Leadership, research, and service have defined Mohamed Irhabi’s college journey. Now, those same qualities are taking him to the highest student honor in Texas higher education: appointment as the 2025–2026 Student Regent for the Texas State University System. For Irhabi, a JAMP Scholar at Lamar University, the recognition is not just a personal milestone but a chance to represent thousands of students while showing how programs like JAMP cultivate the next generation of physician-leaders.
When news of his appointment arrived, Irhabi thought of all those who’ve invested in him. He immediately thought of his parents—immigrants from Syria who built a new life in Texas and instilled in him a drive to work hard and serve others. “This honor is theirs as much as it is mine.” He thought of his teachers and mentors, including the JAMP faculty and administrators who’ve given him priceless guidance and feedback throughout his college career. He thought of his peers, who instill in him a healthy sense of competition to push himself further.
For Irhabi, leadership is not a title but a calling to amplify these investments and lead by example. “I felt honored, humbled, energized,” Irhabi recalled. “Now I have this responsibility to lift up others and represent students across Texas.” That responsibility is significant. Established in 2007, the Regents’ Award recognizes extraordinary contributions from faculty, staff, and students through a rigorous review process. Irhabi will be formally recognized at the Regents’ meeting in Huntsville, Texas this November. (Source: Texas State University System)
As Student Regent, Irhabi joins nine governor-appointed members of the Board of Regents as the sole student voice. His role will include attending board meetings, representing more than 100,000 students across seven institutions. (Source: Texas State University System)
“My top priority is meeting the requirements of the role (GPA) and being ready to advocate when asked,” he said. Among the issues he hopes to raise: access to mental and physical health resources, keeping higher education affordable, and expanding pipelines that connect undergraduates to research and professional opportunities.
Irhabi with Dr. Boone, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
at Lamar University.
Irhabi’s journey to statewide leadership cannot be told without JAMP—the Joint Admission Medical Program administered by TXHES. As a JAMP Scholar, he received academic support, summer internships, MCAT preparation, and, perhaps most importantly, mentorship.
“JAMP taught me to think strategically about my career, to lead with service, and to embrace mentorship,” he said. “The program is a doorway—but you must step through it. You can’t just peek in. You take the opportunities, build on them, and use them to serve others.”
JAMP Director Dr. Nina Gonzalez called his selection historic: “This award is the highest student honor given by the TSUS Board of Regents. Mohamed will directly represent Lamar University and, as a JAMP Scholar, he embodies how this program not only prepares future physicians but empowers statewide leaders.”
Irhabi points to specific JAMP experiences—summer internships where he “learned more in one month than in two years of classes,” faculty guidance from Ms. Molly Cresbo at Lamar University, and the structure of MCAT preparation—as moments that built his confidence and leadership skills. “The feedback was real, and sometimes blunt,” he said. “But that’s where leadership begins—when you learn to take feedback, grow, and apply it.”
Even as he steps into statewide leadership, Irhabi continues his research pursuits. He is a 2025 David J. Beck Fellow, conducting biomedical research at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. This fall, with support from Lamar’s Office of Undergraduate Research and research travel stipend from JAMP, he will present his work at the Southeastern Medical Sciences Symposium in Alabama. He will also share advice with peers during a Lamar University panel for the Office of Undergraduate Research on preparing successful research grant proposals.
Irhabi with Dr. Bahrim, director of the Office of Undergraduate
Research at Lamar University.
His vision for the future is clear: to integrate medicine, leadership, and service. “You don’t balance those things—you combine them. My goal is to become a physician leader.”
For JAMP scholars and future applicants, his message is equally clear. “Don’t take this program for granted. Document your journey, push yourself, and inspire others. Representation matters. Knowing that someone else has done it means you can too.” He added with a smile: “Be so busy you don’t have time to doubt yourself. If there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Irhabi’s trajectory—from JAMP Scholar to Regents’ Student Scholar Award recipient, from Beck Fellow to statewide leader—illustrates the full promise of JAMP. These programs don’t just prepare students for medical school; they equip them to lead, to serve, and to shape the future of higher education and healthcare in Texas.
As Irhabi prepares to take his seat at the Regents’ table, he carries with him not only the aspirations of his fellow students but also a message of possibility for every aspiring physician: that with the right support, mentorship, and determination, the path from scholar to statewide leader is within reach.
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