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
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.
