Shonté Johnson is a first generation college student and University of California Berkeley graduate who received her Baccalaureate degree in Social Welfare with a minor in Public Policy on May 14, 2017. She graduated with both departmental honors and academic honors with distinction. Currently, Shonté is a graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles earning a Master in Social Welfare with a concentration in Social and Economic Justice. Demonstrating strong leadership in academics, employment, and community service has earned her numerous awards and scholarships. The California State Senate and Legislature, Congress, County Supervisors, and Timothy M. Flaherty, Mayor of the City of Pleasant Hill, all honored Shonté for her leadership and outstanding, distinguished, and invaluable service to the community throughout her undergraduate career. She is also the first place and regional recipient of the 2014 Women of Distinction Award.

Recently, Shonté served as the Development and Marketing Intern at Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), a nonprofit organization that combats the root causes of poverty and homelessness. Always passionate about ending homelessness, Shonté engaged in policy analysis that developed into a research project addressing ending homelessness. Her research was disseminated at the UC Berkeley 24th Annual National McNair Symposium and published in the Berkeley McNair Research Journal and the Ronald E. McNair Symposium Journal. Upon graduation Shonté plans to secure opportunities to advocate for social justice with a focus on poverty, mental health, and homelessness in America. Her career goal is to curtail homelessness through applied research, policy, and developing consumer-driven, comprehensive, and innovative interventions. Shonté believes her lifelong career is to help end homelessness. Her passion and determination to combat homelessness stems from the lived experiences of her mother. She plans to improve service delivery, increase access to housing, and advocate for the decriminalization of street homelessness.