Gilman graduate heading to NYU

Taylor County is a great place to raise children and provide them with top notch education. Emily Johnson graduated as valedictorian from Gilman High School in 2016. She was active in sports and academics. Gilman School prepared her to compete with the very best. Rural schools do prepare children and offer a safe environment, which some often take for granted.

Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in December 2020 but missed the opportunity to celebrate with the standard tradition due to COVID-19. She earned a 4.0 grade point average with a double major in biology and Spanish.

After graduating in December, she worked full-time as an autism therapist while waiting to start at New York University (NYU). In August, Johnson will begin her NYU Medical School training. This is an amazing opportunity for a rural graduate from a town of 400. The university only accepts 90 students from all around the world each year.

Johnson told her mother she wanted to be a doctor ever since she was 8 years old when her brother, Evan, was born. He was born at Aspirus in Medford and had numerous medical issues. He was transferred to Marshfield NICU [Newborn Intensive Care Unit] where he spent time. He was diagnosed with Down syndrome shortly after birth. He needed several surgeries over the years and had many hospitalizations. Johnson was his biggest supporter and fan. He is the inspiration behind her desire to work with mothers and children as a physician. Her brother has also been diagnosed with autism, which again further inspired Johnson to pursue autism therapy work.

[ Editor’s Note: The above article was submitted by Johnson’s mother, Sheri Scheidler, who wrote “In these

days of negative news, I was hoping this article would be uplifting for the residents of our county and perhaps inspire other school aged children to pursue their dreams.”]