Jillian Johnson
Everett High School, Class of 2016
What are your career interests and why?
Talent Development Consultant but anything in Human Resources, I believe that we spend so much time of our lives at work. Helping people enjoy their job and going to work every day is a goal of mine. Employee retention is directly connected to employee satisfaction. From a business and personal standpoint ensuring that your employees enjoy their job and have the opportunity to grow there is important. I love to help people reach their highest potential and developing career plans.
Education has opened up opportunities for me professionally that I did not expect. You hear a lot about how the things you learn in the classroom in college are beneficial to your professional growth but I learned quickly there are many other benefits in addition to the classroom. Many of my professors had connections in different communities that I was interested in. Those connections also helped me gain meaningful internship and on the job experiences. I was able to gain leadership coaching, one on one professional development, and truly even gained more confidence through different opportunities. The combination of these aspects of my college career has gotten me to where I am today.
What does being a Lansing Promise scholar mean to you?
Being a Lansing Promise Scholar means that there is a community ready and willing to invest in my future and my goals. When you are in high school obtaining a bachelor’s degree seems pretty out of reach. But having the Promise meant that there was hope and a group that believed that out of reach goal was attainable now. Even throughout school, I kept in mind that there was an upcoming generation of students that would benefit from seeing another Promise scholar reach their goal of earning their bachelor’s degree.
Lansing Promise created a community of support that helped improve my educational experience and gave me the confidence knowing that there was and still is an amazing community of supports behind me throughout my college career.
What advice would you give to our future Lansing Promise scholars?
Create your own path as no one’s path is meant for a different person. Your path may not look like your best friends but what makes it great is that it is YOUR path. Every bump in the road, every roadblock, every stop you may have is leading up to something greater for you. Enjoy the scenery on your path and embrace every moment they will go by faster than you know.