Alex Johnson Alex Johnson is a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholar. The program seeks high-achieving young students and supplies the resources and encouragement to allow them to continue to excel. Johnson has lived up to that promise and, in fact, won another scholarship from the foundation to continue his education at Johns Hopkins University, where he will study government affairs or criminal justice. He aspires, he says, to work for the FBI or become a lawyer. Johnson says that his Politics and Ethics class was “the best class ever. I understand now how our government works and where my opinions come from.” Among Johnson’s other academic interests are robotics, physics and computer programming. He is particularly grateful to Provost Bill Bussey, counselor Mark Spence, and teachers Marcela Maldonado and Tim Carey, whom he
Emily Goins says offered him great personal and academic support. “I’ll also really miss assembly,” he says. “People make themselves vulnerable, but this community always thanks you for showing the strength to do that.” At assembly this year, Johnson shared his own story of a complicated family, his mother’s strength and his own determination. In addition to his academic accomplishments, he was an assistant for tech theatre and tried ice hockey, lacrosse and tennis. He also loves to dance. “It’s my way of expressing myself,” he says. “I’ve always danced—but I never took dance classes until I came to Nobles.”
FROM: Roxbury Preparatory Charter School (Boston) TO: Johns Hopkins University
Whether in the classroom, on stage or as a Shield Head tour guide, Emily Goins’ bright smile and buoyant disposition make an impression. She was widely seen on stage as a member of the Advanced Dance Ensemble, Nobles Theatre Collective and Greensleeves, Nobles’ female a cappella group. Behind her stage presence, Goins possesses a unique perspective on the world. Having spent time in 40 countries, she embraces different cultures with great optimism and reverence. She credits her travel experiences and having lived in Nigeria, Texas, Virginia and Mexico as shaping her worldview.
At Nobles, Goins also traveled extensively, taking advantage of experiential learning. In Romania, she worked at an orphanage and in India she worked with schoolchildren and helped repair a water pipeline. Traveling has shaped Goins. “Different cultures are not a shock to me anymore,” she says. “I also don’t hold a lot of stereotypes.” Academically, Goins has developed a passion for biology and challenged herself in AP Biology and AP Biochemistry. She plans to pursue biology in college and credits the indelible influences of science teachers Mike Hoe and Jen Craft. Goins says she will miss the opportunities at Nobles. “You really have to take advantage of your time here because there’s so much you can do,” she says. “When I give tours to prospective families, it reminds me of everything I love about Nobles.”
FROM: Greengates School, British International School (Mexico City) TO: Middlebury College