SC State senior grabs another honor as 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholar
Jordan, of Fort Mill, South Carolina, is a double major in biology and chemistry in the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences at SC State.
On Friday, March 29, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation announced that Jordan will receive one of 438 new scholarships in 2024.
The scholars were selected from 1,353 outstanding undergraduates nominated by 446 institutions. Adding 70 sophomores from the 2023 competition, 508 scholars are being supported in 2024.
Jordan’s aspirations are to attain a D.M.D/PhD. in oncology and diagnostic sciences to conduct head, neck, and oral cancer research and connect basic science research to patient care outcomes in the clinic.
She recognizes her mentors as Dr. Michael Ostrowski, principal investigator and head of the Ostrowski Lab at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC); Dr. Lu Han, a MUSC postdoctoral fellow; and Dr. Janae Sweeney, an assistant professor of biology and director of SC State’s Biorepository Shared Resource. Sweeney also is the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation’s campus representative at SC State.
Along with this newest honor, Jordan is one of two 2023 White House HBCU Scholars at SC State. Over the course of an academic school year, HBCU Scholars serve as ambassadors of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, the U.S. Department of Education, and their respective HBCUs.
Jordan serves as the Miss Junior 2023-2024 on SC State’s Royal Court. She is president of the Health Professions Society in the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences as well as president of the Dedicated. Ladies. Living. Strong. (D.O.L.L.S) campus organization.
Jordan has served the 1890 Research and Extension Program as a research intern, the Student Government Association, NAACP and the Campus Activities Board. She was named the SC State University Foundation’s 2023 Shining Star Scholar for the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Transportation.
In the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences, Jordan is U54 SC CADRE Scholar. The U54 SC CADRE program is a partnership with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and is funded through a National Institute of Health Research Grant.
In 2022 she was one of six presenters at MUSC’s annual LOWVELO Trainee Presentation Symposium in October 2022. Jordan conducted pancreatic cancer research as an intern at MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center over the previous summer. Jordan specializes in studying pancreatic cancer and the tumor microenvironment. She presented again at the symposium in 2023, as well as the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Pancreatic Cancer Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, last fall.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation’s efforts are supported by an ongoing partnership with the Department of Defense National Defense Education Program and with a new partner, UWorld, a developer of learning tools for high-stakes exams.
Eligibility criteria for the scholars include:
- Students who intend to pursue a research career in a natural science, mathematics, and engineering.
- Students who will be sophomores or juniors in Fall 2024 with a GPA of at least 3.0.
- Students who are a U.S. citizen or national from the 50 states, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and any other territory or possession of the U.S., or a permanent resident. A permanent resident must submit a photocopy of their Permanent Resident Card, also known as a Green Card.
SC State students who fit the criteria are encouraged to contact Sweeney at jsweene4@scsu.edu in August 2024 when the announcement for the 2025 application cycle will be publicized.