In this week’s edition of the RA spotlight, we focus on a hardworking Residential Assistant of Frazer Hall, Marcus Johnson. Johnson joined the Residential Life staff in January of 2017 and has been a part of the MSMS family ever since.

He was born in Columbus, Mississippi on Oct. 25, 1994 to Sarah Sykes and the former Marcus Johnson, Sr. Johnson graduated from New Hope High School where he was a member of the football and track & field teams. Sports have been a big part of Johnson’s life and have led him to pursue a career in athletic training.

“My major is Kinesiology/Exercise Science. I chose Kinesiology because of my love for sports and also because of my interest in the anatomy and physiology of the human body,” Johnson stated.

His favorite sport, football, has left a major impact on his life, giving him a constructive hobby in his early life and paying for half of his college tuition in the latter years. He is also a referee for the intramural sports department at MUW.

He stated that the RA position was recommended to him by the MSMS Director for Academic Affairs, Mrs. Kelly Brown, and the Assistant Frazer Hall Director, Mr. Thomas Robinson. Both approached him in the cafeteria on separate occasions and told him they thought he would be a great person for the position.

Co-worker Casmine Gathings holds the same impression of Johnson as a good person for the position.

“As a coworker, he is very dependable. He is hardworking and is really friendly,” Gathings said.

Junior Dev Jaiswal echoed the opinion of Gathings when talking about Johnson.

“Marcus is awesome! I really enjoy talking to him. He’s very funny and has a great personality.”

Although the RA position is a tremendous responsibility, the Res Life team at MSMS makes it their mission to support the students. Not only do they teach the students lessons to carry with them through life, but the students also expose them to things they never would have encountered.

Johnson commented on his personal experience as an RA and how it has changed him.

“Since becoming an RA, I have been exposed to a variety of foreign languages and maths that I didn’t know existed. It makes me want to go and do my high school curriculum over again!”

Johnson says the best thing about being an RA is the relationships he has built with people he would not have met–from the other Res Life staff members to the intelligent students and the administration/faculty of MSMS. Johnson states that the hardest thing about the job is the 24/7 responsibility the staff has over the students.

“Working at a live-in-job can be very demanding because the students’ lives don’t stop even though the shift ends,” Johnson said.

If students and staff are looking to show Johnson some appreciation, they can surprise him with his favorite food: peanuts. He says he can eat them all day with any type of seasoning or flavoring. Johnson says he listens to all kinds of music, as long as it has a good beat and rhythm.

Before wrapping up this week’s RA spotlight, we leave you with some advice from Johnson.

“Trust the process and study the students that graduated from MSMS before you and see what great opportunities this school can provide. Also, remain true to yourself in a world that constantly changes what is considered to be ‘cool’ or ‘lame’ and stand firm in what you believe in.”