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Crystal Johnson
20241 Cherokee
Hero Story
Crystal began her involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtenaw County as a Social Work intern from Eastern Michigan University working on her Bachelor’s Degree in the Fall of 2010. During that year she became a Big Sister in the School Based program. This match ended after a year and then, in the Fall of 2012, after serving a year as an Americorps member and then being hired as a staff member, she was ready to become re-matched in the School Based program.
On December 10th, 2012, we matched Crystal with 8 year old, Exzadria. Crystal would meet with Exzandria each week during the academic year and they quickly developed a real connection. During match support at the end of the school year, Exzadria said that “Crystal is awesome!” And that “she could not think of her favorite part about having a Big Sister, but she said that everything about being matched is her favorite part, and on a scale a 1-10 for how happy she is Exzadria said 100!” Recently, when talking with mom about the impact of the match, she reflected back to when they first met and how special it was for Xzandria to have a Big Sister that she said “looked like me….wears glasses like me…is brown like me”. And that was a big deal for her. Crystal and Exzadria continued to meet for several years, playing board games, swinging on the swings, talking and reading together. And as they met consistently, their relationship continued to grow and deepen into a true friendship.
When Exzadria graduated from 5th grade, she and Crystal decided to transition their match to a Community Based Mentoring relationship, with a very long list of things that they wanted to do together. Their first outing was attending a BBBS game night, where Exzadria was able to assist Crystal in hosting as a staff helper and also have fun playing together. You could tell that the responsibility of being in this ‘leadership’ role was something that she took too and felt proud to do. And this became a bit of a theme, as Crystal would typically have a staff role at events, but also be there to have fun with Exzadria, and it really has allowed all of us at BBBS to watch Exzadria grow up.
These two have had lots of fun together, from roller skating to roller coasters, attending plays and baseball games. Through all of it they still made time for their heart-to-heart chats. Their commitment to being open and honest with each other, helped Zaza’s (now that she’s older she likes to be called Zaza) confidence in herself and her abilities grew. In Zaza’s words, Crystal helped her feel “comfortable in her own skin.” It’s hard to think of something more empowering than learning to love yourself.
And 9 years later, the first time they sat down to have lunch together is still one of Zaza’s favorite memories. She says it felt good to have someone she could sit and talk to about anything, especially at a young age. While at school Crystal had the opportunity to observe Zaza in action with her peers and teachers. This allowed her to speak more directly to Zaza’s questions and concerns, and help her build stronger relationships with her community.
Crystal is deserving of this award for her outstanding service as a mentor to ZaZa. She has not only made an impact on her Little Sister, but the family and community. Crystal is passionate about the work she does in the community and as a staff member. Over the years she has been a consistent mentor to Zaza.
When Zaza was first enrolled she was described as being “hesitant and defensive” and it was disclosed that she had been dealing with some bullying and challenges with her social relationships. She had dreams of a “flavor maker”, someone who adds flavor to food or medicine to make it taste better. Zaza told the interviewer that she wanted her Big Sister to enjoy dancing and singing. Also her Big Sister should be able to help her get along well with others. Over the years Crystal and Zaza have bonded over their shared interests but mostly just like to talk and hang out! Zaza is now described as mostly bubbly and happy. According to surveys Zaza has completed, her peers are now considered a strong protective factor in her life! As Zaza is getting ready to graduate she has plans to attend culinary arts college.
Zaza is an amazing young woman who has grown with the support of her family, community and Crystal. One of our staff members, Amanda shares “it has been beautiful to watch Crystal and Zaza’s relationship grow over the years! They have always been close and enjoyed spending time together. However Crystal hasn’t just been there for the good times, she has been there for Zaza and her family during the hard times like Covid and Zaza’s mom getting sick. Crystal has been a true example of how a mentor can help shape the lives of youth in our community”.
Crystal Johnson
20241 Cherokee
Hero Story
Crystal began her involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtenaw County as a Social Work intern from Eastern Michigan University working on her Bachelor’s Degree in the Fall of 2010. During that year she became a Big Sister in the School Based program. This match ended after a year and then, in the Fall of 2012, after serving a year as an Americorps member and then being hired as a staff member, she was ready to become re-matched in the School Based program.
On December 10th, 2012, we matched Crystal with 8 year old, Exzadria. Crystal would meet with Exzandria each week during the academic year and they quickly developed a real connection. During match support at the end of the school year, Exzadria said that “Crystal is awesome!” And that “she could not think of her favorite part about having a Big Sister, but she said that everything about being matched is her favorite part, and on a scale a 1-10 for how happy she is Exzadria said 100!” Recently, when talking with mom about the impact of the match, she reflected back to when they first met and how special it was for Xzandria to have a Big Sister that she said “looked like me….wears glasses like me…is brown like me”. And that was a big deal for her. Crystal and Exzadria continued to meet for several years, playing board games, swinging on the swings, talking and reading together. And as they met consistently, their relationship continued to grow and deepen into a true friendship.
When Exzadria graduated from 5th grade, she and Crystal decided to transition their match to a Community Based Mentoring relationship, with a very long list of things that they wanted to do together. Their first outing was attending a BBBS game night, where Exzadria was able to assist Crystal in hosting as a staff helper and also have fun playing together. You could tell that the responsibility of being in this ‘leadership’ role was something that she took too and felt proud to do. And this became a bit of a theme, as Crystal would typically have a staff role at events, but also be there to have fun with Exzadria, and it really has allowed all of us at BBBS to watch Exzadria grow up.
These two have had lots of fun together, from roller skating to roller coasters, attending plays and baseball games. Through all of it they still made time for their heart-to-heart chats. Their commitment to being open and honest with each other, helped Zaza’s (now that she’s older she likes to be called Zaza) confidence in herself and her abilities grew. In Zaza’s words, Crystal helped her feel “comfortable in her own skin.” It’s hard to think of something more empowering than learning to love yourself.
And 9 years later, the first time they sat down to have lunch together is still one of Zaza’s favorite memories. She says it felt good to have someone she could sit and talk to about anything, especially at a young age. While at school Crystal had the opportunity to observe Zaza in action with her peers and teachers. This allowed her to speak more directly to Zaza’s questions and concerns, and help her build stronger relationships with her community.
Crystal is deserving of this award for her outstanding service as a mentor to ZaZa. She has not only made an impact on her Little Sister, but the family and community. Crystal is passionate about the work she does in the community and as a staff member. Over the years she has been a consistent mentor to Zaza.
When Zaza was first enrolled she was described as being “hesitant and defensive” and it was disclosed that she had been dealing with some bullying and challenges with her social relationships. She had dreams of a “flavor maker”, someone who adds flavor to food or medicine to make it taste better. Zaza told the interviewer that she wanted her Big Sister to enjoy dancing and singing. Also her Big Sister should be able to help her get along well with others. Over the years Crystal and Zaza have bonded over their shared interests but mostly just like to talk and hang out! Zaza is now described as mostly bubbly and happy. According to surveys Zaza has completed, her peers are now considered a strong protective factor in her life! As Zaza is getting ready to graduate she has plans to attend culinary arts college.
Zaza is an amazing young woman who has grown with the support of her family, community and Crystal. One of our staff members, Amanda shares “it has been beautiful to watch Crystal and Zaza’s relationship grow over the years! They have always been close and enjoyed spending time together. However Crystal hasn’t just been there for the good times, she has been there for Zaza and her family during the hard times like Covid and Zaza’s mom getting sick. Crystal has been a true example of how a mentor can help shape the lives of youth in our community”.