Jarvis Christian University President Dr. Glenell M. Lee-Pruitt has named Dr. Antoinesha LaGrace Hollman as JCU’s new Interim Department Chair of the Science and Mathematics Department, effective August 1.
During this past academic year, Dr. Hollman was named JCU Faculty of the Year, an Emerging Young Leader, and she was recognized for her 10 Years of Dedicated Service to the institution.
Hollman’s love for science bloomed during her high school years and propelled her to pursue biology as an undergraduate, eventually earning her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from her undergraduate alma mater, Jackson State University in Jackson Mississippi.
After earning her undergraduate degree in 2008, Hollman taught as an eighth-grade pre-algebra teacher. Working with students revealed that her calling was educating and motivating young people. She loved meeting students where they were academically, assessing their strengths and weaknesses, teaching them to fill in the gaps in their prior years of learning, and helping them become successful.
“I am always determined to provide students with the tools that would assist them in becoming successful individuals, inside and outside of the classroom,” she said.
While teaching, Hollman began to pursue a graduate degree in education but was adamant about earning her degree without applying for student loans. She received a Research Initiative for Student Enhancement (RISE) Program Fellowship, a National Institute of Health-sponsored program, and enrolled in Jackson State University’s Masters of Biology Program. She joined the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Research Lab under the advisement of Dr. Raphael D. Isokpehi.
In his lab, students were placed in different groups and focused on microbial research using bioinformatics tools to aid in their research efforts. Hollman’s research group consisted of universal stress proteins (USPs) research. Quickly noticing her dedication to research, Dr. Isokpehi placed her in leadership positions, serving as an immediate advisor for an undergraduate research group and as an instructor for the Bioinformatics Summer Training Program for high school students. While pursuing her graduate degree, Hollman also attended and presented research at a host of conferences and served as a co-author on publications. Within two years, she earned her Master of Science in Biology degree with her thesis titled: “Modeling Stress Responsive Transcription Units in Bacillus Genomes.”
Hollman began teaching at Jarvis and was encouraged to acquire a terminal degree. She enrolled in Jackson State University’s Environmental Science Ph.D. Program that put her back in the Center of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology lab, but this time under the advisement of Dr. Hung-Chung Huang, who stretched her to become a coder/scripter in the bioinformatics realm.
Earning a 4.0 grade point average in her doctoral studies, Hollman advised students as a visiting researcher at Bethune-Cookman University, published as a first author, taught biology labs, assisted with training a lab member, and presented at conferences. With the successful defense of her doctoral dissertation titled, “Bioinformatics Analysis of Gene-Environment Interactions in Lung Cancer,” she completed her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Environmental Science at JSU in 2019.
When Hollman returned to Jarvis Christian University, she felt accomplished as a worthy role model and example of perseverance for her students because she knew what it meant to put in the work and study hard.
Hollman is a believer in encouraging and uplifting the next generation. She encourages her students to learn from their mistakes, to persevere when things are not easy, and to work hard to succeed.
Besides teaching, Hollman has also served as the program director for JCU’s Early Start Summer Program (ESSP); First-Time Freshmen Mentoring Program; and Early Start Summer Program for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). In conjunction with teaching General Biology I, General Biology II, and Introduction to Bioinformatics, she now serves as the program director for the Interdisciplinary Research Infusion into STEM Education Program (I-RISE) and is a co-principal investigator on a three-year Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) project through the National Science Foundation (NSF). The IUSE project is in coordination with Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, with principal investigator Dr. Clement G. Yedjou of FAMU, Dr. Felicite Noubissi-Kamdem of Jackson State University as co-principal investigator, and Dr. Sarah Krejci of Bethune-Cookman University as co-principal investigator.
Hollman has continued contributing to the scientific community through several publications, with the most recent being titled, “Visual Analytics for Robust Investigations of Placental Aquaporin Gene Expression in Response to Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection.”
Hollman has served on several student recruitment panels with individuals at different levels in Enrollment Management and the Office of Admissions from various Historically Black Universities and Colleges, including with Trellis, the United Negro College Fund Black Student Success, and the HBCU Awareness Foundation 9th Annual Spring College Fair in Memphis, Tennessee.
“I am grateful God allowed me to have a praying grandmother and mother, a hardworking grandfather, and the presence of God-fearing individuals who believe in elevating the next generation in my life,” she said. “Therefore, it is my mission to do the same.”
Jarvis provides a culturally rich educational environment where students are empowered to achieve their career goals through an inclusive and diverse academic experience that prepares them for a life of significance. Whether a student is a recent high school graduate or a working adult seeking career advancement, Jarvis Christian University develops all of its students intellectually, socially, spiritually, and personally.
