The Chris Draft Family Foundation’s Character Team™ is committed to recognizing individuals and organizations for their committment to Character traits.

“Instead of constantly complaining about the U.S. economy, how can U.S. citizens improve it?"

This is the question that St. Louis high school student Jasmine Johnson was able to pose before a group of business and political leaders in Washington D.C. during the Characters Unite National Town Hall.

Johnson, a senior at Soldan International Studies High School in St. Louis, was one of five students in the United States invited to attend the town hall as a winner of the Characters Unite Town Hall Student Contest.

Johnson was required to create a question she would ask to the panel and explain in a paragraph why she would ask that question. Her question was selected, and she was off to Washington D.C. for the panel, dinner and a visit to the White House.

“It’s something I’m interested in, speaking in front of people and being able to learn more about our economy and ways we can improve it,” Johnson said. “So, that’s something I’m looking forward to doing in the future.”

The panel was moderated by former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw, and “brought together the nation’s best and brightest leaders to discuss what can be done to inspire productive dialogue, promote tolerance, foster understanding and even, perhaps, to find common ground on the issues facing the nation today.” The panel also included Mike Allen, Chief White House Correspondent, The Honorable Xavier Becerra, Representative - California, The Honorable Cory Booker, Mayor -Newark NJ, The Honorable Max Cleland, Secretary of American Battle Monuments Commission and a Former Senator from Georgia, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University, Wade Henderson, President and CEO -Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Jon Bon Jovi, Singer, Songwriter, Philanthropist, David Mixner, Writer and Civil Rights Activist, Kathleen Parker, Syndicated Columnist, Chancellor Michelle Rhee of the D.C. Public Schools and Dr. Christine Sierra, Professor of Political Science at the University of New Mexico.

Johnson was selected not only for her question, but because she is an example of a high-character individual and leader at Soldan High School. She is involved in the Future Business Leaders of America, a forward on the soccer team and participated in a mock trial with students at Washington University in St. Louis.

“I surround myself with a very diverse group of people,” Johnson said. “Our school is international, and I use that as a great opportunity to prepare me for the global society. I want to study international business. I want to learn more about cultures, and I’m interested in learning languages, currently I’m taking Spanish. That really gives me a chance to show that I’m an open-minded person, and I can help people realize that maybe getting to know other people isn’t such a bad idea.”

Johnson plans to attend college to study international business. She’s been accepted to two colleges, the University of Missouri – Columbia and Southeast Missouri State University. She hasn’t quite made an official decision yet, but she’s leaning toward becoming a Tiger in the fall.