Harvard Junior To Appear In Glamour Magazine

When Taii K. Bullock ‘02 heard about Glamour Magazine’s “Queen G” contest, she knew her roommate and best friend Ajarae D. Johnson ‘02 was the perfect candidate. She was right.

And, when the July issue of Glamour hits the newsstands at the end of this week, Johnson will be one of the 25 featured winners.

“Queen G is for the woman you look at and admire,” explained Naomi C. Barr, a writer for Glamour.

Johnson, who mentors a little sister through Quincy House HAND and serves as the Teach for America campus coordinator, has always amazed Bullock with her penchant for doing good.

“She does a lot of cute selfless stuff,” Bullock said. “It comes naturally to her.”

One incident that sticks out in Baullock’s mind is when Johnson’s grandparents went out of town and Johnson decided to take it upon herself to repaint their bedroom.

“She’s really smart, really giving and I thought it would be cool to have her recognized in Glamour,” Bullock said. “She had as good a chance as anyone.”

So without telling Johnson and leaving her home number as the contact information, Bullock sent in a 100-word essay and two photos of Johnson.

A few weeks later, while the roommates were sitting around, Bullock got a call from her mother saying that Glamour had called.

“I screamed and ran out of the room,” Bullock said. “I locked her out and called the woman back.”

After confirming a few facts, including sending in a transcript to prove her academic achievements, Johnson cinched the title of Queen G.

Johnson, unlike Bullock, was surprised by the honor.

“Aja doesn’t tell anyone, but I’ve been telling everyone like a madwoman,” Bullock said.

She may be modest, but Johnson’s family is assuredly not.

“They will be buying every copy,” she said.

—Staff writer Victoria C. Hallett can be reached at hallett@fas.harvard.edu.