Alumni and Friends Making an Impact

Building empathy is important for Jayonna Johnson. She wants viewers to connect with the subject, so she places them directly in the moment and the atmosphere of her photography.

She is a photography major focused on portrait, environmental and event photography. She’s also a vendor at UD who was hired for Black Alumni Weekend. More than just point-and-shoot, Johnson aims to find sparks of joy and connection.

“When I’m doing event photography, I try to get people in candid moments,” she said. “A lot of the photos I took were of people hugging each other and laughing — there’s a certain emotion that’s exuded from the images.”

Black Alumni Weekend wasn’t the first time she’s had the opportunity to flex her creative skills at UD. She also works as a student photographer for the University of Dayton Magazine and has traveled to Oakland, California, with UD’s Human Rights Center to capture images for the Moral Courage Project as a freshman in 2022. And she was one of eight college students selected to be an Imagining America Joy of Giving Something 2022-2023 fellow.

These opportunities helped her develop a sense of confidence within herself and her voice while also honing skills and identifying areas of interest. Ultimately, they helped her come into her own.

“I did not have prior experiences in event photography, human rights or community engagement, but I think the biggest part is going into them with an open mind and a curiosity for things you do not know. I feel like that’s how we grow as a community,” she said. “In higher education, you shouldn’t limit your learning to the classroom, but take on opportunities outside of that.”

One of the events during Black Alumni Weekend was a student panel discussion where the students asked alumni to show up for them. Johnson connected with that sentiment, especially as a leader in Chi Alpha, a Christian ministry student organization. She views mentorship and encouragement of underclassmen as an important part of her role as a current senior and a future alum.

“I’ve learned how to express myself vocally and creatively through all of these [experiential learning opportunities], and I want to encourage others to do that as well,” she said. “I don’t want to keep the things I’ve learned to myself; I want to encourage and help someone else with what I have.”