May 11, 2016
Contact: Jill Drury, Communication Specialist
jedrury@dps.k12.oh.us
For Immediate Release

Nyanna Johnson awarded Scholastic Art and Writing Award

     “Who are you wearing, who are you wearing?”
There may come a day when you hear a celebrity answer that commonly asked red-carpet question, “I’m wearing a Nyanna Johnson.” The Stivers School for the Arts salutatorian’s artistic ability certainly shows in her fashion choices and award-winning photography, but it is her academic achievements that will allow her to take those talents to the next level.
Nyanna is a 2016 recipient of the Scholastic Art and Writing Award worth $10,000. Her photography portfolio earned her a scholarship awarded to only 16 high school students nationwide. The winners will have the opportunity to stand on the stage of New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall to receive their awards. They will visit the famed fashion college, Parsons School for Design, and the Empire State Building will be lit in gold in their honor.
Although Nyanna will minor in photography, she plans to major in fashion design at the University of Cincinnati in the fall.
“The award is getting me closer to reaching my dreams,” Nyanna said. “I always wanted to be a fashion designer. Before I was three years old, I would sketch designs. It’s what I want. I’m just a few steps away from doing it.”
Nyanna is quick to recognize what it took to reach her academic and artistic dreams. The lifelong Dayton Public Schools student will graduate from Stivers with a perfect grade point average. She’s received accolades for her photography, including being named a 2016 YoungArts merit winner.
“I credit my teachers with a lot of my success, but there is just something in me that makes me want to do well. It’s rewarding to do things my way and get things done.”
The $10,000 scholarship will certainly help Nyanna “get things done.” The UC campus must be donned in gold fabric and flowing silks in her eyes. She will be surrounded by mentors and classmates who all share the same passion.
“I get to talk with people interested in the same things as me and people who are already creating fashion. This scholarship is the moment I needed.”
That moment didn’t always come easy. Resources were often limited, so buying a new sewing machine when the old one quit working wasn’t just a matter of pulling out a wallet full of cash to buy a new one. Sewing machines, fabric and other supplies aren’t cheap, so Nyanna worked part time in marketing and sales for Student Painters to help pay for her fashion supplies.
Dayton Public Schools helped lead Nyanna Johnson to success as it did her classmate, Ebi Reyes, and Ponitz senior, Shadayah Lawrence. Another classmate, Samiya Dudley’s, road to success made a stop in the Ivy League. Her story is coming in the days ahead. To interview Nyanna Johnson or any DPS scholar, contact Jill Drury, communication specialist, at 542-3023 or email jedrury@dps.k12.oh.us.

-30-