Some call him Prof. Johnson, others call him Josh. Soon, he will be known as Dr. Johnson. Everyone knows he is an Assistant Professor within Olivet’s Department of Communication, but who is Professor Josh Johnson? How did he get here? What was his journey like? For 37 minutes, I sat down with Prof. Johnson to answer these questions, and over the course of that time, I got to know not just Prof. Johnson, but also Josh.
Early Life in Sunny California
Growing up in California was a positive experience for Johnson.
“I had a pretty stable upbringing: two parents in a home, which is a huge blessing,” he said.
Johnson was raised with six younger siblings in Yucaipa, Calif., about two hours east of Los Angeles. There, he and his siblings were homeschooled by their parents. During his high school years, Johnson joined a speech and debate club as part of his homeschool co-op.
Prof. Johnson with Family (1/5). Photos Provided by Josh Johnson. 
Prof. Johnson with Family (2/5). Photos Provided by Josh Johnson. 
Prof. Johnson with Family (3/5). Photos Provided by Josh Johnson. 
Prof. Johnson with Family (4/5). Photos Provided by Josh Johnson. 
Prof. Johnson with Family (5/5). Photos Provided by Josh Johnson.
“I loved it. I soaked it in,” Johnson said. “I always had a pretty natural gift for speaking. I had to hone it, obviously, over the years, but I was never afraid to get up in front of a group of people.”
Overall, Johnson described his family as being very close and very supportive. While growing up, he and his father did not have the best relationship throughout his high school years. However, Johnson describes a turning point in his journey with God that eventually made him realize that he needed to get closer with his dad if he wanted to get deeper with God, and today they share a great relationship.
The Undergrad Years
Johnson’s undergraduate years were defined by his time at Biola University in La Mirada, Calif. Johnson did not walk into college as a communication major. In fact, he went undeclared for a year-and-a-half as he was unsure of what study he wanted to pursue.
“I went to Biola because of their Great Books program,” Johnson said. “When I got there, my roommate in freshman year, Josh Tey, who was also a friend from high school… Halfway through his junior year, he switched to communication. I said, ‘What are you doing?’ Like, ‘What’s the idea?’
And he says, ‘Actually, I’ve been doing a lot of researching in this major. It’s way more flexible. There’s way more opportunities with this major versus business.’”
This sparked Johnson’s curiosity in the field of communication. At that point, he didn’t even know there was such a major. So, he began to investigate it. While doing so, he thought of philosophy, the Bible, theology, and the field of communication started to make sense to him. Johnson says that he gravitated toward it because of his high school speech and debate years, but he mainly credits his roommate Josh Tey.
While still at Biola, Johnson was a Resident Assistant (or Resident Advisor as it’s called at Biola), and during his senior year he became the Peer Internship Advisor for Biola’s Division (Department) of Communication. As Peer Internship Advisor, Johnson acted as a sort of liaison between the Communication Division and Biola’s Career Center. While in this role, he explored different career options, such as human resources and teaching. But one thing caught his eye that he knew he wanted to pursue: graduate school.
Graduate School & Professorship
While many know Johnson as a professor, it wasn’t always something that he knew he wanted to do. However, he knew that no matter what career he pursued in the field of communication, graduate school was something that he needed to complete.
“I was thinking about some industry roles, but grad school kept picking at my brain,” said Johnson. “And I kept getting indications from faculty [at Biola] that I would be good for grad school. So, they sort of swayed me into thinking like applying for Purdue and some of those other ones.”
Johnson would go on to obtain his master’s degree in Interpersonal Communication from Purdue University in 2021. However, as someone who had lived his entire life in California, the transition to the Midwest was a big one.
“I think the biggest [thing] was the snow,” Johnson said. “I had never seen that much snow in my life. Had some in Southern California, but it was like maybe every five years we’d have maybe half an inch. Full blown feet of snow. I was like, ‘That was crazy!’”
After completing graduate school, Johnson eventually found a job at Olivet Nazarene University.
“So I was hired because I have interpersonal communication experience,” Johnson said. “And so that’s my signature class that I teach in the fall.”
As he goes throughout his tenure as professor, Johnson is simultaneously attaining his Ph. D.
“So the way it works for me is there’s the general field of communication, and then within that, my emphasis is interpersonal communication,” Johnson said explaining his study for his dissertation. “Within that, I focus on family relationships, specifically the parent-child relationship, and then within that, I’m looking at adolescent disclosure with their parents about taboo topics, specifically pornography. That’s what I’m looking at.”
Johnson anticipates completing his dissertation and doctorate by July of this year. So while many students call him Prof. Johnson this year, expect to see a Dr. Johnson teaching Comm. classes next year.
Prof. Johnson After Hours
When Johnson is not teaching or completing his dissertation, he loves to do many things, such as working out.
“So I got a subscription to the Premier fitness center here in town,” Johnson said. “Love it. There’s an ONU discount, which is awesome.”
Besides that, Johnson enjoys reading, hiking, going to parks, and playing video games.
“I’ll pull out battlefront with my brothers and my good friend Chase, and we’d play for hours,” Johnson said. “I love story mode games, so Jedi Survivor, Jedi Fallen Order, some of the story mode Star Wars games. There was a great game that came out called Expedition 33 that I absolutely love. I’ve now played it three times. I’m going through it a fourth time because it’s just as good.”
Epilogue
Prof. Johnson is a man that many in the Department of Communication look up to, including myself. With the way he teaches his classes and the way he engages with his students most definitely makes him one of the best professors on campus. His story is similar to that of many college students, especially my own, No matter where you are in life, you will make it big if you put your mind to it and have faith in the One who gives life.
