Johnson turns disappointment into achievement
?Many athletic careers include a mixture of success and the challenge of rebounding from a disappointing setback. Laurel Highlands鈥� Clairesa Johnson has been familiar with both experiences during her career in track & field and cross country at Laurel Highlands.
Johnson cites qualifying for the WPIAL finals as a junior in the intermediate hurdles as her best memory. But she rebounded from another disappointment while running the same event between her sophomore and junior seasons.
鈥淚 fell in the (Fayette) County meet as a sophomore when I was in first place,鈥� Johnson said, 鈥渁nd didn鈥檛 place at all.鈥� The following season, she took second place in the county in the intermediate hurdles. Johnson said the fall made her more determined to work hard and rebound from the disappointment.
Johnson has been selected as the female scholar/athlete for 2011 from Laurel Highlands, after maintaining a 4.3 grade-point average and class rank of 6th at Laurel Highlands. She is the daughter of Tonya and Dennis Green of Uniontown, and has a younger brother, Jeremiah.
At Laurel Highlands, Johnson has also been active in the National Honor Society, choir, three school musicals, SADD, the Spanish Club, Interact and Junior Achievement. She will attend Washington and Jefferson College in the fall, where she hopes to continue her track career.
When asked to name her role models, Johnson said her mother and Laurel Highlands track coach Bob Costello, 鈥渟upported everything I do and helped me to be the best athlete I could be.鈥�
With her high school career over, Johnson said, 鈥淐ollege will be a big change, but I鈥檓 ready for something new. I鈥檒l miss the social part of high school, but I won鈥檛 miss waking up early in the morning.鈥�
Johnson said classroom success came relatively easy to her, 鈥渁lthough things were a little tough in some classes like English, where I had to work harder.鈥�
She said she was surprised to be notified about being chosen as her school鈥檚 scholar athlete. 鈥淚鈥檓 really happy about it,鈥� she added.
When asked to offer advice to fellow students on succeeding in balancing academics and athletics, Johnson said, 鈥淜eep studying and focus on the goals you have in life.鈥�
Johnson will be among the 14 Fayette County scholar/athletes who will be representing the county鈥檚 seven high schools, along with two honorees from Penn State Fayette, when they are honored during the third annual Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, which is set to take place on Saturday, June 25 at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.