GSSM honors 31st class of seniors at 2019 Convocation Ceremony

The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics (GSSM) Convocation Ceremony was held Thursday, September 12th at GSSM in the Gerald Malloy Activity Center. Mr. Joey Wilson, GSSM’s Class of 2013, delivered the Convocation address.

Joey Wilson is a 2013 graduate of GSSM. After GSSM, Joey attended Clemson University majoring in Bioengineering, minoring in Global Politics, and graduating in 2017 Magna Cum Laude with both general and departmental honors. At Clemson, Joey continued his SPRI research, resulting in paper publications and national recognition for a patent-pending breast cancer treatment device created by his team.

Joey brought the “It’s on Us Campaign”, a sexual assault awareness and prevention movement, to campus and eventually serving on its National Student Advisory Board under Vice President Joe Biden. Joey also was elected Clemson’s Student Body President as a Senior, using his office to “fight the good fight” for all students.

Joey was also named an Astronaut Scholar, a highly competitive national scholarship that is the most significant merit-based monetary award in STEM. Scholars are said to embody astronauts, such as in their intelligence, ambition, tenacity, adaptability, and a passion for exploration and innovation. For graduate school, Joey was named a finalist for the Marshall Scholarship and an alternate for the Gates-Cambridge Scholarship. However, Joey was awarded and accepted a spot as a Schwarzman Scholar. This scholarship is internationally recognized as the “most significant program of its kind since the Rhodes Trust” and allows students the opportunity to pursue a one-year masters in Global Affairs at the best university in China – Tsinghua University.

Last October, Joey moved to the United Kingdom to attend Cambridge University as a Cambridge International Scholar. There, as a member of St. John’s College, he has researched the paired use of senolytics with chemotherapies in lung cancer treatment in pursuit of both a Masters of Philosophy in Oncology and a cure.

“Govies, in summary, ask meaningful, why-based questions; view interactions as opportunities to learn, grow, and make a difference build relationships, not resumes; get help if you feel you need it, and remember that what is fulfilling and good is never easy. Go away, travel the world, and educate yourself in any way possible, but never forget where you came from,” said Mr. Joey Wilson, GSSM Class of 2013.

GSSM’s Convocation is a formal ceremony held annually to welcome the newest class of students and present the seniors with academic letters. Academic letters were awarded to 127 seniors, and a formal welcome was extended to the class of 2021, which is comprised of 144 juniors.

“Convocation signals the beginning of the school year,” said Dr. Ershela Sims, GSSM Interim President. “GSSM is a place where you will develop analytical habits of mind, a character of integrity and confidence, as well as the ability to engage respectfully with others. You are 271 talented students from across the state of South Carolina representing 36 out of the 46 counites. You all have a success story to tell or you would not be here today. Each of your stories is different and through that diversity of experiences, you will learn so much from each other.”

About GSSM

Founded in 1988, the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics is a nationally recognized school serving over four hundred of the state’s most accomplished STEM students in the 10th through 12th grades through its residential and virtual programs. GSSM offers college-level courses and experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at its campus in Hartsville. The school also delivers virtual curricula in engineering and STEM disciplines to students in partner school districts throughout the state. GSSM’s dynamic outreach programs, including science summer camps and teacher training, impact over 5,000 K-12 students every year. Learn more by visiting www.scgssm.org.