Candidate: Sonja P. Brookins

Dr. Brookins is a proud Tampa native. She is a product of Hillsborough County Public Schools and is an active alumni of Chamberlain High School where she participated as a 4-H student. She volunteers with the Legacy Alliance for her high school to assist clean up efforts within the argriculture department. She worked full time to propel herself through her college program and became the first member of her family to graduate from a university. Dr. Brookins is a graduate of Texas Chiropractic College. She has a Certificate in Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Varying Exceptionalities with a minor in Economics from Austin Peay State University (TN), and a Master of Education in Counseling from Prairie View A&M University (TX). She has served as an Executive Director over Emergency Shelters for domestic violence victims, where she implemented an in shelter (charter) school for the children with a focus on science and mathematics. After several years of serving the public in Texas, she returned to Tampa with her family.

Dr. Brookins is a retired educator, with a career that spanned over 2 decades. She has held multiple positions, at varying levels, related to the Sciences and Health/Medicine, to include:  Associate Chiropractor, Executive Director, Teacher (Subject Area Leader), Adjunct Professor (Hillsborough Community College/Pasco-Hernando State College), as well as Nurse Analyst. Dr. Brookins currently mentors new Re-entry women chiropractors, a group she herself participated in and works part-time as a nurse with Interactive Health Alliance, while actively volunteering with various political activists within Florida.

Dr. Sonja P. Brookins' dedication to public service has even extended globally - she has worked  collectively with cohorts in South Africa, East Africa, the Caribbean Islands, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Germany, Singapore, and Hong Kong, in areas related to health, agriculture, and the environment.

She has served in numerous community organizations, and has held a variety of leadership positions throughout her career. Dr. Brookins has served as a Hillsborough County Children's Services Advisiory Board member, a union representative for classroom teachers, and a member of the Sierra Club. 

She is the proud mother of 2 daughters whom have continued the legacy of education and public service, as an attorney and an MBA graduate. She has 3 grandchildren (aged 1, 9 and 17), and has been a member of Bible Based Fellowship Church of Carrollwood for over two decades.