Penn Hills native named Thiel College's Student of the Month

Malajah Johnson, a member of Thiel College’s class of ’23, was named as one of the Student of the Month honorees for March.

The Student of the Month honor is awarded to seniors. It is among the most prestigious student awards at Thiel College, with only six students each semester earning the honor.

Johnson is a biology major from Penn Hills and is a member of Active Minds Club, president of both the Pen Pal Club and Tri-Beta, the national biology honor society, and serves as a first-generation student blogger for the I’m First! organization. She was also the student speaker at the Academic Honors Convocation during the spring 2023 semester. This past summer, Johnson participated in summer research at Duquesne University and eventually presented her research at Duquesne’s Undergraduate Research Symposium. She recently presented further research at the Capitol of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg.

Johnson is a 2019 graduate of Imani Christian Academy. Spurred by her passion for research, she intends to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in biomedical sciences. So far, she has been accepted into Doctor of Philosophy programs at Case Western Reserve University, Penn State University’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Johnson is the biological daughter of Antoinette Beeman and adopted daughter of Nickol Johnson and the deceased Sammy Lewis Johnson.

“Thiel has not only provided me with many opportunities that will help further advance me and my future goals, but it has also provided me with a very supportive and encouraging environment throughout my academic journey,” Johnson said. “With all the support and encouragement surrounding me, I was able to become a student who has flourished and positively grown so much within these past four years.”