Lakeside senior donates $50K Google tech package to Rainier Beach
Kameirah Johnson was browsing through racks of clothing at a Bellevue thrift store last week when she got a call saying she had won this year's Doodle for Google art contest.
As the national winner, the Lakeside School senior is set to receive a total of $55,000 in scholarship funding and a $50,000 technology package for her school - but Johnson will instead be donating that technology package to Rainier Beach High School, she said.
"I believe that when you're blessed, you have to bless others," Johnson said in a phone interview Friday. "I'm very proud of the fact that I'm Black. … Knowing that I have a lot of family there, knowing that there's so much history at that school, it just felt right to give it to Rainier Beach and to a school full of kids who look like me."
Johnson's Doodle for Google submission, a digital artwork entitled "Hair Power: The Crown That Grows From Us," represents her pride in and admiration for Black hair, which was instilled in her by her family growing up, she said. Johnson said it felt meaningful to give part of her winnings to Rainier Beach High School, especially since it has the highest Black student population among high schools under Seattle Public Schools at 41%, and emphasized the South end's rich cultural history.
Johnson also attributed her success to the Black and African American social media accounts and organizations that spread the word about her contest submission, and she "felt obligated to pour back into that same community," she said. Her piece was selected by judges as a finalist and received hundreds of thousands of public votes to be crowned the winning design, according to Google.
When Johnson received word about winning Doodle for Google, she talked with Lakeside about directing the technology package to Rainier Beach - a decision her school was supportive of, said Amanda Darling, director of communications at Lakeside, a private school in Seattle with an endowment of more than $307 million as of last June.
After being crowned the winner, Johnson flew to New York for an appearance on the "Today" show Thursday. While there, she recorded a video about her decision to donate her $50,000 technology package, which was shown at a Rainier Beach school assembly Friday afternoon, said principal Annie Patu.
The technology package will allow the school to order Google hardware, such as Chromebooks, via a Google partner agency, to fit their specific needs, a spokesperson for the contest said Friday.
Patu said the school feels humbled about receiving financial support to improve its resources, and hopes students will feel even more excited about learning in the classroom.
"Oh my goodness, it's just going to help elevate instruction here at Beach," Patu said. "When I came on board last year, the vision was building an instructional powerhouse. I've always said that Rainier Beach - the new building … is so prominent in our community, and I just really see it as a beacon of hope for our kids and community."
Heading to New York University to major in studio art and economics this fall, Johnson aims to build more mentorship opportunities for young artists. For her, activism fuels all the art she creates, aiming to give her community strength.
"The point of everything that I do, it's truly not about me," Johnson said. "It's not about, ‘Oh, I'm donating this money. Go me.' I have a genuine love and genuine care for people, like everything I do is with that in mind."
Correction: Due to incorrect information provided, the estimate for number of votes received for Kameirah Johnson's Doodle for Google entry was incorrect in an earlier version of this story. Her entry received hundreds of thousands of public votes, not tens of thousands.
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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 6:42 AM.