Samarea Johnson lost her father to cancer, and lived with her mother, who was on drugs, while dealing with bullying in school. Johnson didn’t find a stable place to live until she moved with her Godmother. The Antelope Valley High School graduate maintained a 3.8 GPA, is a track athlete, and one of five 2018 Beat the Odds scholarship recipients. The $10,000 scholarship was awarded to her during the Children’s Defense Fund-California’s (CDF-CA) 28th annual ceremony at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on December 6, 2018. She plans to major in sports physical therapy and minor in business and social work. Johnson will be the first in her family to graduate from a four-year university.