Hey YOU. First of all thanks for stopping by, it means a lot. I just started this whole shebang, so this can be one of those moments you look back on and think, “hey, I sort of knew him before his blog went viral”. Unless, of course, my blog has already gone all Rebecca Black and you’re reading it now because you’re late to the party.
Though you’re probably thinking this isn’t my first rodeo, I’m actually a bit of a blogging novice, so bear with me for now. I will make you a promise to always keep things interesting and engaging, but I’m sure there will be a blogging learning curve. For example, any of you who got my subtle reference to The Buried Life (aka best show ever) in the title, 5 points to Gryffindor. If you didn’t, go on YouTube and watch a few episodes because it’s worth it. And if you didn’t get the Harry Potter reference you just destroyed a little piece of my hope for the future. Kind of like a horcrux.
I was thinking of ways to introduce myself to my 7 readers (hi mom!), so I thought I might share a few of my different interests, from personal, to professional, to academic and everything in between. For starters my name is Andrew Johnston, and I’m a 21 year-old senior at Bentley University, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, just a stone’s throw outside of Boston. The real world is looming, but I’m making sure to enjoy the year and maximize the time I still have left here at Bentley. I play on the NCAA Men’s Golf Team, about which my next blog will be written, and I also work as an Admission Fellow in our Office of Undergraduate Admission. My role is to interview prospective students and to support the work of our admission counselors so we can bring awesome, driven young people here to Bentley, so that in ten years my degree is worth twice as much as it is now. If you’re one of those people, or if you have a polarizing view on what I have to say, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. If you’re just discovering Bentley, or if you want to get a more intimate idea of what your life could be like here from the comfort of your couch, watch an undergraduate overview, and explore more of Bentley’s YouTube channel.
In addition to my work in admissions and golf, I spent two years as the Vice President of the Class of 2015, before having to vacate the post when I left in the Fall of 2013 to study abroad in Florence, Italy. I tell people that that semester ruined life for me, because nothing really measures up when you think back to sitting on one of the most famous bridges in the world, looking at one of the most famous cities in the world, eating some of the best gelato in the world, and thinking about the trip to Switzerland you’re going to take next weekend, where you’ll try the best chocolate in the world. Suffice it to say I’m a big advocate for studying abroad.
I am also active on a few student boards within Bentley, including our Student Athlete Advisory Committee, which is comprised of liaisons for each athletic team who communicate directly with our Athletic Department. I am also on the newly formed Student Advisory Board for the Department of Modern Languages, a position in which I work with the modern language department to increase their exposure and visibility to students as well as create programming that increases interest in the modern languages. I do also “dabble” in intramurals, playing soccer, basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, and occasionally even ultimate Frisbee. Oh and I’m also a full time student in my infinite free time.
To that end, I am majoring in Economics and Finance with a second major in Global Perspectives and I hope to use the two to eventually influence change in social policy. For now I am pursuing careers related to Corporate Social Responsibility, with the idea that every business inherently has a responsibility not only its shareholders, but to everyone in the communities it operates within and affects. There will certainly be more to follow about these academic interests and how they came about in later blogs.
But as I said, this is the first in a year-long series of blog posts you will see from me, so if you have feedback, questions, or just want to troll my blog to help me gain exposure, I’m all for it. I think I might attach an interesting, relevant, or inspirational quote at the end of each blog because that seems like a “bloggy” thing to do and I’m a sap so here’s my first one. It’s sort of relevant when you think about it…
“You can tell a lot about a person from his biography.” – Phil Dunphy
Bentley University Undergraduate Admission 