Grant Johnson was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. If asked what he’s passionate about, the first thing he’ll say is his community. Omaha is home.
Grant has concentrations in Accounting, Business Finance, Banking and Financial Markets. Like all current students who were enrolled during Covid, his experience with the pandemic shaped the trajectory of his studies and offered new insights he was not aware of. He decided to take up a secondary concentration in Logistics and Supply Chain Management after seeing the effects of what shutdown and shortages caused the community. That valuable knowledge can be carried forward into the current climate of inflation, high prices, and continuing shortages of goods.
“I wanted to prepare myself for another similar event that may take place in the future,” he says.
Community is a driving force for Grant. It led to his selection of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the College of Business Administration as local institutions to learn. A highlight of his college career was being a Peer Mentor with the Thompson Learning Community from the fall of 2020 through 2021. That sense of “wanting to help” and connecting with others spurred a focus in supporting local non-profits and eventually a job opportunity to work at the Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation as an Associate Financial Analyst.
Grant is steadfast in his vision and has excelled through the unique challenges graduates of his generation have faced with the pandemic, remote learning, and re-entry to in-person classes. Grant gestures to his ears as the topic of remote learning is breached.
“Being a deaf/hard of hearing student and doing remote learning can be difficult.”
These were obstacles to navigate but not extreme barriers that prevented learning. Being prepared with closed captioning and assistance from interpreters allowed Grant to engage in classes and stay on the same page of his peers.
“I’m grateful for everyone who has been involved here (at UNO) that allows me to continue learning, growing, and making sure I have all the resources available.”
Grant cites the faculty as an additional source of support, particularly Dr. Burch Kealy and Ms. Lori Simonsen, both from the School of Accounting, which ranged from class discussions to just being able to have a conversation about life.
Though focused on earning his CPA and excelling at his job, Grant doesn’t forget life outside of work. He enjoys being outdoors, fishing, and exercising. When asked what advice he could give to new students, he keeps it simple.
“Do internships. They’ll enable you to figure out what you like and don’t like, plus give you a resource of experience to pull from. And secondly, be real with yourself. Know what you want and pursue it.”