As the nation’s charter schools begin to see their first classes of students earn bachelor’s degrees, all eyes are on how many of those students are making it through to graduation. And the true testimonials of success come from the students who experienced the charter schools firsthand.

Michelle Johnson is a 22-year-old student at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. Johnson attended KIPP Newark Collegiate Academy in Newark, N.J., and is expected to graduate from Morgan State in December 2017. Here, she discusses her ambitions to become an entrepreneur and how she found support at a difficult time in her life at a diverse and academically challenging college.