STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

My name is Janell Johnson and I am a rising senior at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. I am majoring in psychology with a concentration in child counseling. I was born in Richmond, VA and attended Meadowbrook High School from 1995-1999.

Throughout high school and now in college I have participated in many campus and community activities which I held leadership positions. At George Mason University, I am a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the president of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. These are only two of the many organizations that I have dedicated my commitment to serving.

I owe many of my accomplishments and success to the Project Ace Program at Virginia Commonwealth University. I attended the program my senior year in high school in 1999. During the program there were ten other students from all surrounding schools in Richmond, VA. We met every Friday to discuss issues concerning the transition from high school to college, scholarships, discovering future career goals and learning leadership skills. We were also assigned a mentor who had a similar occupation that we would like to pursue. Meeting with the mentors we received hands on training skills that we could use for knowledge in the future. My mentor was a psychiatrist and she worked with adolescents in prescribing medicine to aid in their behavioral, social and emotional problems. She provided me with training about the different disorders related to adolescents. She was very approachable and answered any issues that I had concerning school and personal issues. She gave me information related to college and how to better pursue my career goals.

Advice that I would give to upcoming students is remember that you receive from the program what you give to the program. Also building friendships with the other students and mentors will continue to last. And finally appreciating the coordinators of the program who have helped to instill a positive outlook in life.

Project Ace helped me in networking with other students, staff and mentors around Richmond, VA. I will always remember the Project Ace program and how it was a tool for betterment of myself and my future goal in life.