Senior Kramer Johnson helps others. He started a 5K that raised $3500 to help pay medical bills for a young man with a brain tumor whose family had no insurance. He is active in FIJI (Phi Gamma Delta) fraternity, and he started a pledgeship service program with a goal of serving more than 300 hours in the Athens Community. He began a program where his fraternity served dinner at the Athens Area Homeless Shelter once a month, and he led a benefit concert for the American Cancer Society. As the corporate sponsorship director for Dance Marathon, he helped raise $302,000 for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He is graduating Magna Cum Laude in International Business. He is a Leonard Scholar within the Terry College of Business and enrolled in the Honors program. He has made Dean’s list every semester at UGA and was twice a Presidential scholar.
Hometown:
Covington, La.
High School:
St. Paul’s High School
Degree objective:
A.B. in Spanish and B.B.A. in International Business with a finance concentration
Expected graduation:
Spring 2008
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
I served on the Freshman Board of the Student Government Association in 2004, and since then I have focused on community service in Athens. I am the philanthropy chair/service coordinator of my fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta (more widely known as FIJI). Since I have taken this position, my brothers and I have accomplished a great amount; over the past two years, we completed several projects that we had never attempted before. We hosted a 5K that raised $3,500 for a family from Gwinnett County whose son had a brain tumor removed without the financial aid of insurance, and we hosted a benefit concert in conjunction with Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority which raised $5,000 for the American Cancer Society. The fraternity now serves dinner at the Athens Area Homeless Shelter once every month, and started a pledgeship service program that has contributed 300 hours of community service to the UGA and Athens communities. The program is designed to provide tutors at Alps Road Elementary, and raise funds for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the American Cancer Society. Furthermore, I spent three years with Dance Marathon – raising money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. I began as a participant. I served as a faculty/alumni relations committee member, and served as the director of corporate sponsorship. I have also worked with Relay for Life for the past two years and taken two trips to Mississippi and Louisiana to rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Most recently, I organized a clothing drive for a Boys Choir in Lesotho.
Current Employment:
My employment in college has provided more fun than money. I worked as a beach attendant at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort and as a wrangler at Moose Head Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. In the coming summer, I will work for the New Orleans Saints as an equipment manager. Once all the fun and games are over, though, I have accepted a position with Ernst & Young’s Finance and Performance Management group in Atlanta.
I chose to attend UGA because…
…this school offers the opportunity to experience the greatest four years (or more) of one’s life. Here’s a succinct, concrete list of reasons: the sound of Sanford Stadium when Auburn is down by one and it’s third and short, Russell Hall, late night walks home across North Campus, Gumby’s Pizza, people-watching on a bus, mud football in Myers Quad, “The Red and Black” Sudoku, chili in a bread bowl at East Campus dining hall… The list goes on forever.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
…everything. I love to run on the trails around Lake Herrick, hang out between classes on Herty Field, grab lunch downtown, spend way too much time in the dining halls, and sit in a rocking chair on the front porch of the FIJI house.
When I have free time, I like…
…to play music, particularly guitar, and some harmonica. I love to take weekend trips outdoors: hiking, going to the beach, sailing. I could play football and basketball for ten hours a day. I love a good road trip – whether it is for a football game or for no reason at all.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
…rolled Auburn’s famed Toomer’s Corner after the Dawgs won in Auburn the season before last. I’m surprised I’m still alive.
My favorite place to study is…
…my room. I love to put on some music and forget about everything for a while. It somehow makes studying refreshing.
My favorite professor is…
…Dale Gauthreaux of the Terry College of Business. I have never learned more about life in a class than I did with Dr. Dale. His entire class looked forward to spending time with him twice a week. He serves as the director of Terry’s Institute for Leadership Advancement and goes above and beyond to develop relationships with his students. Twice he has spent weekends with me on retreats, once building homes in New Orleans, and once in St. Simon’s. His care for his students reaches outside of the classroom.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…Jesus Christ, but for more than just the obvious reason that he is God to many. Whether you are a Christian or not, you have to admit the guy was awesome. I just want to know what he was like and why so many people came to believe what he was teaching.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
…become a country music star who writes his own music. Traveling and having thousands of people cheering for you would be a fun job. Moreover, I could be a pretty influential person. For example, Bono of U2 has brought global attention to the AIDS epidemic in Africa. I would like to do something like that.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
…having ten of us packed in the top corner of Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee. It was a close game between the Dawgs and the Vols, and we were up by seven. One of my good friends, Kenny, couldn’t make it to the game, so he called us to get an update. We gave him the basics, then for the next 80 seconds, Kenny heard nothing but screaming. Kenny hung on faithfully, and after more than a minute of grueling suspense—after I picked myself up from the bottom of a dogpile and we got the phone back off the floor—Kenny got the news that Thomas Flowers returned the punt sixty yards for a touchdown.