Aaron Johnson, T'07

High school valedictorian, future legal scholar

"I just wanted a chance to make my own way through school. I'm not asking for easy—just for possible."

Native New York Stater Aaron Johnson had never been farther south than Pennsylvania, but he was determined to attend college at Duke. The class valedictorian and track-team captain knew the university offered strong academics, especially in the field he is passionate about—political theory. The goal seemed out of reach after his dad lost his job with a fabricating plant in Johnson's hometown, but he applied to Duke anyway—and was accepted under the university's "need-blind" policy, which does not weigh a student's need for financial aid in the admissions process.

Committed to meeting 100 percent of admitted students' demonstrated financial need, Duke is helping Johnson pay the tab with a financial aid package of grants, scholarships, loans and a job. "There was no way I was going to go anywhere else," says Johnson, who's studying with renowned professors like Peter Euben and intends to become a political science professor or a lawyer. "I'd like to argue before the Supreme Court someday."