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2011 WOTY Finalist - Grace Johnson

Grace Johnson

“My lifelong interest is to serve in underprivileged communities, specifically through missions and nonprofit work. Initially, I thought becoming a medical doctor would best prepare me to fulfill my calling; however, it was my work in the community that led me to realize the cost-effectiveness and great need for preventative medicine and education.”

What are they doing now?
Grace is now a full-time grad student in International Affairs, with a focus on health and wellness and a graduate assistant in gymnastics.

School: University of Georgia

Division I

Conference: Southeastern Conference

Major: Health Promotion and Education

Sport: Gymnastics

Johnson knows the true meaning of being a champion, helping the Gym Dogs to three NCAA national championship team titles during her collegiate tenure. She also earned numerous individual accolades, including the NCAA balance beam title in 2008 and five All-America honors.

Selected to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team in 2010, Johnson was also a member of the National Gymnastics Coaches Association All-Scholastic Team from 2007 to 2010. She was named to the University of Georgia Athletics Director’s Honor Roll four consecutive years and earned the highest GPA on the gymnastics team in 2008 and 2009. In her field of study, she earned a College of Public Health honor student recognition in 2009 and 2010. She also earned the Ramsey Scholarship for Athletic and Academic Excellence, which recognizes the 10 University of Georgia student-athletes who have the highest GPAs.

In the community, Johnson taught gymnastics to Special Olympics athletes, was a Bible study leader, collected canned food for a local food bank and was an intern at Mercy Health Center. She also served as a student member of the University of Georgia Athletic Association board of directors, a mentor for freshmen student-athletes and a member of the university’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.