A DIFFERENT VERSION OF WHAT WAS POSSIBLE

By the time he finished his junior year of high school, Johnny Toma had a 1.5 GPA.

College was not part of the plan.

Neither was Harvard.

Neither was public policy.

And certainly not becoming the founder of a technology company.

"I wasn't planning on going to college," he said. "I was just planning on working my whole life."

School felt irrelevant.

Motivation was absent.

The future was something other people seemed to think about.

Then he boarded a plane to Romania.

Everything changed.

The Summer Everything Changed Everything

Johnny's parents are Romanian immigrants.

His father passed away when Johnny was ten years old.

At seventeen, Johnny traveled to Romania to reconnect with his family's roots and learn more about the country that had shaped his parents' lives.

It had been years since his last visit.

What he found there surprised him.

His cousins were excelling academically.

Many were earning top marks.

Some were receiving scholarships.

Others were being recognized as the best students in their classes.

Meanwhile, Johnny knew exactly where he stood.

"I saw all my cousins going to college, getting full rides, getting recognized for graduating at the top of their class," he recalled.

Then came the thought that still makes him laugh.

"I got a little bit of that nationalism and thought, 'Well, I can't let the Romanians beat the Americans.'"

What started as a joke quickly became motivation.

For the first time, he saw what was possible.

And for the first time, he wanted it for himself.

Looking back, Johnny understands how consequential that trip was.

The Turnaround

When Johnny returned home, he approached life differently.

He began researching colleges.

He watched online lectures.

He started filling gaps in subjects he had ignored for years.

He studied for the ACT.

An 18 became a 26.

A student who had spent years disengaged from school suddenly became obsessed with learning.

His senior-year GPA climbed to 3.5.

Teachers were stunned.

"They were quite frankly shocked," he said.

His friends convinced him to apply to college.

He was accepted just weeks before classes began.

And when he arrived on campus, he made a decision.

"I went to college with the sole mission of spending every moment I could learning."

The Habit That Changed Everything

Most freshmen spend their first weeks trying to find friends.

Johnny developed a different routine.

Whenever he saw someone sitting alone in the cafeteria, he would walk over and introduce himself.

Every time.

No exceptions.

One day, the person sitting alone happened to be Dr. Abhijit Bhattacharyya, Dean of the College of Engineering.

As a business student, Johnny had no idea who he was.

He simply sat down and started talking.

He shared his story.

The low grades.

The turnaround.

The goal he had set for himself.

A 4.0 GPA.

That willingness to walk up to strangers became a recurring theme throughout his life.

From Intern to Entrepreneur

The dean who had taken an interest in Johnny eventually connected him with a local executive named Mark Donovan, an experienced chief financial officer who has spent decades leading organizations, advising businesses, and mentoring professionals.

Donovan was intrigued.

He agreed to meet him.

The conversation led to an internship.

Soon, Johnny found himself working on projects, building relationships with university leaders, and gaining access to opportunities that many students do not encounter until much later in their college careers.

Three months later, it led to something even more unusual.

Johnny was offered a full-time position while still enrolled in college.

He did everything.

Social media.

Events.

Website maintenance.

Operations.

Whatever needed to be done.

"I was their go-to person," he said.

More importantly, he was learning.

The experience gave him a front-row seat to leadership, business strategy, and organizational decision-making.

It also connected him with many of the business and civic leaders shaping Jonesboro and the surrounding region.

For a student who had entered college determined to learn from every opportunity possible, it became another turning point.

Solving Problems Instead of Complaining About Them

Today, Johnny is the co-founder and CEO of a technology company focused on expanding educational opportunity.

The company's projects range from AI-powered advising tools to technology designed to help institutions better understand student needs.

One project aims to help students who miss class catch up through guided learning support.

Another explores ways to improve advising capacity for students navigating college pathways.

The focus is not technology for technology's sake.

It is technology in service of educational access.

For Johnny, every product traces back to the same question:

How can more students receive the opportunities he nearly missed?

Why Education Became Personal

Johnny speaks frequently about education reform.

Not because it sounds impressive.

Because he sees himself in the students who are struggling today.

Many students will never have a moment like the one he experienced in Romania.

They will never take a life-changing trip overseas.

They may never encounter a mentor who changes their trajectory.

Johnny believes a student's future should not be determined by a single lucky break.

"I don't want to leave the education of people in Arkansas to chance."

That conviction is deeply personal.

Arkansas is where he grew up.

Where mentors invested in him.

Where opportunities emerged.

Where he built his career and began imagining a different future for himself.

"I love Arkansas," he said. "Every opportunity I have has come because of this state."

He sees a state with tremendous potential.

He also sees challenges that need solving.

And he believes it is his responsibility to help solve them.

"If I have the skill set possible to do it, then it's my duty to do it."

That belief now drives both his policy interests and his entrepreneurial work.

He wants more students to encounter opportunity without needing a lucky break to find it.

Looking Beyond Borders

This summer, Johnny will attend the PPIA Harvard Junior Summer Institute.

Looking further ahead, he is considering spending a year abroad before graduate school, potentially in China, to deepen his understanding of education, public policy, and leadership in a global setting.

His interest may seem surprising.

Growing up in Arkansas, Johnny often heard China described as a competitor or adversary.

Today, he sees something different.

He sees an opportunity for collaboration.

"I don't view China as an adversary," he said. "I view them as someone we should partner with."

That belief became unexpectedly personal during a fourteen-hour layover at Heathrow Airport.

While waiting for his next flight, Johnny sat down at a public piano.

He barely knew how to play.

A Chinese traveler who had been playing moments earlier walked over and began teaching him.

They spent four hours playing piano, sharing stories, exchanging ideas, and eventually exchanging contact information.

For Johnny, the experience reinforced something he already suspected.

People are often more alike than they are different.

Many of the world's biggest challenges, from education to economic opportunity, will requireglobal cooperation, not competition.

The Responsibility

A few years ago, Johnny Toma was a teenager with a 1.5 GPA.

This summer, he will walk through Harvard's gates as a PPIA Fellow and 4.0 student.

Between those two moments lies a trip to Romania, a chance conversation in a college cafeteria, a mentor who spent countless hours helping him sharpen his skills, build his confidence, and navigate opportunities far beyond the classroom, and a growing belief that education can change lives.

Including his own.

"If you're capable, you have to sacrifice," Johnny said.

"If you know you have the ability to change your community, it's your duty to."

For Johnny, that responsibility is only beginning.