Alumni of Distinction: Maile Johnston

Maile Johnston, B.A. Biological Sciences '21, will receive the 2025-26 Alumni Humanitarian award at the Alumni of Distinction Celebration on March 26, 2026, at the Fine Arts Building Recital Hall on UAA's Anchorage campus.

For many people who know exactly what they want to do for a career, the real work often begins after school, when the demands of classes, homework and exams are finally behind them. But for Maile Johnston, the humanitarian work that would define her career began long before graduation. Even while she was still a student, she was already finding ways to support some of the most vulnerable people in her community.

Johnston grew up in Eagle River but also spent significant time in Hawaii, where her father is from. Time in both places - the mountains of Alaska and the beaches of Hawaii - shaped her initial interest in environmentalism. She also believed law would be the vehicle for that advocacy. Her career interests were also shaped by her mother's career as a lawyer. Johnston's mother served as an assistant attorney general for the State of Alaska's Child in Need of Aid division, where her work benefitted children who had experienced abuse and neglect. Her mother's work showed Johnston firsthand how legal advocacy could make a difference in people's lives.

As Johnston began to volunteer with organizations that supported foster youth and survivors of domestic violence, she found herself drawn to work that benefited people more directly. Around the same time, she also became involved in the Miss America organization, a program many people associate primarily with beauty competitions, but one that also emphasizes advocacy and scholarship.

"I wanted to be the type of person that could be Miss Alaska," said Johnston. "For me, that meant being somebody who was super involved in the community and was able to speak about issues that I cared about."

Through the Miss America organization, Johnston developed her public speaking skills while promoting an initiative supporting children in Alaska's foster care system. When children enter custody, they are often given trash bags to collect their belongings. Johnston helped organize efforts to donate luggage and personal care items to the Office of Children's Services so children could carry their belongings with dignity.

After being crowned Miss Alaska in 2019, Johnston was also able to use the program's scholarship opportunities to help pay for her undergraduate education at UAA. During this time, she embraced the philosophy encouraged by Claudia Lampman, former vice provost for student success, who urged her to take full advantage of the many opportunities for community engagement and professional development on campus.

"If you are somebody who is really willing to get involved in the community, there are a lot of opportunities at UAA and a lot of professors who are willing to work with students and help them achieve any dream they have, no matter how niche that dream may be," said Johnston.

Johnston next enrolled at the University of Michigan to earn her Juris Doctor. During her first year, she focused on mastering the rigorous curriculum while seeking opportunities connected to her interest in advocating for children and families. In her second year, she expanded that focus through hands-on clinical programs, including the Pediatric Advocacy Clinic, a medical-legal partnership that connected families receiving pediatric care with legal support. Through the clinic, Johnston worked on cases involving housing disputes, disability rights, education challenges and domestic violence. By her third year, she became involved in broader interdisciplinary initiatives addressing systemic issues impacting vulnerable populations. One project examined child labor involving unaccompanied minors who had entered the United States and were being exploited in dangerous industries. Working alongside students from law, engineering and social work, Johnston helped research policy and business solutions that could be presented to legislators, nonprofit organizations and corporate leaders, combining legal research with collaborative problem-solving aimed at protecting vulnerable children.

After completing law school, Johnston returned home to Alaska, where she now serves as a law clerk for Alaska Supreme Court Justice Dario Borghesan. In this role, she spends much of her time reading complex case files, researching legal issues and drafting memoranda that help inform judicial decisions. Working closely with a justice of the court provides an opportunity to examine the law at the highest level in the state while continuing to sharpen the analytical skills she developed during law school.

Looking ahead, Johnston plans to transition into private practice before getting involved in state government. Wherever her path may lead, the goal will always be to use law to help restore dignity, stability and opportunity for the people who need it most.

"Child neglect, sexual assault and domestic violence have a huge impact on Alaska communities," said Johnston. "While it won't be easy to eliminate abuse, if we can create awareness about the ways people can be part of the solution, I think that would make a huge difference. At the end of the day, people deserve dignity, they deserve respect and they deserve to feel safe."