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Eric Johnson

Biography

Summary: Eric Johnson, 24, decided before he went to college that he wanted to devote his life to public service. As a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he began a volunteer program to mobilize awareness of cancer and raise funds to cope with it. He began another program to encourage young people in low-income communities to attend college. Eric earned a 3.83 GPA and graduated with highest distinction, garnering several awards for leadership and community service. He will attend the London School of Economics for a M.Sc. in economics and then seek a double degree in law and public policy.

Biography: Eric, the grandson of men who had to quit school at fourth grade to support their families, is well aware of the importance of education in achieving positive change. His schoolteacher parents also imbued him with a love of learning that is apparent in the remarkable academic record he compiled at Chapel Hill. But he also started early in his college career to launch community service projects that had a lasting impact at the university, including a cancer awareness campaign and a program to encourage low-income students to get higher education.

Mr. Johnson recalls a conversation with a cousin who suffered from multiple sclerosis that changed his life. He realized that he was blessed with good health and better opportunities for intellectual growth than anyone else in his family. "I began to think seriously about my responsibility to use these blessings for the betterment of others," Eric writes. "My sense of connection and responsibility has expanded beyond family to embrace state, nation, and world."

In addition to graduating with highest distinction, Eric was elected to the Order of the Golden Fleece, the second oldest honorary society in the nation, and won awards for student leadership and scholarly work about the university. He went to work for a foundation evaluating proposals for grants to improve public education in North Carolina. His experience made him more determined to spend his life in public service. Now, he says, "I plan to focus my career on expanding access to life's richest opportunities for those who have inadequate education, health care, and freedom in the United States and around the world."

Following his studies at the London School of Economics, Eric wants to get degrees from Yale Law School and Princeton University to sharpen his legal, writing, and analytical ability. He says he may work as an assistant district attorney or public defender and perhaps enter politics, either as a candidate or in an appointed position, to further his public policy goals. In any event, he adds, he plans to write articles for newspapers and other publications to influence the policymaking process. "The ability to write, advocate and lead should enable me to make a difference in any environment," he concludes.

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