JANS – Joshua Paul Johnson, a senior enrolled in Jackson Public School’s only early-college high school program, has landed $2 million in scholarships from universities nationwide. Offers have come from New Jersey’s prestigious Seton Hall University to the University of Mississippi, but the 17-year-old has his sights on Mississippi College and Jackson State University.
With a 4.0 GPA and a 32 on the ACT, Johnson entered the JPS-Tougaloo Early-College High School Program (J-TECHS) through Murrah High School during the pandemic. In four years, he’s earned 69 college credits. Known by his friends as JP, the aspiring engineer began applying for colleges in September 2023. “My mom kept pushing me, but I learned it was a mixture of working hard and smart,” JP said. “You need the test scores to kind of carry you through it, but once you have that, then it’s just grunt work – doing the essays, applications, dinners – all that.”
JP discovered a love for fixing things by growing up watching his dad, an Entergy engineer. “My entire life has been building things with my dad,” JP laughed. “It just became a lifestyle. To be a problem solver and help people with real-life problems – that’s awesome to me.
Principal Ashley Molden, Ed.S, says JP personifies what it means to be a J-TECHS scholar.
“He embodies our Regal Eagle attributes effortlessly!” said Molden. “He is honorable, competent, tenacious, hard-working, and confident, and has left an indelible mark on the legacy of our school. We are so proud that he and his family accepted the charge we issue each year to our scholars to apply for scholarships on their quest to become our district’s next ‘million dollar babies.’”
JP also plays the cello and is on the District’s swim team.
