josh

Josh Johnson

Name, Hometown, School: Josh Johnson; Uniondale, NY; Columbia College

Claim to fame? Co-chairman of the Black Student’s Group Consortium (shoutouts to my brothers and sisters in the struggle, cuz it’s real), Uris Pool Lifeguard, and Intramural Champion (I go hard in the paint!). Also my partying skills are legendary, I’ve perfected ancient the art of the fist-pump and my turn up is just mean bruh!

Where are you going? I’m heading back to Strong Island for the summer to study for the MCAT, which means I’m going to med school…someway/somehow. After that, I’ll hopefully be recharging my batteries on the crystal clear beaches of my not-so-distant homeland, Jamaica.

Three things you learned at Columbia:

  1. Speak up. Let’s face it Columbia is far from perfect. When issues arise in academic or social settings we should be vocal about our emotions and demand better from classmates, faculty, admin, etc. There’s no shame in being “that kid” in class who always brings up racism, sexism, classism and whatever other –isms exist. Chances are you are not alone in your experiences here at Columbia and the more you speak up the more encourage others to do the same.
  2. Make your own path. Being a part of the rat race is just no fun. Take the time out to be an individual and to appreciate your differences. Yeah I’m pre-med but I’ve never set foot in a lab outside the few I was required to take for class and I’m also an Ethnicity & Race major. I managed to find multiple ways in which I could mix my love of medicine with my interests in all those –isms I spoke about before. Basically though, you just gotta do you.
  3. Appreciate the little things. This is probably something that has been/will be reiterated by most of my fellow seniors. Savor every moment you spend with friends outside of class or Butler. Don’t be afraid to spend that extra hour in the dining hall, take that last minute trip downtown, or skip a few classes to chill on the steps.

Back in my day… $500 dining dollars was a thing. Having an Ethernet cord for Internet access was absolutely necessary. We had at least one minority/female Dean of either CC or SEAS. Courseworks looked like a website straight up out the year 1996. Frat Row actually had fraternities on it. Deantini was teaching us how to use the periodic table.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I work hard and I party slightly harder. And I’m part of what is possibly the best group of friends to ever set foot on College Walk.

Write a CU Admirers post to anyone or anything at Columbia: To the University maintenance staff: You keep Columbia up and running and there aren’t many avenues for us to show our appreciation for you. So thanks for doing what you do day in and day out.

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? Cheese who?

One thing to do before graduating: Go to happy hour during finals week. Trust me.

Any regrets? Can’t say I do. That’s not to say I’ve done all things perfectly here. In fact, I’m more often the opposite of perfect and I make more mistakes than I can count. But I’m here, and I’m graduating and not too many people who look like I do or come from where I come from can say the same. So with that, no I have no regrets.