Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of feature stories celebrating the Class of 2026 valedictorians and salutatorians at the five high schools in Shelby County.
Haddison Johnson has been making strong decisions about her future then pursuing the right paths to reach her goal.
Johnson, Co-Salutatorian at Waldron High School for the Class of 2026 with Ashlin Day, enrolled in specific health education classes through Blue River Career Programs in Shelbyville to get started.
Now a Waldron graduate, she currently works at Major Health Partners’ Cardiometabolic & Liver Health Center. By the time she starts taking college courses in the fall at Ivy Tech, she will have already worked at two hospitals (she logged clinical hours through BRCP at Rush Memorial Hospital).
“(BRCP) is how I got my certification,” said Johnson. “My teacher was Tanya Abell. She was great. We logged clinical hours, hands on at Rushville’s Memorial Hospital. That was a good experience.”
While job shadowing, she found her interest peaked in the field of radiation therapy.
“I did a job shadow with a radiation nurse. I loved it,” explained Johnson. “I fell in love with oncology. I felt the call to do that.”
Johnson will take classes in the fall which will limit her hours working at MHP but she has enough advanced credits to not need to take classes in the spring. In the fall of 2027 she will travel to Ivy Tech in Bloomington, Indiana, to finish her degree in the Focused Radiation program.
“And if I want higher pay, I can get bachelor’s degree somewhere else. I haven’t decided that yet,” she admitted.
Johnson transferred to Waldron from Southwestern when she reached high school age. The daughter of Nick and Sarah Johnson appreciated the small community camaraderie that Waldron provided. She was active in Student Council, SADD, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and participated in cheerleading, volleyball and softball.
Johnson was the senior class president and completed a 10-year run in 4H where she showed cattle, pigs and goats and participated in other projects.
“4H is definitely a different atmosphere. You are training more for a life-based skill rather than bookwork. I really enjoyed it,” said Johnson. “I learned a lot of leadership through 4H and FFA.”
A Shelby County native, Johnson can see herself working near home once she completes her college education.
“I do want to stay here. I’ve grown up in Shelbyville and Waldron so I know a lot of people in the community,” she said. “It was always my goal to be able to give back to them.”
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