Octavia Johnson: Always on the Go
It’s Tuesday morning around 9:30 am, in the Residence Hall Association (RHA) Office in Belk Hall, cold as usual.
Inside the office is Octavia Johnson, the media and marketing chair for RHA, sitting at the leather computer desk on her laptop, typing at a rapid speed. With keys clicking on her keyboard and a focused face, she is in the zone.
Soon 30 minutes pass and she is packing up to go to class, feeling upbeat and ready to take on the rest of the day.
“I’ve been in the office since 8 this morning,” she says. “Have another meeting to attend later on today.”
As she walks towards the door she says “Byeeee” very rapidly, and speed walks off.
This is an everyday routine for Octavia, who wakes up, goes to class, attends meetings and repeats the venture every day.
Perhaps, what’s so intriguing is the fact that she is always on the go, yet always on time to everything, a trait and quality that not too many college students possess.
“I used to be unorganized before I got to college,” she says.
“I didn’t have the motivation to do multiple things or even be a part of them,” she adds.
However, when she stepped foot on the campus of UNCP she noticed the changes around her, like how fast paced college is and how easy it is to fall off or slack off in everything.
“Coming here my first year there was a change in mindset, like I wanted better for myself ,” she says.
Soon after, she quickly got involved, gaining leadership skills and organization skills from clubs such as RHA, I Am Boss, and her position on staff at The Pine Needle.
“As I got involved more, I surrounded self with people who were great at being organized and used time management which has benefited me even more,” she says. “I’ve learned that this mindset of being on the go came from me being the type of person that wants to see everyone to succeed and grow with me.”
Not only she is on the go as far as her academic life, she also is in her personal life, scheduling time with her friends whether it be eating together or going out and enjoying events.
The mindset of being on the go has also been rewarding to her as well, getting recognized by the North Carolina Association of Residence Halls as Executive Board Member of the Month, and being loved and respected by her peers on campus.
“I just want to push as far as I can,” she says.
“There’s so many seconds, minutes, and hours in a day, I want to make every one of them count,” Johnson adds.
