After rising through the Collegian newsroom and building a decades-long career, a K-State alumnus gives back to the place that shaped him.
At the beginning of his college career, Deron Johnson was stuck in community college with a seemingly unreachable goal — to study journalism at K-State. But his dreams quickly became reality.
“K-State was very much a happy accident for me,” said Johnson. “It was always a place I wanted to go but didn’t think I could until my transfer credits got cleared up.”
Climbing the ranks
Once he transferred, Johnson quickly made a home at K-State. He joined the Collegian student newspaper and made his way up through the editorial board. He became the opinion editor and then secured the editor-in-chief position.
He spent most days in the newsroom leading and encouraging the paper’s staff. During Johnson’s time with the K-State Collegian, he also saw his dream taking shape.
“At the Collegian, we had the freedom to fail and learn from our mistakes,” he said. “That was a really big takeaway for me. So by the time I graduated from K-State, I wasn’t acting in a shadow role as a journalist. I felt like I was a journalist.”
After he graduated, Johnson fulfilled his dream of becoming a journalist and now has over 35 years of experience in agriculture, animal health and food journalism, as well as corporate communications and agency leadership.
Giving back
After years in the workforce, Johnson began to support his roots. He donated to a new scholarship fund that expands hands-on learning opportunities for students, preparing them for a rapidly evolving media landscape. The donation also supports the salaries of A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication faculty.
“K-State is a really special place,” he said. “After being in the real world and seeing how other institutions operate, you come to realize that K-State is different. The opportunity to support that is more meaningful to me now than it has ever been.”
As a true friend of K-State, Johnson’s generosity won’t end there. Through continued support of the A.Q. Miller School and the College of Veterinary Medicine, he’s helping more students achieve their dreams.
By Kate Ellwood