About me
At first glance, Shunika Johnson is an accomplished mathematician, statistician and Naval Officer. However, Shunika is family-oriented and likes to spend most of her day with her husband, daughter, and dog. In summary, Shunika was born and raised in Fairmont, WV. She is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, West Virginia University, and The University of Southern Mississippi. Her degrees consist of a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics (2010), Master of Science in Statistics (2012), and Master of Science in Hydrographic Science (2018), respectively. After her attendance at West Virginia University, she was commissioned as an active duty Officer in the United States Navy in July 2013 through Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI. Currently, she continues to serve her country as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy at Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA. During her studies at Washington and Jefferson College, Shunika enjoyed researching and presenting mathematical topics. In 2008, she was given the opportunity for an internship with her mathematics advisor to research recursive relations and solutions similar to differential equations. The topic was “The Power of Recursion” and was presented at three mathematics meetings and conferences, to include the Mathematics Association of America National Meeting in Washington, DC (January 2009). At West Virginia University (WVU), she worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. Her role consisted of working directly with underrepresented and first-generation students in the National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) and WV-KY LSAMP program. Specifically, she assisted with teaching the Emerging Scholars Program Calculus I and II courses for two academic years, and then was appointed as the main instructor for Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 semesters. Also at WVU, she focused the rest of her time studying statistical coding, even analyzing WVU School of Medicine data for her master’s thesis project.
While in the Navy, Shunika completed two tours prior to her current assignment at Navy Post Graduate School. Her first assignment was to Fleet Weather Center San Diego where she primarily served as a Command Duty Officer from 2013 to 2017. From May 2017 to December 2019, her second tour was to Fleet Survey Team in Stennis Space Center, MS. At Fleet Survey Team, she served as a Military Hydrographer, even completing a Safety of Navigation survey with NOAA in Tacoma, WA. Her time in the Navy allowed her to resume traveling the world, personally and professionally. In all, she has been able to visit Thailand, South Korea, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, United Arab Emirates, Senegal, The Gambia, and Morocco. Her personal decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal. Her long-term goal is to continue service in the United States Navy, and when the opportunity permits to help in the local communities in which she serves.
