintaining a schedule that included long track practices in the afternoon.
She was a member of the National Honor Society and stayed on the A honor roll throughout her high school career.
Frema said track gave her a break and escape from the challenges that came with taking tough courses.
The senior didn’t consider activities like track a distraction because they gave her the ability to maintain focus on the rest of her responsibilities.
“My coaches would always preach that we’re students before athletes, so that helped a lot,” Frema said. “My extracurriculars had a huge impact on who I was in class.”
Frema plans on continuing her studies at Texas Christian University, where she’ll major in Allied Health Science.
Before deciding on the university in Fort Worth, she was also considering going to Baylor and the University of Texas.
She went back and forth for a month, changing her mind on where she wanted to take the next step.
“Finally, TCU just seemed like the right option with all the scholarships I was getting,” Frema said. “A small school was something I really looked for and TCU’s student body, their campus had the least amount of students and I respect that.
“That was what made me choose them because UT Austin has about three times the student body that TCU has. I didn’t think that I’d have the one-on-one teacher relationship that I had at OHS.”
Frema knew that she wanted to be involved in healthcare since she was in middle school and her interest grew once she became more involved with sports.
Choosing Allied Health Science as her major was a no-brainer because she saw various injuries through her time as an athlete and knew she wanted to help.
Her future plans include going to medical school and becoming an orthopedic surgeon, another idea that was influenced by her role in track.
She plans on joining some of the intramural sports clubs at TCU to stay active.
Leaving behind organized sports will give Frema the chance to dedicate more of her attention to her studies, spending time with friends and trying new things.
Juggling athletics and academics in high school taught Frema to continue pushing through challenges and finish.
Her role models include every Black doctor and physician who defied the odds and paved the way for generations to come.
Being part of that new generation is a good feeling for Frema because she knows she can pay it forward to other students later on.
“They inspire me because they let me know that what I want to do is possible,” Frema said. “Knowing that in a few years I’ll be that kind of role model to someone else, it’s an honor and it makes me feel excited for the future.”
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
PRINCESS FREMA
ODESSA HIGH
>> Academic Rank: No. 10 (of 807)
>> Sports: Track and Field
>> Academic bio: “A” Honor Roll; National Honor Society; AP; Dual Credit Courses
>> Athletic bio: Varsity Track (4 years); Two-time area qualifier; Co-Captain (2021-22)
>> Activities: Baby sitting
>> College and major: Texas Christian University (Allied Health Science)
>> Goals for the future: Attend medical school and become an orthopedic surgeon
>> Favorite subject: Anatomy; Physiology; Calculus
>> Favorite book: Dear Martin (Nic Stone)
>> Favorite musician: Giveon
>> Role model: Every Black doctor/physician who defied the odds and paved the way for generations to come
