Bay Area

Despite Humble Beginnings in East Oakland

What does commitment and dedication look like? It can be seen in Mrs. Nina Gardner-Meeks who, as a young Black woman, had a dream and love for Oakland’s Black youth and went on to dedicate herself to Oakland Unified School District students for 51 years.

Published

2 years ago

July 19, 2023

Oakland Post

Mrs. Nina Meeks. OUSD official portrait.

OUSD Educator’s Hard Work Led to Success

By Post Staff

What does commitment and dedication look like?

It can be seen in Mrs. Nina Gardner-Meeks who, as a young Black woman, had a dream and love for Oakland’s Black youth and went on to dedicate herself to Oakland Unified School District students for 51 years.

Mrs. Meeks came from humble beginnings.

The third oldest of nine children, Nina grew up with few resources and attended five different elementary schools as she moved from place to place in East Oakland until her parents could afford to buy a house in Sobrante Park.

Mrs. Meeks attended Hamilton Junior High and graduated from Castlemont High School in 1972.

The fact that her parents were unable to pay for college did not deter her. She found a way by working to pay for her tuition and books. With persistence, she graduated in 1976 with a B.S. in Recreation, from California State University, Hayward.

In 1979, Nina married James E. Meeks, Sr. and continued to study, receiving her teaching

credentials from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981.

But she didn’t stop there.

In 1984, she obtained a master’s degree in counseling from CSU Hayward, followed in 1989 by a credential in School Administration also from CSU Hayward. She accomplished all of this while raising three children and preparing them for school.

Nina has worked in many capacities at many different schools, including as instructional assistant, teacher, assistant principal, academic counselor, and summer school principal. For the last 19 years, she has been an academic counselor at Roosevelt Middle School.

In her five decades in the field of education, Nina has touched thousands of young students’ lives.

On a personal note, Nina has been a faithful member for over 40 years of the Church of The Living God, located at 1450 47th Ave. in Oakland. A former president of the adult choir, she is chair of the Trustees Board, an outreach missionary and is also involved in the church’s women ministry which helps feed the homeless.