Anika Walker-Johnson, known to students as Ms. Walker-Johnson, has served as the Director of Residential Life at Milton since 2022. During that time, she has overseen all operations for the entire boarding population. She has been a part of organizing every aspect of boarding life, from dining services to collaborative house events and individual house logistics. Former Co-Boarding Monitor Jennifer Li ’26 reflected that Ms. Walker-Johnson “was incredibly supportive of students’ initiatives” and that she “found creative ways to reconcile our visions with administrative restrictions.”
Recently, in collaboration with Li and former Co-Boarding Monitor Jacob Matalon ’26, Ms. Walker-Johnson helped arrange the newly implemented class-specific dorm dinner events in Forbes. Each Thursday, a specific grade level, beginning with the seniors, would gather in Forbes for a cross-house dinnertime. The new event was highly received and spiced up the monotony of dorm dinner, especially at the end of the year. Li added that throughout all the difficult planning for large events like boarder dinner, dorm dodgeball, and dorm caroling, Li “appreciated [Ms. Walker-Johnson]’s positive attitude and hard work,” and emphasized that she and Matalon “could not execute our job as boarding monitors without her.”
Ms. Walker-Johnson consistently paved the way for the Boarding Monitors this year and in past years, helping to implement their agendas and to improve the boarding experience for all. She worked with the boarding parents’ association to provide every student with a goodie bag of snacks during midterms. Initiatives like these characterize her impact on the community and the increased sense of solidarity between faculty and students.
The Director of Residential Life juggles many responsibilities, such as managing administrative duties, interacting with the student body, and gathering feedback to act on. Ms. Walker-Johnson consistently met and exceeded these responsibilities to create a boarding community built on unity, buy-in, and compassion. The effort and understanding of the residential experience at Milton she carries became even more apparent to my Co-Boarding Monitor, Shira Keitner ’27, and me during our first meeting with her in early May. Ms. Walker-Johnson walked us through all the expectations for boarding monitors and the specific contacts we would need to use throughout our time in the position. She offered insight that has already allowed us to work at our most efficient and will undoubtedly continue to do so. Additionally, she thoroughly explained the challenges and successes of past boarding monitors and passed on those lessons to us. Ms. Walker-Johnson’s knowledge of boarding life will surely prove to be an invaluable asset for Shira and me, and we will continue to tap into it and eventually pass it on. Although Ms. Walker-Johnson is moving on, the influence she has had not only on the boarding community but on Milton as a whole will remain. For her efforts, we are extremely grateful and cannot wait to see what she does next!