Fernando Padron started to gain popularity after his success on the social media platform TikTok. His video content includes him dancing with his colleagues and provides viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at some of his activities off the football field. Although he does not view his social media following and his profession in football as related, he is aware that most of his followers consist of Florida State University (FSU) football supporters. Padron has wanted to pursue modeling and content creation since he was a child. Together with Gino English, one of his closest friends, they would brainstorm and develop concepts for their films every day because producing content was their passion. Now, he has about 18k followers across his platforms and is well-known on FSU’s campus as an influencer.Â
Padron was born in Venezuela, while both of his parents are Cuban and lived in Cuba their whole lives. Despite Padron’s father’s hardships of being disowned and homeless, he was able to work hard to obtain a visa by the age of twenty-one. Throughout his father’s period of homelessness, Padron’s mother continued to love him and support him. It was a true modern love story. Padron continues to gush over his father, explaining how he is always aspiring to elevate. Shortly after getting his visa, his father and mother moved to Venezuela where they had Padron. At 15 years old, Padron and his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Padron has pleasant memories of his time in Venezuela, although he also describes several frightening incidents. Gunmen would occasionally show up and knock on each door in his apartment complex, saying they were collecting rent. The citizens’ lives were at risk if they didn’t pay the gunmen a certain number of dues.
As a Venezuelan student studying in the United States, Padron was honest and vulnerable in revealing his difficulties adjusting to the switch from Spanish to English for his studies. He admits that when he felt lost in class, he would be harsh on himself. Padron claims that he felt relief when Diego, the Spanish-speaking classmate sitting next to him, offered to help. They continue to communicate today. Padron was aware that his goal had always been to go to college and pursue a career after high school, but it had been more challenging because his parents could only speak Spanish. He describes how he required a lot of information from his parents throughout the college application process, but they were dubious since they didn’t completely grasp it. Despite this, they are very supportive of Padron and his college experience. He expresses gratitude to his high school college counselor for continuing to advocate for him throughout the college application process, and he credits them with helping him be accepted to Florida State.Â
Padron is now receiving his degree in Human Development and Family Sciences this semester. He shares his new aspirations of wanting to become a therapist and states, “I love talking with people. If I could positively impact someone’s life just by listening to them or giving them advice, that sounds like a great job for me.” Padron also says he’s exploring his choices and hopes to attend graduate school. He describes a common experience that he had with his parents as a first-generation college student. He smiles as he explains that his original pre-medical career aim was to become an anesthesiologist since he thought it would make his parents feel proud. He did, however, discover his enthusiasm for his present degree by enrolling in different classes.
Padron’s interest in track and field activities began when he was six years old, and he continued it throughout high school. He initially enrolled at Florida State to maintain his commitment to track and field, but the football coach approached him about tryouts after noticing him do well in a race. He arrived at the tryout and ultimately joined the team. According to Padron, football and track are two very distinct sports since football requires players to pay close attention to numerous intricate details and collaborate. He expresses gratitude for the opportunity to play football at Florida State. Padron advises aspiring athletes and says, “Work hard and work on the right things. Make sure you reach out to coaches. If you don’t have the information, someone else does. If you want to be an NFL player, find an ex-NFL player and see what he thinks, what he does, and what he did to get there. You have to have a map of where you’re going, or else you can go anywhere.” Athletes and underclassmen should be inspired by Padron’s journey and tenacity, as well as his commitment to the sport.
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