Student Profile: Emily Johnson
From volunteering at a hospital in Sierra Leone to racking up awards with the Model United Nations team, Emily Johnson says Alma College has given her many impressive ways to fill her résumé.
“The opportunities at Alma are why I chose the school,” she says. “You don’t have to search far to find them here. Just within my first year, I was able to travel across the country and the world. Alma’s environment really encourages me to use my degree to do unexpected things that will really better the world around me.”
The time she spent in Sierra Leone, specifically, helped Johnson cement what she wants to do with her life. The Commerce Township sophomore has a program of emphasis (POE) in global health, which combines her passions for medicine and public affairs.
“I was very inspired by those working in the hospital in Sierra Leone,” she says. “The experience helped me realize that I want to either work in a hospital just like that or work on policy implantation in order to improve the health of those who really need it.”
Johnson also has found inspiration in many of her on-campus classes and activities, including Model UN. In particular, she has learned a lot about teamwork and research, she says.
“Doing research has piqued my interest in global issues,” she says. “While digging into information, you learn things that you might not necessarily learn in a lecture. I like seeing how the United Nations goes about trying to solve or improve the world’s many problems.”
Johnson, who lives at the MacCurdy House, also is a member of Kappa Iota, Executive Council of Amnesty International and International Criminal Court Student Network. She plans to apply to medical schools or join the Peace Corps, among other possibilities.
“People might think that by having a specific POE, I’m limiting what I can do after Alma, but there’s actually a broad world of options for someone studying the health of the global community,” she says.
