BROOKINGS — “I always wanted to help people,” Brookings High School graduating senior Evian Johnson, 18, said. “I did not want to do 10 years of school to be a doctor, though.”
To reach that goal more quickly, she will attend Lake Area Technical College in Watertown and earn an associate degree in surgical technology. Johnson has been awarded a Build Dakota scholarship through the Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls. Her education will allow her “to work in the operating room with the surgeons and everyone else on the team.”
During the second semester of her second year at LATC, she will see the pace pick up: six weeks at school; six weeks working in a clinic; six weeks at school; and then wrapping up the program with six weeks working in an operating room.
She is still considering when and if she will later pursue further education.
Johnson is a lifelong resident of Brookings. Her parents are Matthew Johnson and Jackie Johnson: “My mom grew up in Wyoming and then she moved to Pierre. My dad grew up in Onida.”
Two of her key high school activities have been trap shooting and dance. “I’ve been dancing since I was 17 years old,” the senior explained. “I’ve been doing pageants since I was 9 years old.
“I was Miss Pre-Teen South Dakota International 2020; Miss Junior Teen South Dakota International 2022; and I am trying out to be Miss Teen South Dakota this summer. I’ve got my dresses picked out; my interviews are ready to go.”
As part of the pageant, she will have an interview and is anticipating questions that will address a variety of topics: “They ask a lot about your community service initiative, essentially your platform,” she said. “Mine is ‘Use Your Power.’ It’s about advocating for dyslexia, because I have dyslexia. I like seeing people use their disabilities as something that lifts them up and doesn’t tear them down. That’s why I called it ‘Use Your Power’: to help younger kids understand what I’m meaning by that.”
She explained that each pageant contestant “fills out a paper worksheet (telling what you do). It’s kind of like your resume. Then they ask you questions based off that.”
“Dyslexia is a learning disorder which makes it hard to read and to write,” the contestant explained. “You can also mix up letters. I personally mix up my b’s, g’s, t’s, q’s and also w’s and m’s. I have it a little bit worse, so I mess up my left and my right. And I also would write my letters backwards and stuff like that.” She admitted that there’s no easy fix for the challenges that go with dyslexia.
“You struggle with it, but you kind of learn learn to cope with it essentially, is what I like to call it,” Johnson said. “I went to a program for a week and learned all these different tools.
“I got to build pictures of clay to teach my brain how to read, essentially. As a dyslexic, I struggle with reading smaller words instead of the big words.”
Over her four years in high school, Johnson has participated in dance team, choir, orchestra, FCCLA (Family Career and Community Leaders of America) and JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates).
“You only get one life, so live it to the fullest,” she said, reflecting on where her life has been and where she wants it to go. “Make your life be happy. Be confident in who you are. Be proud of what you are. And be proud of your future self.”
She certainly has support in her endeavors.
“I have had the immense pleasure of being Evian Johnson’s school counselor over the past four years,” counselor Linda Johnson said in an endorsement of the graduate. “She has been a bright spot in our classrooms and hallways, always greeting others with a smile and a kind comment. Evian has prepared herself exceptionally well for life after BHS and is an incredibly well-rounded individual. Her communication skills are second to none.
“It has been so rewarding to watch her journey through the Build Dakota Scholarship process. She was highly sought after by industry partners and had multiple interviews and opportunities as she prepared to begin her career as a surgical technologist. While we will certainly miss her at BHS, we are incredibly proud of the person she is and all that she will go on to accomplish.”
— Contact John Kubal at [email protected].
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