Summary
I am Lynwood Johnson, but please call me LJ. I am a proud Nevadan, born and raised in Las Vegas. I came to Reno to attend the university, and enjoyed my experiences here so much that I never really left! When I was younger, I had a keen interest in all the infrastructure that makes up cities and towns, particularly in architecture and roadways & transportation. This is what led me to come to the University of Nevada, Reno in Fall 2001 to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering. During my time as an undergraduate student, I kept busy outside the classroom in a few areas of student life. I lived in the residence halls for my entire time as an undergrad, being a member of or student advisor to hall leadership councils each of those years, and worked as a resident assistant for four of those years. I also volunteered on the Student Orientation Staff and as a campus tour guide through the Nevada Student Ambassadors each of those years. I completed my Civil Engineering B.S. degree in May 2006.
After my undergrad, I immediately went into a master's program in civil engineering. The courses I was taking were focused on traffic flow theory, traffic operations, and transportation technologies. I also continued to be involved with residential life and Student Ambassadors. But as I was going through my graduate courses, I began to question whether engineering was the path for me, because I was focusing all of my energy on student-centered activities at the university-recruiting students to Nevada and helping them when they got here-that I was not maintaining decent grades in my studies. Eventually, I decided to switch my studies to higher education studies, where I took courses in the history of higher education, student development theory, retention and persistence and more. I completed my Educational Leadership M.A. degree in May 2014. I worked as a Graduate Resident Director or Resident Director at the University of Nevada, Reno for four years during my last years in graduate school. However, my first job after getting my master's degree was here with the College of Liberal Arts Student Center, starting in July 2014. My current position is Coordinator of Recruitment and Curriculum. So in addition to meeting with students for academic advising, I help coordinate the undergraduate student recruitment activities for the college as well as work with faculty on revisions and updates to the major and minor programs. I really enjoy working with CLA-I get to meet all sorts of students and help them find their passions, and work with a great team of advisors who make it a joy to come to work.
In my spare time, you'll most often find me relaxing at home in front of the TV. I'm a lifelong fan of game shows such as The Price is Right, Press Your Luck, and Pyramid and also enjoy competition-based reality shows (like The Amazing Race, Survivor and Big Brother) and cooking competitions (such as Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef-even though I'm not particularly skilled in the kitchen), among others. I'm also a big Star Trek fan (Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are my favorite series so far) and enjoy watching some anime (Naruto and My Hero Academia, among others). I participate in a weekly bowling league, even though I'm not that good. You'll also tend to find me in attendance at Nevada men's basketball and football games (even when it's cold). And I also call myself a "roadgeek", feeding my love for traffic engineering by keeping up with the latest regional road construction projects, learning the history of highways and going on random drives throughout the area.
Fun facts:
- I am a first-generation college student, but I didn't really realize this until I was taking higher education classes in grad school and learned the technical definition of the term. (Both my parents attended college, but neither obtained a four-year degree.)
- The buildings I lived in as an undergraduate and worked in as an RA no longer exist as residence halls on campus. White Pine Hall was torn down to construct Great Basin Hall, and Lincoln Hall has since been converted to office space.
- I interned for a summer during my undergrad with the Nevada Department of Transportation doing survey work.
- I used to be Bob Barker!... sort of... I was the host for the residence hall's "The Price Is Right" program twice a year for about six years.
- I have a personal goal to drive every mile of state highway in Nevada.
Education
- Civil Engineering B.S., University of Nevada, Reno
- Educational Leadership M.A., University of Nevada, Reno
Professional certifications
- SafeZone Training on LGBTQUIA+ Allyship
- UndocuAlly
- Vet Smart