Women’s History Month Student Leader Spotlight: Meet Janet Cho, BS ’26
Janet Cho, BS ’26, gives insight into her role as leader for multiple student organizations, what Women’s History Month means to her and her advice for other women looking to become leaders.
In honor of Women's History Month, SJU News is talking to female leaders of Saint Joseph's University's clubs and organizations to learn more about their leadership journeys and why female voices matter. This week, we're talking to Janet Cho, BS ’26, a junior pharmacology and toxicology major.
Positions and Organizations
- Member, Funding Committee
- Vice president, Asian Student Association
- Pharmacology and toxicology class representative and Research Committee, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy Student Council
- Founder and vice president, Pharmaceutical Sciences & Toxicology Alliance
- Secretary, Alpha Zeta Chapter of Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc.
Can you explain your roles and responsibilities?
As a member of the Funding Committee, I review funding requests from student organizations at the University City location.
As vice president of Asian Student Association , I help all positions of the organization's executive board and work alongside the president to plan events and arrange meeting.
I am the pharmacology and toxicology class representative and serve on the Research Committee for PCP Student Council. I relay information from monthly meetings to the PharmTox program students whether it be academic, events, issues, etc. For the research committee, we meet with professors in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and discuss proposal deadlines, scoring and Research Day planning, and then relay all of that to the student council.
As the founder and vice president of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Toxicology Alliance, I assist the president with planning meetings and events with the executive board, as well as assist members in executive positions.
I am the secretary of Alpha Zeta Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc., where I am in charge of , taking meeting notes and enforcing attendance requirements.
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
Women's History Month is a time to celebrate achievement from past to the present, but also recognize and learn from the suppression and discrimination women had to face and are still facing today.
Who is a woman at Saint Joseph’s who has inspired your leadership journey, and why?
Dr. Isabelle Mercier has inspired my leadership journey at Saint Joseph's. She is the chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and is always making sure all of the students within the department succeed and have at least a taste of laboratory research. Our first year, she told us that she would hold our hands throughout this program and as we gained more experience and took more courses, she gradually let go so we could grow more independent and become better students.
What skills or qualities do you possess as a leader?
Organization, self-awareness, empathy and resilience.
What advice would you give to other women looking to become leaders?
Stand your ground. The only one holding you back is yourself.
