The Johnson Family
Georgia
When we first met the Johnson family, William and Alyne Johnson were thriving at Sugar Hill Christian Academy with help from the AAA Scholarship Foundation (AAA). Fast forward to 2025 and William is now a high school graduate attending Georgia Tech and Alyne just started her 10th grade year at Sugar Hill Christian. William and Alyne are making progress toward their goals, though their parents, Herbert and Blandine Johnson, once had concerns about their future.
Immigrants from France and Jamaica, Blandine and Herbert established a new life in the United States and started a family of their own, determined to provide the tools their children need to grow and prosper. Recognizing the significance of education for future opportunities, the Johnsons actively participated in their children’s academic development from the moment William began kindergarten at the local public school.
“Things seemed fine at first,” says Blandine. “But then William’s teacher told us she thought he had a learning disorder because he was not as social as the other kids in his class. Herbert and I were shocked and started to wonder if we had somehow missed the signs.”
Concerned about their son and eager for solid answers, the Johnsons sought professional advice and ruled out any learning disabilities. In fact, it was his shy nature that was prohibiting him from asking for the help he needed in school. He was not grasping the subjects as quickly as the other students and he needed an environment where he could receive one-on-one attention and feel comfortable seeking extra assistance. It had become clear that his current school was not providing him with the help he needed, but their options were limited and private school seemed out of reach – especially because they had experienced a decrease in income, putting further strain on their family.
However, they were not willing to sit by and watch their son continue to struggle in an environment that was not suited to his needs. They were aware of scholarships available through AAA – but were cautiously optimistic when they submitted their application a second time, knowing they had encountered a waitlist in the past due to limited funding. However, this time they were ecstatic to receive an approval letter, enabling them to enroll both William and Alyne in Sugar Hill Christian.
Sugar Hill Christian provided William with academic guidance, a supportive environment and assistance from the teaching staff, which helped him address his challenges and identify his future direction. Over the years, he transitioned from a child who was too shy to speak up in class, to a young man actively participating in his education, developing a love for design and infrastructure and spending hours drawing skylines from all over the world. During his time at Sugar Hill, he was an honor roll student and received several awards and recognitions, including rookie of the year for ninth grade band – and later earning his letter and bar from band; a nomination for the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program; The College Board National Recognition awards in the African American and first-generation categories; and the John Philip Sousa Band Award “The Instrumentalist” in recognition of his superior musicianship and dedication. William graduated from Sugar Hill in the spring of 2025 and then in the fall, he began his freshman year at Georgia Tech, where he is studying to be a civil engineer.
William’s sister Alyne has also found her place at Sugar Hill thanks to an AAA scholarship. She is now in the 10th grade and consistently brings home all As in her classes. While her favorite core subject is science, she has also developed a love for art, with her skills ranging from graphite and acrylic art to sculptures. She has even created anime designs for T-shirts. Her artwork has been featured in numerous art shows and earned her the artist of the year award at the school. Additionally, she is part of the National Art Honor Society and Science National Honor Society. She is passionate about helping others and has considered a future career in the medical field or even psychology.
For Herbert and Blandine, the AAA Scholarship Foundation has been the catalyst that helped their children build a solid educational foundation and make strides towards their futures.
“As parents, our biggest wish for our children is for them to accomplish their goals and have a positive impact in their community,” says Herbert. “Thanks to AAA and its donors, they are well on their way to doing just that and we could not be more grateful for the opportunities our family and so many others have been given. Thank you!”
About AAA Scholarship Foundation
The typical AAA Scholarship student is either below grade level, failing at their previous school, or both, when they receive an income-based scholarship. Parents who find their children in these circumstances and care about their future look for viable options. They seek an atmosphere that challenges and engages their child to reverse inappropriate learning and/or social patterns and the lifelong negative impact they imply. They wish to change their child’s learning environment, acquaintances and the unfortunate predictable outcomes associated with school failure. Another is the first-time student, who is just entering kindergarten. Parents, wanting to empower their child’s academic journey from day one, choose the AAA scholarship so that their child will have a quality education tailored specifically for their learning needs ensuring their time in school is a seamless experience from K-12. Your contributions to AAA provide the lifelines that these parents need.
AAA Scholarships are funded in Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Nevada by companies that redirect a portion of their state tax liability to the AAA Scholarship Foundation in exchange for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. AAA Scholarship Foundation is one of the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit scholarship organizations approved to administer these legislatively authorized tax credit scholarship programs in multiple states. AAA Scholarship Foundation provides your company with the convenience and efficiency of a single solution for participating in multiple state tax credit scholarship programs. For more information, or to learn how your company can participate in the program, visit www.AAAScholarships.org, or contact Kerri Vaughan at kerri @ aaascholarships.org or 888-707-2465 ext. 730.