By William Coffman, Opinions & Editorials Editor

Cintas Center’s banquet room last Friday night was full of balloons and tables decorated with shining gold, green and white, contributing to the 1920s aesthetic for the 49th Annual Antonio Johnson Scholarship Gala. 

The gala’s theme, “A Xavier Renaissance: Excellence. Power. Distinction.” was dedicated to the Harlem Renaissance, a period in which African-American culture reached new heights, with significant contributions made in the music, literature and art worlds.

The Antonio Johnson Scholarship is named for a former Xavier student. Johnson was raised in Walnut Hills and attended Xavier from 1971 until his passing at age 22 in 1976. Johnson played a key role on campus, organizing Black Awareness Month and leading the Black Student Association (BSA). Dedicated to his memory, the scholarship is awarded to a junior with a 3.0 GPA or higher who has made outstanding contributions to the campus by embodying the Jesuit value of Cura Personalis.

Frie Asamoah, a junior marketing major serving as the chair of the 2025 Antonio Johnson Gala Student Planning Committee was the recipient of this year’s Antonio Johnson Scholarship.

“When planning the AJ Gala this year, the goal was to honor his legacy. We wanted to make sure that he is celebrated in any way,” Asamoah said.

Asamoah holds the distinction of having made the Dean’s List every semester of her time at Xavier. Successfully balancing the classroom with her extracurricular involvement in student groups – such as the Office of Student Involvement, the African Student Association and her role as a Resident Assistant –  was one reason Asamoah was chosen as this year’s recipient. 

Asamoah expressed gratitude and paid tribute to her father when asked what winning the scholarship meant to her.

“My dad’s dream of one of his kids getting a scholarship came through,” she said.

Asamoah was one of three finalists for the award this year. The Antonio Johnson Runner Up award was presented to junior biomedical sciences major Joshua Mathis. Mathis is a member of a Xavier research team working with NASA and does volunteer work in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas as a member of the San Antonio Kappa League. That spirit of service followed him to Cincinnati, where he volunteers with Boys 2 Men and the Saturday Hoops program.

The Dr. Jerry Cline-Bailey Excellence Award is presented to the third finalist for the Antonio Johnson Scholarship. This year, Jonah Morris, a junior biology major from Rochester, Minn. received the award. Morris is also very involved on campus, including being a member of the THRIVE center, formerly the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the BSA, where he served as president last year, and the Pre-Med Student Association.

The event saw large attendance, with guests including members of the Board of Trustees, deans of Xavier’s colleges, other faculty members and the family of Antonio Johnson. Councilmember Meeka Owens was the keynote speaker for the event. Owens spoke of the turbulent state the nation finds itself in and encouraged students to remain hopeful while working for a better future.

One of the students present at the event was Tyrae Walker, a Student Government Association (SGA) senator and founder and president of All For J.C. A licensed and ordained minister, Walker delivered the event’s Invocation. 

“It’s so important to highlight the work that African Americans and other minorities are doing on this campus,” Walker said. 

Student Body President Jake Galvan was present at the gala as well, and echoed Walker’s remarks. 

“I think the Antonio Johnson Gala recognizes some of our most important communities on campus, especially the Black community and the African student community. So this is a really great way for folks to come together and celebrate our campus,” Galvan said.