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Jackson State U’s Sonic Boom Marching Band Gets First Hispanic Drum Major

Jackson State University (JSU) said last week that freshman Marvin Garcia Meda has become the first Hispanic member of J5, the drum major squad for the school’s well known Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band.

Marvin Garcia MedaMarvin Garcia Meda

“Having a Hispanic drum major speaks to the influence the Sonic Boom has on all ethnicities, not just African Americans,” said Dr. Roderick Little, associate director of bands and marching band director at JSU. “He (Meda) does a phenomenal job with adopting the J5 drum major style and has gotten major publicity for it.”

Meda is a biology pre-med student at JSU. His mother emigrated from Guatemala to the U.S. in the mid-1990s.

“I wanted to make history,” said Meda. “I wanted to become the first Hispanic member of J5, and it happened. I just had to put the work in and get it done.”

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