With a father who retired from the Army and a mother who was born in South Africa, Momence senior Georgi Johnson has lived a rich life. Georgi was born in South Africa. She also spent years of her childhood on the Mexican-American border in El Paso, Texas. But when Georgi was in sixth grade, her father retired from the Army and returned home to Momence to share a piece of his childhood with his family.

While Georgi has lived several places in a typical ‘military brat’ lifestyle and was no stranger to moving, she admits her first days in Momence presented unique challenges. “You make friends a lot faster [moving from military base to military base] because everyone’s in the same boat as you are,” says Georgi. She adds, “Coming here was a bit more of a struggle at first because this was the end of it. This was my dad’s retirement.”

While exiting the military family lifestyle required adjustment, Georgi quickly settled in, making new friends and learning to love her community. One of the aspects of Momence that Georgi cherishes, which is likely like the life she experienced on military bases, is how everyone knows and helps one another, often sacrificing to do so.

She proudly references the ‘What’s Happening in Momence’ Facebook page, explaining that multiple individuals are always volunteering to help whenever someone is struggling. That helping hand, it takes a village mentality, is how Georgi defines community.

Momence has become Georgi’s village. She shares that her family is moving to South Africa in December. Still, Georgi has chosen to stay behind and finish her senior year, wanting to graduate from high school in Momence. From there, she plans to attend Joliet Jr. College to study culinary arts. She wants to become a chef and potentially even open her own restaurant or bakery, partly in tribute to her Great Grandma Judith, whom she affectionately called Mama More.

“Ever since I was little, I was really close with my great grandmother. We always joked about opening a restaurant together. I’ve been obsessed with the idea since I was young,” says Georgi. “I cook a lot of different things, but I lean towards the pasty side, the baking side.”

Georgi also admires her parents and the unique strengths they demonstrated while her father served. While her father’s sacrifice was apparent and heroic, she also recognizes the quiet, unassuming strength her mother was forced to model while Georgi’s father was deployed.

“Whenever my dad’s been deployed, she’s who I depended on. She always tries to do whatever she can to give me the full high school experience. She always encourages me to go out with my friends if my homework is done.”

Georgi describes her mother as bubbly and always smiling, which leads me to realize that Georgi is, in many ways, her mother’s daughter. I see a similar smile and hear the same positive, light-hearted attitude. A young lady who, through countless moves, learned to make friends easily and hold them close. “I make people laugh a lot with the silly little things I say or do,” admits Georgi with a humble pride.

No stranger to starting over, Georgi admits that after college, she plans on applying for internships and is open to wherever life takes her. But for now, even with the rest of her family moving half a world away, she has chosen to remain in Momence, a town that’s now stood-in as her longest-lasting home. For now, Momence remains her village.