Savannah State University (SSU) student J’zaria Simpson will be honored by the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents as SSU’s 2020 Academic Recognition Day Scholar on Tuesday, Feb.11, in Atlanta, Ga.

“I am very proud of J’zaria and the work she is doing in the classrooms and laboratories to garner this academic achievement,” said Kimberly Ballard-Washington, interim president of SSU. “Thanks to Savannah State’s strong STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – programs, our students have a multitude of opportunities to develop and hone their research and research presentation skills, which are vital for their success in graduate school.”

A native of Atlanta, Ga., Simpson is a junior biology major with a 4.0 GPA. The Honor’s Program student is a member of the American Medical Student Association and regularly tutors her peers in various academic subjects including organic chemistry and pre-calculus. As a Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation scholar, Simpson presented her research project titled “Involvement of the GM3 Synthesis Pathway in M-MuLV Glyco-gag Facilitated Virus Replication” at the STEM Innovators Conference at the University of Georgia and the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students conference in Anaheim, Ca. A scholar in the Maximizing Access to Research Careers Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research program, Simpson is active in various campus activities and serves as a Tiger Ambassador, assisting with admissions and recruitment efforts.

The annual Academic Recognition Day program honors a student from each University System of Georgia institution based on their academic success. Undergraduate students selected are residents of Georgia and represent outstanding scholastic achievements by acquiring a 4.0 GPA.