University of North Georgia

Two UNG students further enhanced their skills this summer at Cyber Summer Immersion events funded by the Department of War. One of those was Cyber GoldMINE hosted at UNG's Dahlonega Campus with students from the nation's senior military colleges.

UNG student Sophia Stone has earned a $15,000 scholarship to support her studies in accounting. Stone is pursuing a Master of Accountancy.

UNG students Halle Pierce and Rosalyn Sanchez gained invaluable experience this summer through the Pathway to Med School program hosted by Foothills Area Health Education Center.

The UNG Woofer Quartet brought home first prize in the chamber music competition at the 23rd annual International Euphonium Tuba Festival, held June 14-20 at Emory University.

The works of three students from the University of North Georgia (UNG) Department of English were recognized for their excellence during the Southern Literary Festival at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, held April 9-11. There were students from 18 other universities from around the Southeast.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) took nine nursing students and four faculty members to Peru on a study abroad during spring break. Patients came from hours away to receive the free services provided by students and faculty members. The services included cervical cancer, vision and anemia screenings, along with women's health services, blood pressure measurements and hemoglobin tests.

University of North Georgia (UNG) cadet Alyssa Estes earned her Air Assault wings and ruck march champion honors July 21 at The Sabalauski Air Assault School at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She completed Air Assault Class AA 29-26, in which only 71 of 198 candidates graduated - a completion rate of about 36% from the group that started July 7.

Cybersecurity teams from the University of North Georgia (UNG) took three of the top four spots at SummitCTF at Virginia Tech in the spring. The first-place team included Stewart Cates, James Goble, Tyler McBride, and Paxton Meyer. Third-place honors went to Maya Cameron, Jonathan Farrington, Thomas Murillo-Bivins, and Parker Scott. Teaming up for fourth place were David Atsu, Andrew Bonam, Austin Sanders, and Sarah Ganthier.

Students, faculty and staff of the University of North Georgia (UNG) provided a free program this summer that offered structured training for 95 youth athletes ranging in age from 7 to 12. Doctoral physical therapy students created workouts for the Balance Agility Quickness (BAQ) Academy, and three of them worked alongside UNG employees and former student-athletes to coach the students on Wednesdays and Sundays at Nighthawk Ridge.

Three University of North Georgia (UNG) Supplemental Instruction (SI) facilitators and three SI staff members presented research at the 14th International Conference on Supplemental Instruction (ICSI) in Portland, Oregon, this June. Their presentations included: "SI practices for anxiety-prone and introverted students," Anna Rundbaken and Sydney Michaud. "Adapting SI sessions for Gen Z students," Annie Blanks. "Leadership at the core: Strengthening SI through mentor development," staff members Sarah Dean and Oscar King. "Paving the path to SI leader success: Implementing a comprehensive SI leader performance rubric," staff members Sarah Dean, Oscar King and Tracy Howe.

An alumna and a student partnered with their University of North Georgia (UNG) psychology mentor to publish a research article: "How framing influences undergraduate students' attitudes toward graduate school." Their publication was in the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research. This research was of great personal interest to Hannah Hyman, a 2025 graduate from Gainesville, Georgia, with a degree in psychology, and Iris Wright, a junior from Gainesville pursuing a degree in psychology. Both plan to attend graduate school.

UNG College of Education interns participated in a grant-funded project to increase the representation of individuals with disabilities in books in school libraries.

Students spent seven weeks this summer to achieve basic language proficiency in Chinese and Russian through UNG's Summer Language Institutes.

For the summer 2026 semester, the University of North Georgia (UNG) awarded more than 400 degrees and certificates to graduates.

University of North Georgia (UNG) President Michael P. Shannon recognized students who achieved a 4.0 GPA during the summer 2026 semester. Students enrolled in 12 or more credit hours in bachelor's degree programs who achieved a 4.0 grade point average were named to the President's Honor Roll. Students enrolled in associate degree or dual enrollment programs who met the same level of achievement were named to the President's List.

The deans of each of UNG's colleges announced the names of those students who made their respective lists for summer 2026. Dean's List recognition is achieved by having at least a 3.5 grade point average, carrying 12 or more credit hours in one semester and having no grade lower than B.

Justin Wlosko comes from a family including an educator and language teacher, encouraging him to learn a second language. His passion for the Korean culture started at an early age and remained through his four years at the University of North Georgia (UNG).

Collaboration is the key word with the Faculty Undergraduate Summer Engagement (FUSE) program. The two-month summer program has roughly a dozen University of North Georgia (UNG) students working on collaborative research projects with a faculty mentor in their field.

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Summer Scholars STEM Institute served as a pivotal experience this summer for pre-service teachers in the College of Education to teach alongside experienced mentor teachers who supported them. It also inspired rising fourth-graders through eighth-graders with hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Mary Casillas, a senior from Gainesville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in secondary education with a major in biology, will be part of UNG's Teacher Candidate Residency Program (TCRP) at World Language Academy in Gainesville, Georgia, this fall.

For four University of North Georgia (UNG) students, leading academies within the Center for Civic Engagement's ENGAGE Youth in Government Expo was an opportunity to hone their leadership skills and interact with youth about various aspects of government this spring.

Tara Crow has achieved a significant honor that will accelerate her professional growth. Before graduating from the University of North Georgia (UNG) in May, Crow earned the Georgia Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (GAHIMSS) 2026 David Cowan Scholarship, which provides $3,000 toward further education. This scholarship was established to promote the development of emerging leaders in health information technology management. Crow was one of five students in the state awarded this distinguished scholarship.

Students from the University of North Georgia (UNG) made a strong showing in the annual Japanese Speech Contest in Atlanta, Georgia, this spring. Four of them earned top-three recognition in their categories, with another garnering honorable mention.

Four University of North Georgia (UNG) students from the Department of Music presented a workshop at the fifth annual String Band Summit at East Tennessee State University. The string band included Archer Callahan, Adam Oussaid, Cooper Sandefur, and Erol Savas. All four students participated in the workshop and then later performed at a local music festival.

A team of University of North Georgia (UNG) students finished in fourth place at the Kennesaw State University Regional American Marketing Association Conference and Case Competition during the spring semester. Two other UNG teams also competed at the event.

UNG student Helene Nilsson has been selected for the STEM NetX Fellowship and earned a grant from the fellowship to support her research with Dr. Amber Ignatius.

Biology research teams from UNG presented their work on 12 projects at the Georgia Academy of Science meeting, with two UNG groups earning awards.

Sales students at the University of North Georgia (UNG) made strong showings in multiple sales competitions during the spring semester.

Two previous attendees of Steps to College (S2C) at the University of North Georgia (UNG) gave back this summer to the program that helped shape them by serving as a teaching assistants. S2C ran from June 1-24 at UNG's Gainesville Campus. Brissa Salazar and Mario Angel Climaco were grateful for the chance to help students get high school credits and practice their English. But even more, their S2C roles helped them recall what it was like to be in their students' shoes.

Five students partnered with Dr. Ahmad Ghafarian, a University of North Georgia (UNG) professor of computer science and cybersecurity, on the application of machine learning algorithms to network security research projects during the 2025-26 academic year. The students said the experience is setting them up for success in their future careers.

Students from the University of North Georgia (UNG) turned in a litany of strong performances at the National Professional Agriculture Student (PAS) Organization Conference in Branson, Missouri, this spring.