MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) -Meridian High School senior Amir Perkins was this yearās recipient of the John Wesley Johnson Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship not only holds many values but also highlights the legacy and strength of John Johnson, who loved giving back and believed wholeheartedly in the power of education and service.
Johnās daughters, Jennifer Camara and Joya Johnson, and his wife, Pranati Johnson, were in attendance to personally hand the award to their recipient.
āWeāre just really grateful for the opportunity to give back to this community, one that was really important for both my sister and me, our entire family, and for my dad as well. This is home for us, and so weāre really excited to give this opportunity to a student, and our dad was really a big advocate of Education, of the community, and of the city of Meridian, so itās really exciting to be able to give this back to a student in Meridian and weāre just really excited about that,ā Jennifer Camara, John Johnsonās daughter, says.
Jennifer also summarizes the importance of giving back in honor of their father, as he was very passionate about his community.
āI think a good phrase to summarize giving back to our community is each one, teach one. Itās really important that we are not only bringing our own successes to the forefront, but that weāre giving back to people and bringing them up with us. That was a really big point for my daddy. He loved giving back to his community, he loved bringing people up with him, so being able to make sure that weāre taking that journey with other people is really important. So just making sure that weāre bringing people with us that no matter how much success that we have, what schools we go to, what weāre doing within our community, what work weāre doing, that weāre making sure that weāre bringing people along with us,ā says Jennifer Camara.
Joya Johnson expresses her excitement to be able to contribute to another students bright mind as they prepare to head off to their HBCU of choice.
āIām just grateful to be here. Iām also grateful to contribute another young mind to an HBCU, which we all went to, so I think itās great that weāll be able to put another bright mind out there,ā Joya says.
Along with Amir Perkins being awarded with this scholarship he received a host of other accomplishments, Ronald Norman Jr. and Chloe Braxton were awarded Mr. and Mrs. MHS, Janiya Hill and Taderriyon Forbes were awarded Student Council and Senior Class President awards, and a host of awards and medallions for Academic awards, Athletic awards, Performance and Serivce awards, Presidentās Award for Educational Excellence, MS Scholars, National Honor Society, 2024-2025 Honor Roll and a host of Leadership and Scholarship awards were given out as well.
Congratulations to the Meridian High School class of 2025!
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