Great Graduates: Mikayla Johnson

SAN ANTONIO – Great Graduates are those students in and around San Antonio who go above and beyond in the classroom and in the community.

Mikayla Johnson from Edgewood Independent School District thrives in academics and on the biggest and brightest stage. This theater star has won numerous awards and scholarships and has a bright future.
 
Q: What’s the latest award you won for the arts?
A: “Last year I auditioned for the Texas Young Masters Program with the Texas Commission on the Arts, And I won. So I was the theater representative for the Class of 2018,” said Johnson.

Only 15 students in all of Texas hold the prestigious title and Johnson is the only Kennedy High School student.

“In fifth grade, we did a production, 'The Christmas Carol.' And so I decided, 'Hey, I kind of like this,'" said Johnson.

Getting started at a young age was a boost early on, but it’s the hard work and consistency that’s kept the senior moving forward.

Q: You earned a scholarship for a week in New York and then time in Houston to practice your craft. Why is this so important?

A: “It's a chance to give artists or young artists some opportunities they wouldn't otherwise have because money tends to be an obstacle in most of the things that we do, like in life in general,” said Johnson.

Johnson has talent. Her family knows it, and so do her teachers.

“Mikayla is a very passionate, humble person, and I think that translates very much to her skills on stage,” said her theater teacher, Claudia Casso.

This talented young woman hasn’t graduated yet, but she is already a role model for younger students.

“She definitely influences my students in a big way because she enters competitions. They see her succeeding, and the following year or that same year, they do the same in return,” said Casso.

Q: What are your future goals?
A: "I hope to have a prominent stage career and also do independent films because they seem to have less rules, and you can tell more stories that way,” said Johnson.

Johnson was recently named a National Young Arts Winner in theater. After she graduates, Johnson plans to double major in theater and computer science in college. She is still deciding between several schools, including Yale, the University of Houston and Northwestern.


About the Author:

Max Massey is the GMSA weekend anchor and a general assignments reporter. Max has been live at some of the biggest national stories out of Texas in recent years, including the Sutherland Springs shooting, Hurricane Harvey and the manhunt for the Austin bomber. Outside of work, Max follows politics and sports, especially Penn State, his alma mater.