Sophomore Carly Johnson recently won the grand prize for “Living The Example” national video competition hosted by The Mentor Foundation at their 6th annual drug facts rally in Washington D.C. to help youth “shatter the myths” around drug abuse.

“I was fortunate enough to attend and experience the amazing event,” Johnson said. “As the Grand Prize Winner of the “Living the Example” video competition, I was flown to Washington DC where I was treated like royalty.”

Sponsors of the event gave Johnson a tour of the House of Sweden, gave her a dinner with the President/CEO of Mentor Foundation USA, and awarded her a $500 H&M shopping spree.

“The morning of the event, we traveled from Washington DC to Baltimore where I joined 250 local high school students for the youth rally,” Johnson said. “At the start of the event, guest speakers presented facts and statistics about substance abuse, while Dr. Ruben Baler presented facts and statistics about substance abuse, while Dr. Lonise Bias told her heart-breaking account of the loss of both her sons to drugs and violence.”

During the event, students also had the opportunity to get their questions answered by leading scientists from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and were informed about the real dangers of substance abuse.

“It was an incredible honor to be a part of something so powerful and life changing as the Shattering the Myths Youth Rally, and I wouldn’t change a thing,” Johnson said.