By Richard LeComte
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Johanna Miller absolutely wanted to go to the University of Kentucky, but when she found herself in economic need, she contemplated dropping out the next semester.
That’s when the people of UK’s College of Arts and Sciences stepped in in the person of Christia Spears Brown, Ph.D., associate dean for student engagement and success.
"Out of the blue, I was sitting in class, and I got a text message from the associate dean that said she wanted to have a phone call with me,” said Miller, an undergraduate Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies major from Lexington. “That's all she said, so I got really nervous about that. I was like, ‘You want to talk to me? That’s really strange.’ So after class, I called her, and she said there was a family that wanted to sponsor specific students from our college. I was selected to have a sponsor.”
The result: Miller was about to receive $5,000 a semester to cover tuition, textbooks, research, education abroad and internships as needed and earned through a new initiative called the Champions Fund.
“I was completely surprised,” said Miller, who graduated from Lexington Christian Academy. “I was like, 'Is this a joke? Are you sure?' She didn't know this, but I was debating already on dropping out after the next semester. It was surreal.”
Miller’s qualifications include a high GPA and engagement in groups on campus. She noted that her family faced financial distress after illness and divorce.
"I was working full-time as well as going to school full-time, so it was just a lot,” she said.
Miller’s benefactor in the Champions program is UK alumnus Dr. Allen Schlamp, a retired radiologist who lives in Nashville. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry at UK in 1963 and grew up in Henderson, Kentucky. Among the program’s aims is for the benefactors to provide mentorship to the student in need.
Miller started out as a psychology major – she found Psychology 101 to be extremely influential -- but she also had a passion for reading, writing and literature.
"Throughout my entire, high school experience, English was always my favorite class. I remember reading ‘Pride and Prejudice’ for the first time in class and talking about it and how excited I was to talk about it. I was always that kid who overwrote essays and stuff, just because I was so excited to talk about it. And then when I went to LCA, I took AP English.”
So instead of psychology she decided to pursue the Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies major. She cites her current class, Literature and the Law (English 335) as taught by Janet Eldred, Ph.D., professor of English, as a class from which she’s gaining insight.
"She's been a really, really good teacher,” Miller said. We switch what we’re reading around every week. She’ll pick out an article from a long time ago or something new, and we often get to pick our own homework.”
She said in her free time she likes watching movies and eating at trendy local restaurants. As for activities, Miller works with the Campus Republicans, where she handles video content and organizes events. As for the future, with the help of the Champions scholarship Miller plans on graduating and then perhaps – it's still early – pursue a career in film post-production, something with which the digital studies aspect of her major as well as her activities with the College Republicans can help.
"I edit YouTube videos for a local real estate agent here, and so I want to stay in editing,” Miller said. “My dream is to move to Florida and work for Universal Studios in the post-production team.”