When Johannah was a freshman at Morgan Park High School, a class project prompted her to consider a problem she wanted to fix. She reflected on the difficult experiences her mother had within the healthcare system, among them the tragic loss of Johannah’s baby brother. Although she had already been dreaming of becoming a doctor, she realized she wanted to focus on providing greater attention and compassion to patients like her mother. Four years later when she graduated from high school, that moment was still on her mind.
“Education is a big thing in my family,” Johannah says. “I always knew I had to go to college.” That mindset, along with her mother’s encouragement, is why she joined College Possible, viewing college as an essential step toward achieving her dreams.
Once in the program, she was assigned a College Possible coach who, over the next two years, would help her draft essays, complete college and financial aid applications, and visit campuses.
In no time, Johannah began receiving acceptance letters from schools in Illinois, but her heart was set on moving away. “I always wanted that real college experience of being away from home,” she says. “My coach told me if I had the opportunity to go to college out-of-state, I should take it.”
When Johannah earned admission to her dream school, she seized the opportunity. “Xavier University of Louisiana is a great foundation for medical school.”
To make sure she could attend Xavier, Johannah applied to several private scholarships and ended up receiving one through a partner of College Possible. “I was so happy when I got the scholarship,” she says. “If I didn’t have that funding, I wouldn’t be at Xavier now.”
In her first few months of college, majoring in biology on a pre-med track, Johannah has embraced her new academic environment. “A lot of people can get into this school, but the question is: can you stay here?” she says. “My scholarship and College Possible allows me to focus on my studies, not worry if I can make it to next semester.”
