Growing up in South Los Angeles, USC School of Social Work alumna Rosa Johnson, MSW ’12, knows first-hand the importance of having mentors and a network of people who not only support you but also push and encourage you to excel. 

“By the time I graduated high school, I was lost,” Johnson said. “I didn't know my options, I didn't have access to financial resources, and I really didn't understand my potential.”

It wasn't until Johnson met a counselor at Santa Monica College, who took an interest in her and encouraged her to think beyond community college, that she began to explore what she wanted to do with her life.

“She believed in me, and she gave me what I needed to start believing in myself,” Johnson said.

That’s exactly the kind of support Johnson would like to give to other young women. She took the encouragement from her counselor that led her on a path to college at California State University, Los Angeles, and to graduate school at USC. And, just recently, Johnson launched Pearls Academy, a community organization that provides mentorship, skills development and self-esteem training for at-risk African-American and Latina young women in South Los Angeles. Pearls helps them understand the importance of education, leadership and resiliency, making sure they have the support they need from their community to succeed.

Pearls, which stands for “preparing early and refining little sisters,” provides academic and leadership development opportunities that focus on college preparation, health and fitness, and life skills such as financial literacy, ethics and etiquette. Through after-school and weekend programs, the girls collaborate with mentors to set weekly goals, complete homework, and help coordinate workshops, activities and field trips. Interested girls must complete an application, write an essay and obtain parental permission. The academy plans to accept 16 to 20 applicants ages 7 to 24 each year.

“I believe that by providing these young ladies access to vital resources, tools for positive development and a support system to keep them focused, we are not only helping ensure their success, but we are feeding the confidence they will need to get out there and let their voices be heard,” Johnson said.

In addition to working with the girls accepted into the program, Pearls also provides workshops twice a month through the Pearls Empowered Club, which is open to the public and targeted toward parents, guardians and anyone not granted formal admission into the program but who is still interested in participating.

Johnson is in the process of applying for a 501(c)(3) charitable organization status so she can begin seeking grant funding. So far her primary mode of fundraising has been through individual and community donations, and she has managed to raise enough money to secure a location for the academy and to pay for the girls’ training, which Johnson and a group of mentors provide.

“Rosa personifies resilience,” said Maryalice Jordan-Marsh, an associate professor at the School of Social Work. “Rosa stood out in my first-year research class because she saw the challenges of learning research methods as opportunities to build skills so that she could bring her passion for helping young people to fruition.”

Johnson, who studied the Families and Children concentration at the School of Social Work, conceptualized the idea for Pearls through various class assignments and projects, and used a comprehensive human development approach to create her program and activities.

“The USC School of Social Work truly put me in a place where I could positively impact the community I come from,” Johnson said. “If I could impart any words of wisdom to the students currently working on their MSWs, I would say do something that really inspires you because when you do, you really can change the world.”