Alexis Johnston wasn’t expecting to hear her name called when the winner of the new Jeep Compass from Patriot Auto Group was given away Tuesday night, June 4, at the News-Star’s Best of Tri-County Area Preps Gala.
But the recent Asher graduate won the new car when she became the 2023-2024 Patriot Auto Group News-Star Student of the Year.
“I was actually shocked,” Johnston said. “I don’t know why, but it was just that feeling in me. I was like, There’s no way.” Johnston was selected after the 16 Students of the Month each went through a rigorous interview process to choose a winner.
Johnston has encountered several hurdles that would have destroyed others. From losing her mother in a fatal car accident where she was a passenger to being forced to leave her home and live with an aunt and uncle, to her own health struggles after being bitten by a fiddleback spider as a child, she has been through a lot. Despite everything she has endured, she was a Salutatorian at Asher this year and a captain on the Asher fast pitch softball, basketball and state qualifying slow pitch softball teams.
Her school counselor called her hardworking, trustworthy and kind. She works on several school committees, food drives and even volunteers with the Angel Tree program.
“I use my time like that because I know that other people out there go through the same thing and I’d rather help others instead of knowing they were suffering and not having anyone to be there for them,” she said. “So, I did it for others, not just myself. I did it for my family and my friends, my brother, my sister. It doesn’t matter if I know you or if I don’t, you’re family to me, no matter who you are.”
Winning a new car is exciting for anyone, but Johnston’s current vehicle is nearing 300,000 miles and she was concerned about how she was going to get back and for to college in Ada at East Central University.
“I will be able to get places without worrying about what happens if I break down or what if my mileage goes up too much,” she said.
Tatton Manning with Patriot Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Chandler said Johnston is exactly the kind of student they hope to see win the prize they supply each year.
Tuesday’s event marked the 28th car Patriot Auto Group has donated from their four locations across Oklahoma.
The Student of the Year must meet minimum requirements in the classroom, but equally important in the competition is the difference the students make in their communities.
Manning and his partner Seth Knighton firmly believe that top students who learn to give back to their communities are the ones who will make a difference in the future.
Johnston was joined on stage by finalists:
Each of the finalists won a $750 scholarship and the rest of the students of the month won a $250 prize. The other students of the month for the 2023-2024 school year included:
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