Nikki Cannon, a biology major from Fort Ashby, W.Va, was named the Outstanding Student of the Year for 2020 at West Virginia University Potomac State College during the College’s Recognition Day Awards/Whitmore-Gates Scholars’ Wall ceremony.
West Virginia University Potomac State College held its 80th Recognition Day Awards ceremony on Sunday, April 26, during which students were recognized and presented with various awards, including those named as Whitmore-Gates Scholars.
“The hard work, dedication, progress, and achievements of our students should never go unnoticed, and while we were unable to gather in-person this year, we were still able to share in the joy and excitement of honoring many of our students virtually,” stated Professor Sheri Chisholm, PhD, who also serves as the Honors Program coordinator.
Nikki Cannon, a biology major from Fort Ashby, W.Va. and a graduate of Frankfort High School, was named the Outstanding Student of the Year for 2020. Cannon was also recognized as a Whitmore-Gates Scholar with the inscription of her name on the Duke Anthony Whitmore/Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Academic Achievement Wall.
Cannon has been an active participant in college life, serving as vice president of Campus Ministries and arranging club visits to Piney Valley Nursing Home where she spent time interacting with residents. As a member of the Life Science Club, where she served as secretary, Cannon has taken part in several demonstrations to elementary-age children at Cash Valley school in Md.
She has also served as a student ambassador and as a residence assistant in Memorial Hall and University Place, as well as a math, chemistry and biology tutor in the Academic Success Center at the College.
Cannon is an honor’s student who has maintained a 4.0 GPA and has been named to the President’s List for all semesters that she’s attended Potomac State College.
She organized and led a Title IX discussion with WVU Title IX Prevention Specialist Akeya Carter-Bozman and PSC Campus President Jennifer Orlikoff, in honor of International Women's Day.
For the past two years, Cannon worked as an intern at the National Cancer Institute, spending much of her time utilizing various sequencing techniques for the purpose of developing software capable of comparing the microbiomes of organisms with their antibiotic resistance worldwide. An advocate for the STEM fields, Cannon is also interested in mentoring young women to help them become more involved in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math.
Future plans include completing her bachelor’s degree in biology on the Morgantown campus followed by earning a doctorate degree in microbiology. She is the daughter of Shannon Cannon and Chris Cannon.