Tawanna Johnson, B.A. '16
Possible Major/Minor: International and Global Studies major, French minor
Year of Graduation: 2016
Hometown: Providence, Rhode Island
Previous Education: E-Cubed Academy
Clubs/Organizations: Transitional Year Program, University Chorus, works at the Library
“My history teacher had asked me who I was. I thought, Who am I really? Who had I become? What is my legacy? About 300 years ago, my ancestors were uprooted from Africa and forced into slavery in Providence, Rhode Island. After years of slavery, my ancestors were finally freed and left Providence in search of a better life in Liberia. Shortly after their return, civil war broke loose in the country. My ancestors had to make a decision whether to stay in Liberia or return to Providence: a place where they were enslaved by their memories, but where opportunity awaited. The discovery of my family’s past made me recognize the traces of my ancestors in the person I am today.”
-excerpt from Tawanna’s college admissions essay
Our past defines who we are, but few people face theirs so unflinchingly and proactively as Tawanna Johnson. Born in New York only a year after her mother’s immigration to the United States as a result of the first Liberian Civil War, Tawanna spent most of her life in Providence, Rhode Island. Currently a Transitional Year Program student, she is proud of being at Brandeis, particularly since “when I was in pre-school there was a point where we didn’t have a house. Education-wise, I guess I was lucky, or at least [my mom] always said I had a good head.”
Liberia plays a part in her life larger than most Liberian-Americans, with her uncle having run for President of Liberia in 2009, and planning on running again in November of 2011. For her politics are more than abstract ideas, they intimately affect her life: “since the civil war, my life’s just been a bunch of like political stuff, like who’s doing what, and who’s not supposed to do this, who’s better, who’s not, and who’s not listening.”
She continually emphasizes the importance of security and safety to her, describing how “I can’t say certain things, and people will write stuff on the internet, and it’s just scary.” Describing her position of being torn between wanting to go back to Liberia and visit with family and being intimidated by stories of unrest and corruption, she finds comfort in the current stability of Brandeis.
Although she is no longer interested in pursuing politics as a future line of work, she does “really want to work for the UN, or something in that area. I want to invest in building schools, and just be a person that would go in and not direct things (like a political analyst) to help the country progress.” Her hope is to build the confidence to face the factors that scare her, and that “through Brandeis, once I know more, and once I go through all these classes and learn about human rights and know what to do, I can build that confidence to walk right in there and say ‘hey, we’re gonna do it this way!’.”
Her dreams are more than admirable, and certainly what the world needs in its rising leaders. She notes that she is not the only one with these types of ambitions, saying “I know a lot of people my age in the Liberian community are trying to do the same thing: everyone wants to go back and change everything, trying to make it better than what it is now. That’s what everyone wants to do, and I’m really, really happy about that, because now I feel like I’m not the only person to go in there.”
“What will be my legacy? What will my future generations discover about me? 300 years from now my family will see that I graduated from college and became a policy analyst. They will see that I went back to Liberia to help mend the laws of education. They will see my devotion to my people who will no longer have to move because knowledge and opportunity will be at their doorstep. Providing opportunity for others is rooted in my culture and will always be a part of me. I know who I am. I am the first step for the next generation.”
-excerpt from Tawanna’s college admissions essay
About Ariana
This is a terrific piece! Great job Ariana, and congratulations to Tawanna… I hope she continues to thrive on campus and, one day, manages to share her Brandeis experience with her fellow Liberians as many have done before her.