On Friday, December 12, eight Southwood High School seniors participating in the BioStart program at Ochsner LSU Health presented their biomedical research through professional poster presentations. These students are members of Southwood’s BioTech Magnet program and were selected as 2025–2026 BioStart Interns, a prestigious opportunity that allows students to work closely with professional mentors in real-world biomedical research settings.
Throughout the program, interns collaborated daily with mentors who guided them through advanced research concepts, laboratory techniques, and data analysis. Their presentations reflected months of dedicated work and demonstrated both scientific knowledge and professional communication skills.
Congratulations to our BioStart Interns:
Darin Fuller
Joanna Hayes
Rheagan Haywood
Ajada Jackson
Jana Jones
Jayden Mack
Zianne Owens
Haleigh Roberts
Several interns also visited the Southwood library to share and explain their research projects. Pictured from left to right:
Ajada Jackson – Bordetella: Manipulation of the Host Respiratory Tract
Darin Fuller – Legionella: Waterborne Bacteria
Joanna Hayes – Range of Motion in Hip Implants
Jayden Mack – Effects of Alcohol Use Disorder
Rheagan Haywood – Small Cell Lung Carcinoma
We are incredibly proud of these students and their commitment to academic excellence. They represent the future of medicine, science, and research, and we look forward to seeing the impact they will make in their fields.