Annually, Johns Hopkins University garners an impressive pool of applicants, typically averaging around 30,000 students. Inevitably, the school can’t offer admission to all applicants, so earning a spot at the prestigious university remains highly competitive. With a 9% acceptance rate, receiving an acceptance letter from Johns Hopkins serves as a testament to academic excellence and remains an honor. Senior Joniel Lewis recently received this honor and made the decision to continue her academic career at Johns Hopkins University this fall.

“When I first opened the letter I was in denial. I didn’t think I actually got in. It was the day of prom and I was like ‘did I actually get in’? I didn’t want to get my hopes up, so on Monday, I called to make sure I actually [did]. They were like ‘yeah you got in and it is a full ride’. I was so excited and knew that my younger self would be proud,” Lewis said.

Johns Hopkins boasts an impressive amount of alumni with credible careers in the medical field. Lewis hopes to join these individuals one day as she aspires to become a pediatrician. From a young age, Lewis looked up to doctors and drew inspiration from their livelihoods. Johns Hopkins’ schools of Medicine and Public Health will provide Lewis with the necessary tools and opportunities to achieve her goals. Lewis yearns to continue to cultivate her passion to make a difference in the world around her. With honorable compassion for others, Lewis would love to eventually earn a position with Doctors Without Borders where she could help people in need of medical care in different countries. 

“I’ve known from a really young age that I want to be a doctor. When I go to the doctor I find it so fascinating that they are able to diagnose and help me. When my mom used to go to the doctors they would tell her ‘take this medicine, it will help you’ and I knew I wanted to be that person someday. I want to help people and listen to them because there are a lot of doctors who just go by textbook definitions and don’t listen to their patients. I want to be that change and help people,” Lewis said.

Lewis’ mere acceptance into Johns Hopkins proves her academic ability, but her full financial ride to the university solidifies the proof of her immense talent and unfailing work ethic. These qualities juxtaposed with her eagerness to learn will inevitably allow Lewis to excel and climb the ranks at Johns Hopkins University. Starting this Fall Lewis will major in biology as she dips her toes into the medical world with peers who share her passion and interests. 

“I’ve known Joniel all four years. I knew her first as a tennis player. She played JV her freshman year, and I was the JV girls’ coach. And straightaway I knew that she wanted to be good at it, even though she knew she wasn’t going to go out and get private lessons or anything. She wanted to learn as much as she could and practice as much as she had time for, she just wanted to be as good as she could with her time restraints. She always wants to produce the best work that she can produce. And one of the reasons I know that she’s going to be successful there is because she’s going to ask and reach out for help and find as many resources to help her be as successful as she can, and it’s very hard to find students who are willing to do that,” NC Media Specialist Lisa Wheeler said.

In an effort to prepare for her future career, Lewis enrolled in numerous classes at NC to build a background in the medical field. From AP Biology to honors anatomy, Lewis eagerly immersed herself in all of the medical-related classes that NC offers. In addition to maintaining a rigorous course load, Lewis found herself dedicated to numerous extracurriculars including Tribal Connections and Teen Advisory Council. With Johns Hopkins over 10 hours and 649 miles away from NC, Lewis will leave behind an impressive legacy at the school she devoted herself to over the past four years.

“I’m looking forward to the new environment at Johns Hopkins and meeting different people with the same interests and mindset as me. But, I am definitely going to miss my friends from North Cobb and the community that I made here,” Lewis said.