January 14 – For some alumni, the love for Prairie View A&M University is so nice that they have to do it twice! College of Agriculture and Human Sciences alumni Michael Johnson is a two-time graduate having received both his Bachelor’s degree in 1977 and Master’s degree a few years later. His experience as a panther has carried him into a long career spreading knowledge of agriculture.
Johnson first made his presence at PVAMU in 1973 to pursue a degree in Agriculture Education. Coming from a farming background, he was able to learn the technicalities of agriculture in a formal setting while gaining experience in the classroom. Each summer during his undergraduate years, his parent’s farm kept him busy and gave him hands-on experience between semesters. “My parents were rice farmers. I came home
As with many other PVAMU alumni, Johnson’s connections to his professors gave him a memorable experience that has remained with him for many years. “My professors during my time, they cared about the students. They were very concerned about what you were going to do after you graduated.” He said the CAHS program prepared him for his future career. Johnson contributes his foundation of teaching to the Agriculture Education degree program at the time which he mentions was very inclusive due to students learning various aspects of agriculture including animal science, horticulture, soils and more.
Today, Johnson is the Agriculture Teacher at Nimitz High School in Aldine Independent School District where he has been teaching for 42 years. Johnson wants his students to succeed in life and does his best to instill the importance of hard work. With many of his students coming from inner–city and urban areas, he said he must teach them everything about agriculture and encourage them to go further into careers in this field.
Taelor Smith
Communications Specialist
tasmith@pvamu.edu
(936) 261-5155