Photo Credit: Trey Clark. Used with permission of the University of Memphis Media Relations Office.
Jake Myers, a senior majoring in Biology and Spanish from Columbia, TN, was one of five finalists for Mr. U of M. The Mr. and Ms. U of M awards acknowledge past service to the university as well as present a forward-looking agenda through implementation of the winner’s community action plan. Jake is already an active member of several student groups including: the Vice President of Administration for the Student Ambassador Board, a Tiger Elite Ambassador, member-at-large and campus safety co-chair within the Student Government Association, and the Secretary for the Student Members of the American Chemical Association. He was nominated for the honor of Mr. U of M based on his work on the Student Ambassador Board, then completed an application that included three essays and an interview about his community action plan, finally the student body voted for the five candidates. Jake said he was honored by the nomination and opportunity to give back to the University of Memphis community that he loves.
Beyond his numerous service commitments on campus, Jake also volunteers in the Bowers Lab where he has gained experience extracting DNA from bird blood and genotyping individuals to identify males and females. Following graduation in May 2019, Jake plans to go to medical school and one day hopes to work as a bilingual pediatrician. Jake’s favorite Biology class at the University of Memphis was Stem Cells with Dr. Amy Abell; he said, “the field is so new and innovative and I can see how it relates to my career interests.” He also said that Dr. Barbara Taller’s Biology I was a pivotal course for him and that he was grateful for how she pushed students to reach their full potential.
Congratulations to Jake on the honor of representing the university as a Mr. U of M finalist!