Wednesday, May 7, 2008
PRCC alumnus ‘out of element’ as graduation speaker

     POPLARVILLE - When Dr. Jason Gardner addresses the 2008 graduates of Pearl River Community College, he will be practicing what he intends to preach.
      Gardner, a PRCC alumnus, will be making his first commencement address on May 16 at the Forrest County Multi-Purpose Center in Hattiesburg.
      “One thing I think is real important for people in general to do is get out of your comfort zone and be willing to learn new things,” Gardner said. “It’s totally out of my element - a pretty good example of what I’m going to ask them to do.”
      Approximately 500 PRCC students will be receiving Associate in Arts or Associate in Applied Science degrees or certificates of proficiency at the 10 a.m. ceremony.
      The ceremony gives PRCC a chance to showcase a successful graduate, said Dr. William Lewis, PRCC president.
      “One of our major goals during our commencement exercise is to introduce a person who can serve as a shining role model for our graduating class,” he said. “This year our speaker is a Pearl River alum who has achieved so much as a professional in a very short period of time. Dr. Jason Gardner is a rising star as a medical researcher and is perfect example of what our graduates are capable of becoming.”
      Gardner didn’t march at graduation when he finished at PRCC in 1986 because he planned to get a bachelor’s and then graduate degrees.
      “My grandparents got all worked up about those things, and I felt like I was double-dipping because they’d send me money,” he said.
      As planned, Gardner earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1991 from Louisiana State University and a PhD in biomedical engineering in 1997 from Louisiana Technical University. He also completed a year of post-doctoral work in physiology at the University of South Alabama in Mobile.
      He was a research assistant professor from 2000 to 2005 at Auburn University. He has been an assistant professor since 2005 at the University of South Carolina Medical School where he teaches biomedical engineering and histology.
      Gardner starts a new job in June at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
      He called the invitation to speak at graduation exciting.
      “It’s scary, but it’s an honor, too,” Gardner said. “Pretty amazing, actually. The main thing I want to tell them about is to let them know what I’ve done, what worked and what didn’t work. Have a plan, but be flexible. When opportunities arise, don’t be afraid to go for it.”
      Gardner is the son of Dr. Joseph and Marilyn Gardner of Poplarville. Marilyn Gardner is a Student Support Services educational advisor and tutor at PRCC.
      Jason Gardner and his wife, Hope, have two children, Sarah, 9, and Davin, 6.