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From broken home life to strong LWU graduate April 23, 2026 was Founders’ Day at Lindsey Wilson University (see the full report in the separate story today by Venus Popplewell), and this is the story shared by senior Leeshawn Johnson, one of two student speakers who put the spotlight on why the University makes such a difference in life. His story follows: My name is Leeshawn Johnson. Many who know me might say I'm outgoing, funny, loyal, and maybe even a little crazy. I take pride in the attributes that define me. I also take pride in what I come from. I've grown up in a broken home, both households full of their own problems. As a baby, my father really wasn't in the picture, and I was taken away from my mom as an infant and put into foster care for neglect. Where was my father amongst all of this? Who knows. My mother hated the fact that he'd never attempted to retrieve me or even reach out to me until I was 11. From then on, I made attempts to try to live with my dad because my grandmother believed I needed a father figure - something that most black men lacked in past generations. My mom complied, and while living with him, I picked up alot of his traits, as most sons would do with their dad. I made a genuine connection with my father and his wife, my stepmother, but we also hit alot of bumps in the road, and I moved around alot between living with my mom and my dad. During this period of time, I wondered if I actually had a home or if I belonged anywhere. In high school, I didn't really take my academics as seriously as I do now. I was the class clown, and it got me in trouble alot. I went to Eastern High School with my sister, who was the same age as me. I played on the football team and was even in the orchestra. So as you can tell, I've always done multiple things at once. COVID struck, and I spiraled into a deep depression. I gained a bunch of weight, coming out of COVID. I was over 300 lbs, out of shape, and in my senior year. I had no clue what I wanted to do after school, but my father insisted that I join the army because I had nothing else lined up. I made it to the end of my football season with zero offers. I joined the track team in hopes of simply staying in shape and having something to do. Eventually, I fell in love with throwing, and I threw and threw until I threw myself into a scholarship here at Lindsey Wilson College at the time. I thank god at any opportunity I get for putting me on the path he did. It kept me from doing something I really didn't want to do. It was my first glimpse at what I might be capable of. My freshman year here at Lindsey was strange to say the least. A new environment, new people, new experiences. I had picked theater as my major because I wanted to get my start in acting, but I was still a high school boy at heart. My freshman year, I wasn't really involved in anything. I didn't even come to the shows because in my heart I felt I didn't belong, because I wasn't the stereotypical theater person. I'm sure when most of you met me, you assumed I played sports, more than likely football. And you wouldn't be entirely wrong. So I decided to stay in my lane and fit the stereotype because I couldn't see myself really contributing anything. (Little did I know.) At the end of my freshman year, I was walking somewhere in the slider, and a girl by the name of Sabrina Ruiz asked me if I did theater, and I replied "a little," and she told me that I needed to get more involved the next year because they needed people like me. She probably won't remember saying this, but those words meant alot to me and gave me the push I needed. I remember my first audition for Almost Maine, and I honestly thought it was terrible and corny, but I got cast to have a role, and it was great. I met so many people my sophomore year because of theater, and I would go on to make more the next year in my casting as Othello in Othello. My first Big main role. This role challenged me in alot of ways I never knew I could be. It required alot of mental gymnastics, late nights in the theater and alot of screaming. This show came down to the wire, but it turned out great with ALOT of guidance from the amazing Robert Brock. Thanks to this same Lindsey Theater program, I will also be furthering my education at Spaulding University, pursuing an MFA in screenwriting and playwriting. Lindsey has also provided me with multiple opportunities for traveling. Something I never really experienced before coming here. While in singers, I flew on a plane for the first time, and got to travel across the country, spend a full week in California, and use my voice to touch people who truly need it. Just a little over a month ago, I travelled out of the country for the first time to Ireland, and got to experience and learn so much about the country, and make connections with my own culture. I've got to see several plays and visit different cities during my time here. Coming to Lindsey, academics aside, I learned alot about myself and more importantly, how to keep moving forward even though the task might be grueling because in the end you won't regret the work you put in or forget the people that were there alongside you. I've learned that forgiveness spares the heart. And lastly, I've learned that you could never fall if you have multiple shoulders to lean on. I'm gonna share a quote with all of you that I personally wrote. "The strongest of people are the people who first conquer themselves." This means fighting the you that holds you back from what you desire, the you that only talks up inhibition, the you that would rather see you fail because it's more comfortable. Once you are able to conquer yourself, that is when the real journey begins. Thank you for listening, and thank you to everyone in this room from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to find my family here at LWU. This story was posted on 2026-04-28 12:59:21
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