At the time he graduated from Edgefield County's Strom Thurmond High School in 1979, Dr. Bill Jackson already had an interest in biology.
He never really left the area - earning his undergraduate degree at USC Aiken in that field and then teaching at his alma mater.
After going off to earn graduate degrees in the 1990s, Jackson returned to USCA.
Most of his research students have gone on to pursue their own careers.
That's the reason why he received a major award on Friday - Jackson was chosen as a winner of the University of South Carolina Undergraduate Mentor Research Mentor Award.
He currently is the chairman of the Department of Biology and Geology.
"I was touched about this," Jackson said. "The award comes from student nominations, and I love them all. There aren't many that I can't tell you where they are now. They're my kids."
USC's Julie Morris - the director of the Office of Undergraduate Research - presented Jackson the award at USCA's annual Research Day. During Research Day, students, including those in the biology department, competed for medals through oral and poster presentations. The recognition is especially significant for the university. In 2011, Dr. Ed Callen, the psychology department chair and a professor, became the first recipient from a campus other than USC in Columbia.
Morris read a nominating letter from one of Jackson's students, who described that his "unwavering commitment to students is evident through his time, patience and high expectations."
Following his own arrival as a freshman at USCA, Jackson said he was influenced by such professors as Dr. Bill Pirkle. He became one of the first students to do a research project.
During a long teaching career at Strom Thurmond, Jackson decided "I wasn't getting any younger," and earned a doctorate degree in immunology from the Medical College of Georgia in 1995. Over the next two years, Jackson participated in two post-doctoral fellowships in oncology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
He was then hired as the Department of Biology and Geology's lab manager at USCA, then moving to a faculty position in 1999.
He said he enjoys classroom teaching - not always a priority of the research universities. Yet research is crucial, especially for undergraduates, Jackson said.
"We have really good students," he said.
"My goal is to teach them how to be scientists, and what it means to be a biologist."
"For research opportunities, our students are required to do something in the lab. You can't learn how to be a scientist if you don't do what a scientist does. That's what makes it fun."
One of Jackson's students, Jennifer Deily, also considers Jackson an amazing mentor.
"He's the chairman of the department and has a lot of responsibilities," she said. "But he makes sure to spend individual time with us in the lab - a lot of hours that take a huge commitment."
Jackson accompanied 21 of his students for a S.C. Academy of Science event in Columbia, where the underclassmen make their presentations.
Over the years, they frequently have won awards.
Dr. Jeff Priest, USCA's executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, also praised Jackson.
"(Jackson's) students not only learn the problem they are researching," Priest said, "they learn to think critically, which helps them succeed in life."
Senior writer Rob Novit is the Aiken Standard's education reporter and has been with the newspaper since September 2001. He is a native of Walterboro and majored in journalism at the University of Georgia.