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Sam Johnson: Never stop learning

Quadruple major at University of Arkansas committed to campus ministry

Published: August 29, 2018   

Sam Johnson, a senior at the University of Arkansas, lectors during his brother’s wedding Dec. 30, 2017.

Sam Johnson, a senior at the University of Arkansas, lectors during his brother’s wedding Dec. 30, 2017.

Besides a church, where do you connect with God the most?

“Outside of church, my closest connection to God is in helping other people. Sometimes the biggest impact you can have on someone is to just to smile at him or her. Personally, I have had bad days walking to class and someone smiles at me and it makes my day. It is so important to be nice to people and smiles are contagious.”

Becoming a life-long learner is a lesson Sam Johnson has taken to heart. A senior with a quadruple major at the University of Arkansas, Johnson has never been one to shy away from the opportunity to learn something new.

He has studied abroad three times; in France, Japan and Italy, each time leaving his host country with the experience of another culture and new ideas to explore.

Johnson, 21, started as an economics major, but will graduate next spring with degrees in economics,  accounting, marketing and French. 

“My end goal is to be a professor,” said Johnson, who would like to help business majors understand the overlap in content and to teach relative to their major.

But studying isn’t Johnson’s only priority. Since moving to northwest Arkansas at 9 years old, he has always been involved with his Catholic faith. Currently, he serves as the Aquinas Servant Scholar student intern at the parish on campus, St. Thomas Aquinas. Johnson has office hours, attends staff meetings and functions as the voice of the students. This is also his second year as deputy grand knight for the Knights of Columbus and he also serves on the peer ministry team, as a Eucharistic minister and a lector at the church.

“I like being involved and it is a great community to serve,” Johnson said.

This past summer, Johnson started another chapter in his life by proposing to a girl he had met at Search 136 when he was in high school. While in Italy, at the Vatican, no less, he asked Maddie Oxner, originally from Conway, to marry him.

Johnson’s advice to those wanting to keep the faith while on campus: “It’s mainly about prioritizing. In college, there will always be conflicts, but pick the right priorities and not just center your activities around your friends to keep your faith a priority,” he said.

Click for the 15 Catholic young adults who inspire us, 2018 index 

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