Whitney
Johnston
“I have always loved learning, and since returning to school, I have found my passion for life in writing and photography. This, coupled with my life experiences, the long line of strong, intelligent women I descend from, and the contributions I hope to make, have all led me to where I am today and continue to motivate me to push further.”
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Program:
2010
Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Recipient
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Academic/Career Pursuits:
Arts / Music / Performance, Design, Film, Literature, Nonprofits, Social Science / Anthropology, Writing / Journalism
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Other Interests:
Classics, Film / Photography, Foreign Languages / International Study, Honor Society, Liberal Arts, Literature, Nonprofits, Performing Arts / Theatre, Philosophy, Social Science / Anthropology, Visual Arts, Volunteer Work, Writing / Journalism, Food
Biography
PROFILE: Whitney Johnston has always excelled in school and has always been a terrific writer. She is prepared to embark on her undergraduate degree, but during her formative years, the New Orleans native experienced many bumps in the road that delayed college. She lived on her own and worked full-time from age 17 until 20, when she suffered a serious auto accident; her recuperation period became a time for reflection. The path led to a community college in Florida known for its excellent communications department and writing program. “My life, my views, my need for expression, my appreciation of the expressions of others, all seem to have prepared me for the career I have chosen to pursue,” Whitney said.
INSPIRATION: In addition to her mother and grandmother, Whitney finds strength when she looks back on the courageous journey of her great-grandmother, who at age 18 left home in rural Georgia and ventured west to New Orleans to train as a nurse. From there, this amazing woman earned advanced degrees and began a home health care agency for low-income patients in Georgia.
ASPIRATION: Whitney’s goal is to work as a writer, photographer, multimedia journalist, and activist.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Whitney is proud of her academic accomplishments at Broward College. Away from campus, she is a dedicated volunteer for animal rescue organizations in her community.
ACCOLADES: Her top honor was being selected as the editor-in-chief of her college’s literary and arts magazine. Whitney was also awarded the Florida Collegiate Honors Council’s Mary Jo Henderson Scholarship.
INTERESTING FACT: Whitney loves opera. “I grew up watching my grandmother’s old VHS tapes of Turandot and La Traviata. To this day, ‘Habanera’ from Carmen remains on my top 10 list among artists like The Beatles and Nine Inch Nails.”
Other Scholars Like Whitney
Jessica LaPlante
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign