A Letter From Our Founder & CEO
Dear Friends, Family, & GHS Cosmetology Alumni
In 2014, the world lost someone truly extraordinary, Angela Johnson, our beloved cosmetology teacher, gifted stylist, and woman of unwavering faith. But more than that, we lost a mentor, a mother figure, and a radiant light in so many of our lives.
She didn’t just teach cosmetology, she shaped lives. I know this because she shaped mine.
We all have that one teacher, the one who believes in us before we believe in ourselves, who nurtures us like their own, and who helps us see the greatness we didn’t yet recognize. For me, that teacher was Mrs. Johnson.
She had a rare gift, the ability to see beyond your current circumstances and speak directly to your purpose. In a world that often dismisses and overlooks young people, especially in vocational spaces, Mrs. Johnson made her classroom feel like a sanctuary.
She saw potential where others saw problems. She reminded us that excellence is not just about skill, but about how you carry yourself, how you treat people, and how deeply you believe in what God placed inside of you.
Even when we doubted ourselves, she never wavered. She stood in the gap for so many of us, praying, guiding, pushing, and loving us into our calling.
When she passed, I knew her story couldn’t end there. I couldn’t let her legacy be reduced to a memory. I wanted it to move. I wanted it to multiply. And after nearly half a decade of planning, with her son Angelo’s blessing the Angela Johnson Legacy Foundation (AJLF) was born.
AJLF was created to carry forward the values Mrs. Johnson lived by — Respect, Integrity, and Service, and to extend the same love, structure, and belief she gave so freely to a new generation of beauty professionals. We offer scholarships, workshops, business mentorship, and salon sponsorships, all tools that help aspiring cosmetologists not only get licensed, but thrive in business, in life, and in purpose.
This is more than an organization. It’s a movement of legacy-fueled love. It’s what happens when one life touches another… and that love keeps going.
If you’ve ever had someone believe in you before you believed in yourself, you understand why AJLF matters.
If you’re a student dreaming of the salon chair, the studio, or the beauty business you’ll one day build — this is for you.
If you’re a stylist, educator, or industry leader ready to give back, we need you.
Angela Johnson lit the path for so many of us.
Now we shine that light forward in her honor, and for every dream yet to come.
With gratitude and purpose,
EsiSonia Sotoglo
CEO, Angela Johnson Legacy Foundation
