MORE ABOUT MARIO
Graduation Date: June 2009
Hometown: Chicago, Illlinois
High School: Christian Fenger Academy High School
Campus Involvement:
- Student Leadership Institute (SLI)
- Residential advisor
- National Association of Black Accountants (NABA)
- DePaul Gospel Choir (DGC)
Current Employment:
- DePaul University Office of Admission
- Chicago Park District Budget Office Assistant
Mario Johnson
Area of Study:Information Systems
I chose my major because… I have always enjoyed working with technology and trying to figure out new ways to make technology work for me. I thought a business degree would complement an information systems degree best, so I decided to study abroad to obtain an international business degree. I thought, ‘why not combine the two things I love to do and visit other countries while I do it?’
I decided to attend DePaul because… it offered the program that I was interested in. I thought that because information technology was still relatively young and starting to blossom I would have a lot of opportunities to grow at DePaul. Also, I wanted to stay close to home, but far enough away for me to have my own personal space.
The learning environment at DePaul is… great. It’s definitely not what I expected college to be like, and I feel ridiculously close to my professors. I never thought that I would be in a major class with only 11 students in it. All of my professors go above and beyond to make sure I feel comfortable in their classes.
The class I have most enjoyed here was… Public Speaking. I enjoyed it the most because I had a major fear of speaking in public. I am a lot more confident about my public speaking since I took that class. I also like that I learned something in class that I can use on a daily basis — in school, but also at my job.
When I have free time, I like to… surf the Internet or play video games. Music also occupies a lot of my spare time. When I listen to music, I can relax and reflect on where my life is going and where I would like for it to go. Listening to music releases stress and allows me to focus better.
The greatest thing about going to a school in Chicago is… access. I have access to so many different companies and so many different opportunities and I can do whatever I put my mind to. Also, there’s never a dull moment in Chicago and I can always find something to do.
What I remember most about my first quarter at DePaul is… Discover Chicago and being anxious to meet all the people that were in my class. The facilitators were great! They really welcomed me and guided me throughout the quarter to make sure I stayed on track.
I decided to participate in the Study Abroad program because… I always wanted to see different parts of the world and the best time to do it would have to be in college. One of the new programs that the Study Abroad office just started allowed me to visit two countries in one year. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I could not pass.
The opportunities the Study Abroad program has given me allow me to… study in France for four months and in Sweden for five months this year. I will be studying marketing at the Ecole de Commerce Européenne (ECE) in Lyon, France and Linköping University in Linköping, Sweden. The U.S. government and the European Union have joined together to fund this program and they have also provided us with a monthly stipend while abroad to help defray some of the costs of being abroad. After I graduate from this Study Abroad program that was designed specifically for third year CDM students, I will have a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Upon completion of the international degree, I will come back to DePaul University to conclude my bachelor’s degree in information systems. If everything goes as planned I will still graduate within four years.
I think this extra degree and experience abroad will enable me a lucrative future. There were only five students selected for this program and I think this will set me apart from the rest of the candidates when I enter the job market.
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