Leading the way: Southern University BioJags

On Tuesday, February 9, Southern University’s BioJags hosted a student body meeting. This meeting was held via Zoom and was a remarkable success. The BioJags is an organization founded in 2018 during the Fall semester by its current President Jera’Nae Garner-Donald. The purpose of this group is to guide Biology majors through their journey at Southern University. Professor Emmanuel D. Williams, Assistant Professor of Biology and the Pre-Med advisor, stated, “BioJags is perhaps the most effective club on campus. It was created by students, run by students, to help students.”
The organization serves as a form of mentorship to students with biology oriented majors. According to BioJags Vice President Anthony Davis, “As an organization we assist majors by hosting a plethora of events and programs from Al sessions and IG (Instagram) live sessions to assist with extra tutoring for both majors and non-majors to occupational panels that consist of a variety of job opportunities for biology majors…while we know our overall goal is to get biology majors to graduation, we know that studies aren’t the only factors.” The goal within the organization is to work with developing the interpersonal relationships between students and faculty. To achieve this goal, the BioJags host Biology Meet and Greets which allows for staff and students to mingle in a relaxed and warming environment.
With the recent meeting in mind, the BioJags are ready to get things rolling. The call consisted of over fifty members who discussed several future events. All events will still be fun and creative while members interact virtually throughout this pandemic. Ms. Tanganika Johnson, a Biology Professor, and advisor share a few words on the success of the group. She says, “As the advisor of BioJags I am impressed with the student leaders and their ability to get the biology majors involved with what the organization has going on to improve relations between faculty and students within the biology department.”
The BioJags have full intentions to continue growing as a student organization. The group can only get better. BioJags hope this is a successful semester for the group. Vice President Davis says that as an organization they “are ready to tackle the semester.”