Over a decade, she built a family and a career, and along the way, became a fellow of the Multicultural Women’s Executive Leadership Program, an immersion program that develops participants’ leadership skills. Like with her grandmother before, Johnson was once again surrounded by strong women who wouldn’t take no for an answer — and the majority all had one thing in common.
“They were Trojans,” Johnson said. “I could see myself [at Marshall] being surrounded by all of these high profile professional women who not only have pride in the university but also had a loyalty and camaraderie that seemed to be unshakeable and unbreakable.”
Johnson felt pulled to Marshall for its deep sense of community, in addition to its academic prestige and the boost it could lend her career. After an encouraging conversation with her husband, she applied to just one MBA program: USC Marshall.
While driving to pick up her sons from school in 2021, Johnson got the call: She was accepted. She was so excited she had to pull over and collect herself. Later, her sons were even more excited than she was. As they exclaimed: “Now we can do homework together!”
Even with this affirmation, Johnson still felt old self-doubt creep up in her during the first few weeks of the program. Johnson mused, “Continuous education and continuous improvement are things that I value. I had to remind myself to reflect back on my values and stay the course.”
Johnson dove into classes on leadership, entrepreneurial mindset, and financial negotiations. She had a demanding schedule that made it difficult to see her family as often as she would have liked, but Johnson soon discovered another family in her core group of 60 students.
“I’ll never forget my Marshall core,” Johnson said. “We got to build relationships; we got to understand how each other thinks by the questions they would ask or the comments we gave.”
Just as important was her bond with her professors. According to Johnson, each faculty member devoted countless hours to help students absorb content and study for exams.
“Marshall truly set us up to succeed as long as we were willing to fully engage, put forth the effort, and not quit,” Johnson said.
Constantly communicating, Johnson and her husband used shared virtual calendars to organize the family’s busy schedule with her demanding school life. For her part, Johnson never wasted a minute at Marshall, all to ensure she could have time for the people who mattered most at home.
“While staying organized was beneficial, just as important was learning to appreciate progress over perfection and realizing that if I pour my best into everything, I won’t leave enough for the people and things that are most important to me,” Johnson explained.
The foresight paid off. She was proud that her sons could watch their mother speak in front of thousands of members of the Trojan Family at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
“I just feel like it’s an extra motivation for them and something else for them to aspire to as they determine what they [want to] do with their careers and their lives,” Johnson reflected.
Johnson will continue to invest in the Trojan community after graduation as a Marshall Alumni Ambassador and member of the USC Black Alumni Association (BAA) Advisory Council. As an ambassador, she relishes the chance to help prospective MBA students with the same uncertainty she once faced.
“The biggest blessing to me is being able to realize the impact that I’m having on people before they even get here,” Johnson said. “My network has multiplied because of doing just that, just being a resource and making time for people who are struggling with a lot of doubt.”
In all of her new roles, Johnson is encouraging others to follow in her path. No, it won’t be easy, she admits, but it will be worth it.
“You will be a part of a strong network that’s going to support you when times get hard, that’s going to encourage you when you’re down on yourself,” Johnson said. “It's been a blessing to me that I can’t really put into words.”