Gregory

Functionally Illiterate and in the 5th grade, Gregory Johnson was living with his wheel chair bound grandmother when he first joined SCAN. For 4 years he attended SCAN’s after-school tutoring program on a daily basis, receiving intense one-on-one literacy support. When he entered the 7th grade, he joined SCAN’s Reach for the Stars program. In the summer he worked for SCAN as a peer mentor and day camp counselor with a stipend from NYC’s Summer Youth Employment Program.

In his freshman year, Gregory received a scholarship to attend Holderness School in New Hampshire where he led the school team to two New England Prep School basketball championships and was twice awarded MVP. Basketball aside, it was a struggle for Gregory to keep up at Holderness, but he persevered. He graduated in 2005 and was awarded a prize for ‘The Hardest Working Student’.

From Holderness, Gregory went on to Hofstra University on a full basketball scholarship. Playing varsity all four years, he was starting point guard on the Hofstra Pride’s winning basketball team in his senior year. He graduated in May 2009. Today Gregory plays for the Harlem Globetrotters.