Born in Armenia and raised in Iran, Simonian arrived in the United States in 1967 as a teenager unable to speak English. Not only did she master the English language, she also took advantage of the opportunities America offers.

Today, the professor and chairwoman of clinical laboratory sciences at Weber State University will receive national recognition in Washington, D.C., as the 2005 Utah professor of the year.

"It's a big honor," Simonian said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "I knew I was Weber State's professor of the year . . . I didn't know I would get the statewide honor."

Simonian, 53, credits her mother with giving her the support and encouragement to excel in her studies and have a career - if that was what she wanted. In recognition of that support, Simonian took her mother, Maro, with her to Washington.

"My mother always made me feel I could do anything," says Simonian, who was selected from among faculty members nominated by colleges and universities. "I thank her for that."

As the Utah Professor of the Year, Simonian and winners from other states, Guam and the District of Columbia will be recognized by the New York-based Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

She said the recognition is good for WSU, which has earned the statewide honor twice in three years. In 2003, political science professor Frank Guliuzza was selected.

Shelley Conroy, dean of WSU's Dumke College of Health Professions, said Simonian is a "joy" to have as a faculty member. "She works hard, and she goes the extra mile to help students be successful, not just in academics but also in their personal development."

Simonian joined the WSU faculty in 1981. Earlier this year, she received WSU's John S. Hinckley Award for Excellence in Teaching, Service and Scholarship.

In explaining her teaching philosophy, Simonian says it's her job to increase students' creative thinking abilities while nourishing them emotionally, intellectually, psychologically and spiritually.

"Exceptional teachers inspire their students to want to learn, to want to excel."

Known at WSU as "Yas," colleagues give her kudos as a laboratorian, an educator, a recruiter, a mentor, a leader and an overall ombudsman for the study of clinical laboratory sciences.

"Yas is a person of extraordinary integrity," Saint Louis University assistant professor Timothy Randolph wrote about Simonian. "She says what she means and she means what she says. She has a way of defusing tense situations and refocusing negative energy in a positive direction."

Simonian takes pride in her students' 100 percent job-placement rate and stays in touch with them, keeping tabs on their careers and celebrating their accomplishments.

After 24 years in the classroom, she now teaches and advises a second generation of students, including some of her graduates' children.

In addition to teaching clinical laboratory sciences, Simonian and her colleagues pioneered WSU's Web-based degree-program for clinical laboratory sciences. Students nationwide take the course over the Internet.

sykes@sltrib.com