MARLBORO COUNTY — As much as Bennettsville is the City on the Move, it is also true most of Marlboro County doesn’t hold still either and the same is accurate of its graduates because even the youth here don’t let grass grow under their feet! Recent proof is embodied in the success story of local girl Jennifer “Jenny” Miller, a class of 1999 graduate from Marlboro High School.
Her parents, Robby and Masako Miller, fondly recall a daughter who excelled in both sports and academics.
“She played a few sports in high school—she was a cheerleader, softball player, and volleyball—she was MVP one year for volleyball,” Miller said of his well-rounded daughter.
Jenny is no stranger to overachieving where academics are concerned, it runs in the blood because Mr. Miller is a former biology educator at Marlboro County High School and Northeast Technical College. Miller says he feels fortunate to have taught at the high school while his daughter attended.
An honor student, Jenny graduated in just three years, going on to pursue a 16-year career with the US Air Force—later using the experience to afford her way through school. Jenny attended Campbell University, University of Texas, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha.
Recently, Jenny received special recognition at her place of employment, Labcorp, a company specializing in helping patients, providers, organizations, and biopharma companies to guide vital healthcare decisions each and every day, according to the company’s website.
Thanks to the completion of a successful project for which Jenny was an integral member, her boss, Manager at Labcorp, Flow Cytometry Collette Defur, nominated her for the prestigious honor of receiving the distinction of Laboratorian of the Year.
“There are eight people awarded in eight different departments each year, there may be more but this year there were eight, and this is nationwide,” Miller explained.
Following the nationwide competition, Marlboro’s own Jenny Miller beat out all other individuals nominated across the country in her department to earn the title of 2026’s Laboratorian of the Year.
A Marlboro County native, Jenny now lives and works in Raleigh where she is a certified medical lab scientist and senior technologist with Labcorp.
“She has really made us proud. We have two sons who are grown and are successful as well—we are proud of all our children but this sure is a special award for Jenny,” Miller said, his paternal pride evident.
Below is a copy of the letter written by Ms. Defur recommending Jennifer Miller as Laboratorian of the Year.
“Jennifer “Jenny” Miller is a cytometry analyst who took on a significant role in a recent change control and validation project. The company upgraded from an eight- color leukemia/lymphoma flow cytometry panel to a 12-color panel.
During the project, she worked closely with the laboratory to select appropriate cases.
She analyzed an extensive amount of raw data, recorded each detail into the necessary forms, and provided feedback on the new panel, design, and updated analysis templates. She also performed verification of new forms and protocols necessary for the upgrade.
She worked diligently to ensure we maintained our launch date timeline.
In addition to her exceptional work ethic, and regular trainer role for new analysts, she is also quick to recognize the contribution of others. Their work is so important, although not always visible, so Jenny is gracious by highlighting the good work of others. This is true leadership quality, and I am excited to submit her for Laboratorian of the Year Award.”
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