CHLOE JOHNSTON ’12 STARTS BNI SCHOLARSHIP TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS
For the 10-year anniversary of her graduation, Chloe Johnston ’12 decided to give back to her alma mater by creating a scholarship. For the scholarship criteria, Johnston paid homage to her own history at BNI.
“My parents didn’t go to college so they worked very hard to put me through Bishop Noll. I wished there was a scholarship just for Illinois students that could have helped.”
Scheduled to begin for the 2022-23 school year, the Chloe L. Johnston ’12 Scholarship is designed to help two BNI students each year. It will give preference to Illinois residents who are Black or biracial students at BNI. Prospective recipients must submit an essay. Recipients must have and maintain a 2.0 GPA to keep their scholarship. The scholarship will be $2,500 for one year.
Johnston said she hopes the scholarship inspires other young alumni to give back to BNI whether via volunteer efforts or financial efforts. They have a responsibility to pay it forward, she said, but she sees little engagement from young alumni. She hopes she can help change that.
When looking at current scholarship offerings, Johnston noticed they typically honor older and deceased alumni.
“I wanted to be a young alum giving back to where I received my education.”
After graduating from BNI, Johnston majored in political science at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. She interned with large banks before a fellowship on campus her senior year helped her find her path.
As a voice of the student body, she planned programs for the 40,000+ undergraduate students at U of I.
“That’s what really sparked my knack for social justice and people development.”
After graduating in 2016, she moved to Atlanta and worked for Nestle.
“I was a first generation college graduate. I really wanted to make money after college. I learned a lot moving out of this area but still had a passion for education, equity and people development.”
She returned home to Chicago and worked for Teach for America - teaching special education in Englewood. She followed that with a job at the Obama Foundation in Chicago.
“I worked closely with President and Mrs. Obama to launch their youth development program. It got young people involved in political discussion and community service.”
She also worked on the foundation’s Community Leadership Corps program, creating the application and choosing the inaugural cohort. She also helped start Black at the Obama Association.
In November 2020, Johnston was approached by a Twitter recruiter and interviewed for a manager role on its inclusion and diversity team - a space she had long been interested in. She is now a program manager for Twitter’s inclusion/diversity/equity and accessibility team, IDEA for short. She consults with Twitter leaders to make all parts of their business more equitable and inclusive.
“We make sure that no matter what background you have, working at Twitter is going to be a place where you can show up and be yourself.”
Outside of work, she is involved in the U of I Black Alumni Network and previously served as its president of U of I Black Alumni Network.
At BNI, Johnston worked on the JourNoll and played tennis all four years. She was voted as most quotable for the class of 2012. She also met best friend Jordan Wilson while at BNI and the two have remained close for more than a decade.
Both were inspired by history teacher Mr. Trafny who made history relevant for them.
“In AP US History, he got me really excited about learning the history of this country but also understanding how history repeats itself and how history shows up in modern day times always. He really planted my seed to research things and be intentional about what questions I ask when meeting new people or learning new things about different cultures.”
As Johnston’s scholarship begins, she looks forward to reading the application essays and hearing the stories of the students who apply.
“High school is a very stressful time. It provides a community where you can figure out what you like about yourself - what passions you want to explore - what people make you happy and what things bring you joy. I’m honored to be a part of their high school journey. I know how formative it can be around your self esteem and self worth."
She encourages students to take risks and said that has been her most valuable lesson in life.
If you are interested in setting up a scholarship, please contact Mary Ellen O’Neill in the advancement office at moneill@bishopnoll.org or (219) 932-9058, ext. 1002.