A local teen’s extraordinary academic achievement has placed him at the pinnacle of Gwinnett County’s scholastic excellence.
🏆 What We Know: Justin Jiang, a senior at the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, outshined students from 33 schools to earn the county’s prestigious STAR Student title. Jiang selected his teacher, Sarah McCook, to share the honor as his STAR Teacher.
👨🎓 Who Made it Happen: The Professional Association of Georgia Educators and Partnership Gwinnett celebrated 76 outstanding students and their chosen teachers at yesterday’s recognition ceremony. Students from public, private, and religious schools across Gwinnett competed for the top honor.
💡 Why It Matters: The STAR program identifies and celebrates Georgia’s top academic performers. Students must rank in their class’s top 10 percent and achieve the highest SAT score among their peers to qualify.
🎯 What’s Next: Jiang and McCook will advance to compete against other county winners for the regional STAR title. Regional champions then vie for Georgia’s state-wide STAR honors.
🤝 Community Support: Local business leaders stepped up to support academic excellence. Georgia Power, Primerica, Piedmont Eastside, and several educational institutions sponsored the recognition event.
Here are the 2025 Gwinnett County STAR Students and Teachers:
School
STAR Student
STAR Teacher
Al Falah Academy
Noor-Afsheen Ali
Dr. Gloria Bruce
Archer HS
Kelly Lenox
Kathy Cusack
Berkmar HS
Safaa Mohammed
Erin Claridy
Brookwood HS
Sean Pozsgay
Megan Kendall
**Buford HS
Oluwaseun Adeyeye
Laura MacAdam
**Buford HS
Eva Cochran
Dr. Amber Simmons
Central Gwinnett HS
Connor Schenke
Lilliangina Quinones
Collins Hill HS
Ayman Khan
Alex Lowe
Dacula HS
Mark Ndoumna
Alan Cummings
Discovery HS
Zavish Abbasi
Alyssa Johnson
Duluth HS
Tan Le
Tana Hayes
Grayson HS
Minh Tran
Lara Perez
Grayson HS
Maliha Hussien
Tameka Karanja
Grayson HS
Moyinoluwa Adedeji
Linda Maunder
Gwinnett County Online Campus
William Fincher
Lindsey Buffington
*Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
Justin Jiang
Sarah McCook
Hebron Christian Academy
Samantha Swaim
Jeff Bourne
Killian Hill Christian School
Essam Ackleh
Dr. Matthew Lewis
Lanier HS
Pranay Fofandi
Rozina Essani
McClure Health Science HS
Beryl Prabhakar
Teresa Brooks
Meadowcreek HS
Fayyad Mahdi
Wren Cheatum
Mill Creek HS
Amelia Dyar
Elizabeth Leonard
Mountain View HS
Anthony Pinzon
Daniel Hauck
Norcross HS
Dorie Liu
Michelle Larate
North Gwinnett HS
Dilan Shingadia
Andrea Boyce
North Gwinnett HS
Joseph Farkas
Rebecca Mooney
Notre Dame Academy
Bianca Amadi
Mary Walsh
Paul Duke STEM HS
Xavier Powers
Dr. Tiffany Bookal
Peachtree Ridge HS
Mackenzie Lee
Ann Rodgers
Peachtree Ridge HS
Nesha Soni
Yancey Miller
Providence Christian Academy
Neal Alston
Sarah Foster
Providence Christian Academy
Nathan Hadaway
Jill Munoz
Seckinger HS
Daniel Ahn
Garrett Shaffer
Shiloh HS
Damon Daley
Samantha Brewer
South Gwinnett HS
Hyunyoung Jho
Todd Mccowan
Sugar Hill Christian Academy
Nolan Swift
Stephen Stubbs
Wesleyan School
Caroline Yates
Chris Yoder
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
