Hello!
I hope this finds you in a place of peace and understanding. I am excited to share my accomplishments as a scholar, LGBTA advocate, and researcher but first; I would like to give you insight into who I am. I am Keesha Johnson, a graduate of the illustrious North Carolina A&T State University (A&T), where I earned my degree, overcame my insecurities as a non-traditional student, and embraced my potential as a budding research strategist and public relations professional. My journey to this point in my career has faced challenges, some tougher than others to transition through, but with faith as large as a mustard seed, I persevered.
My college journey began in 2011; after graduating from Southern Guilford High School, located in Greensboro, NC, I decided to attend college out of state, which led me to Washington, DC, to Trinity Washington University. At Trinity, I learned that I genuinely loved Mass Communications, Journalism, and activism supporting LGBTQ people while learning even more about myself. As life progressed, circumstances shifted for me in a direction I could never imagine. During my senior year at Trinity, I became pregnant with my daughter. During my pregnancy, I worked vigorously to graduate before the due date, but the universe had other plans. I had a tough choice to either graduate in the fall, leaving my newborn in North Carolina to finish my degree, or sit out and embrace motherhood. And I did just that- I took two years off from school and embraced every aspect of motherhood.
After setting my feet in this new life role, I chose to finish what I started and return to school. Attending North Carolina, A&T State University was more of an opportunity that chose me and helped me blossom for the better and placed me on the path to where I had the chance to achieve goals I never thought were possible. While attending A&T, I got the opportunity to serve my community as a Multicultural Student Ambassador, LGBTQ Resource Ambassador, and Committee member for the UNC Systems and Campus Advisory Committee. Those roles allowed me to understand what it means to be a leader and taught me how to engage further with those from diverse backgrounds and create an environment suited for all students who chose to use the Resource Center as a refuge.
Moreover, as my journey continued at A&T, more chances toward greatness came my way. Understanding the public relations industry is one that is ever-changing, I have gained the opportunity to serve as a fellow with Pan Communication. Pan Communications is a public relations and intergraded-making firm driven by the belief that great people can do great things. That’s why they focus on people and culture first. At Pan, I was introduced to what it means to be an entry-level accounts manager and the skill of research, media relations, creating media content, and integrated marketing.
After completing the fellowship at Pan Communications, I came across an opportunity of working with the advertisement firm Wieden &Kennedy after applying for their HBCU undergraduate scholarship and receiving it. I was then allowed to participate in their summer residency programs as a research data strategist. Wieden& Kennedy is the leading advertisement firm in that nation, creating content for clients such as Ford, McDonald’s, Nike, and many more, after applying for their HBCU undergraduate scholarship and receiving it.
When working at (W&K) I had the responsibilities of managing alternative datasets for brands like Nike, McDonald’s, Ford, and Fan Duel. While working closely with team members to develop queries and strategic management plans for clients regards social media engagement and growth. While monitor, track, and evaluate campaign performance analytics based on critical client metrics, and analyze historical data across paid, earned, and owned social media and identify patterns via social media platforms such as Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, Facebook, and Tik Tok.
Each of the experiences has shifted my perspective of what it means to be a professional in the advertising industry as well as the public relations field as a graduate this made me hungry to learn and grow more in those prospective fields.
Keesha N. Johnson |Public Relations| Research Data Strategist 