#shakela johnson

"KEEP MOVING FORWARD! It is the slogan of my life and helps me get through just about everything. Whatever is to happen, just happens. So if people could be more accepting and move forward in their experiences I know there would be a lot more happy people here on Earth. Stress can be avoided through acceptance. Focus on current tasks and move forward from there if you find yourself stressed or strapped for time. It would be noticed through centering your energy on something specific that a lot more gets done. When things get done you feel accomplished and when you feel accomplished you have conquered stress!"

Wisconsin Covenant Scholars stand out from a crowd. Shakela tells us that what makes her stand out is her genuine empathy. Her experiences in foster care as a teenager have taught her the value of understanding other people’s emotions and have taught her how to communicate effectively and patiently with people of all backgrounds, though she admits she is sensitive to large crowds. She likes going to the movie theatre and has started building her own movie collection. When we asked Shakela about her favorite place off campus, she replied, “There’s no place like home!”

We asked Shakela to describe herself in five words or less, and she replied, “generous, nice, talkative, cunning, and creative.” Her favorite song right now is “Brand New Me” by Alicia Keys. She likes watching the shows True Blood and Weeds, and she has a hidden talent for baking. “I’ve even made ice cream cakes!” she writes with a smiley face. Her favorite food on campus, of course then, is the big chocolate chip cookie. Though she enjoys interacting with others, she likes to study in the library, where it is quiet.  Shakela is a psychology major, but she also enjoys communications, Spanish, and art, as can be seen by some of her favorite UW-Parkside memories, which are attending performances of the Chaos dance team and the Three Penny Opera. Her favorite event at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside was the Communication Arts Spring Celebration. 

This week, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s Wisconsin Covenant Scholar of the Week is Shakela Johnson! As a resident of the city of Racine, UWP is only a ten minute drive away from her home. Shakela says, as a child, she moved a lot, so it’s nice for her school to be close to home—especially when that school is a diverse, ever-changing community. Shakela enjoys the diversity of UW-Parkside’s student body, claiming that through the varied experiences of others, she learns and grows. Her favorite professors include a sampling of UW-Parkside’s Communications Department: Drs. Meagen Mullen, John Moore, and Jonathon Shailor. Shakela says of them, “Their courses were very well organized and interesting. Each professor also expressed genuine care for the success of the students within their classes.” Her favorite class so far has been Dr. Moore’s Communication and the Human Condition (COMM 107); it explained concepts to her that she had thought about, but had not considered the impact of on human interaction and experience.