Samantha Johnson

Samantha Johnson, 18, takes activism seriously – when asked about her other interests, she laughs, and for good reason.  Involved with the ACLU of Northern California’s Friedman Youth Project since her freshman year of high school, Samantha commutes between San Francisco and Sacramento to attend Youth Activist Committee (YAC) meetings every Sunday.  This is her fourth summer attending the Youth Project’s Summer Exploration.

In addition to working with the ACLU, Samantha has been elected Vice President of the student body at Sacramento High School – a position she declined in favor of spending the fall semester of her senior year studying peace, justice, and sustainability with the Woolman Semester, an environmentally and socially conscious learning experience sponsored by the Sierra Friends.  On top of a medical internship in the field of biophotonics, Samantha finds time to spend with her family – including her younger brother Dennis, also a member of the Youth Activist Committee.

Samantha is participating in the week-long Friedman Youth Project’s Summer Exploration because she wants to be informed about the military’s recruitment policies – and can then teach others what she’s learned.  “Once you’re in this bubble for eight days, you come out and you want to change the world," she says.  "It's great."

Samantha aspires to earn a degree in law from Stanford and pursue a career in Public Health Policy.