It's rare to see Jermiah Crowder without a smile on her face. After all, there is much for her to be happy about these days.
She's graduating with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry after having maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her academic career at UNT -- which landed her on the President's List each semester for four years.
This fall, she'll begin studying at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, where she's been awarded a full-tuition scholarship. It's the next step toward turning her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor into reality.
But that smile hasn't always come easily to Jermiah, who has faced tragedy and challenges on the road to a future that she hopes will be laden with opportunities to educate, assist and inspire others.
In 2018, just days after her 16th birthday, Jermiah's father, Patrick Crowder Sr., died unexpectedly.
In the years since, the Tyler, Texas native has focused on growing her resiliency rather than succumbing to sadness. "It was very difficult, but I had to learn that if I could make it through this, I could make it through anything," she says. "I just kept pushing myself, and that hasn't stopped to this day."
For two years, Jermiah served as president of the UNT chapter of the American Chemical Society. She worked with Department of Chemistry staff, faculty and students to resurrect the formerly dormant chapter by scheduling regular meetings, hosting guest speakers and securing a grant from the national ACS organization.
In 2022 and 2023, she participated in the Joint Admission Medical Program, which provides underserved undergraduates guaranteed admission to one of Texas' 11 medical schools. During a pair of summer internships through the program, she shadowed physicians on the job, engaged in patient care and community outreach activities, and attended Medical College Admission Test prep classes.
Her JAMP internship with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley brought Jermiah to a medical clinic near the Texas-Mexico border. The facility lacked air conditioning as well as much-needed equipment.
"Being there made me realize why I want to be a physician," says Jermiah, who has also job shadowed at UT Southwestern, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton and CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler. She hopes to spend her career practicing obstetrics and gynecology and looks forward to educating patients -- especially Black women and others in underserved communities -- about their health.
On some of the darkest days following her father's death, Jermiah relied on the support of her family, friends and the UNT community to help her stay on track -- academically and otherwise.
When she struggled in an organic chemistry class, she says now-retired principal lecturer Sushama Dandekar questioned the amount of effort Jermiah was putting forth. "She said, 'I see your potential, and I need you to put your best foot forward from now on.' Ever since then, I've been putting my best foot forward."
Jermiah also credits Todd Lang, assistant dean of health professions for the College of Science, with "inspiring me to be the person I am today," she says. "For every success and failure I have had in the last two years, he was the first person I went to. I hope that he views me as one of his success stories because even though it has been hard, I made it through."
At UNT, Jermiah worked as a Peer-Led Team-Learning Leader through the chemistry department, tutoring and mentoring general chemistry students. She also served as an athletic tutor through the Student-Athlete Academic Center.
"Whenever a student or a mentee comes to me and says they can't make it through this class or that lab, I'm like, 'Trust me, I know exactly what you're talking about,'" she says. "I'm able to say, 'Look at me - I made it through. I'm seeing the other side now, and that means you can see it, too.' I just want to be an inspiration to others."
Such interactions -- coupled with her desire to help others -- are the reasons behind Jermiah's ever-present smile. "They can hear my story, they can see my struggle and be like, 'She made it. So can I.'"
The College of Science's commencement ceremony will be taking place in the UNT Coliseum at noon on Friday, May 10, 2024.
For more information about UNT Commencement, please visit https://www.unt.edu/commencement/
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