Student Spotlight: Lened Johnson, Piccolo
Many college students change their major, and many people do not know what they want to do. For Lenny Johnson, the discovery came about in a unique way.
"I've always wanted to do music performance and initially that's what I wanted to pursue for a career. But, I was worried about the financial stability of a career in music, and I really wanted to have a career that served others in a more direct way. When I was looking into schools for college, I felt really lost. I knew that I still wanted a job where I could be creative and help make a positive change. So I was starting to look into medicine—physical therapy, sports medicine, physician's assistant—and finally settled on dentistry. I am not a fan of broken bones; that scares me and I know I would have to deal with that in sports medicine, but dentistry was interesting. I started to look into it. And that brings up a funny story.
"Sophomore year of high school, I went to the Peach bowl as a trip with my band, since I'm from Florida and my band director went to University of Florida, and it was the University of Florida (UF) versus the University of Michigan (UM). I was all about going to UF for the first three years of high school. And so, I was there with my band, I was leading my line, marching down my side of the tunnel and I saw Kelly Bertoni standing right in front as the Michigan Band marched past, and she looked right at me and said 'hi.' She started talking to me and asked what colleges I wanted to go to and if I was looking at Michigan and she encouraged me to apply and audition for the band. She had a full blown conversation with me and that was a turning point. That was a sign to do dentistry because Michigan is number one in dentistry, but I was also just blown away by the band. I didn't really know about Michigan, and I didn't think I would get in, but I applied on a limb and heard that I had been accepted in May. There was another coincidence that happened soon after.
"My school did those 'what do you want to be when you grow up' activities from first and second grade and so forth. My mom collected all of them and she gave them to me when I graduated and one of them said 'I want to be a dentist.' I don't actually remember writing that, but it was a sign. I started doing workshops with the Pre-Dental Association (PDA). I feel like I can make a change with [dentistry]. I cracked my teeth multiple times as a kid and I know that I got made fun of because of that. My mom was the same way. I actually love going to the dentist. My dentist, I'm shadowing him this summer. He walks me through everything as he's working on my teeth. It's soothing to know what's going on.
"In PDA, there's a lot of volunteer work. One time we made blankets for underprivileged kids and one time we did a dental care kit and made bags with brushes and floss for the Hope clinic and they gave them out to the kids that they serve. There's a lot of stuff like that. We also work on ourselves: resumes workshops, peer mentorship. You get to make so many connections and gain mentorships from those. I think one of my favorite workshops we've done is the Alginate workshop: you get to make molds of teeth. We also tour the dental school and learn what lectures and labs are like. Sometimes I wonder if I'm on the right path, then I do PDA stuff and realize I'm where I need to be.
"I am taking a gap year before dental school to go to Costa Rica to do a program for kids who don't have access to dental products at all. It's a month-long trip and volunteer based. That was my motivation for taking a gap year [after undergrad], because at first I was so against it. I want to have that rest before school and provide resources to underprivileged areas. I want to open my own practice and have those same DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives already built in. I specifically want to specialize in pediatric dentistry because most of the experiences I had were when I was a kid. My mom had really bad issues as a kid and got her fixed teeth and was scared to go to the dentist because of that experience. People in the medical field need to understand the impact they have on the long-term mental and physical health of others. People might avoid checkups because they are scared to go. I want to make sure that I'm a person that kids feel comfortable talking to.
"I am currently a rising junior majoring in Biology, Health, and Society and a minor in Music Performance and Business. The minor in music performance is something I have been coordinating with the department on. I want to be able to continue to explore that passion and participate in ensembles beyond concert band and possibly have private lessons from someone in the department.
"[This past semester] I arranged 'The Phantom of the Opera' for flute choir and a few other pieces. At my high school we had a prism concert, where the auditorium is dark and you shine a light on a different group positioned somewhere in the auditorium and it jumps from group to group. I helped arrange a lot of the pieces for my small groups and other groups, so I was able to use that experience here.
"I definitely think Wynton Marsalis is one [of my music role models]. I was bawling my eyes out when he was talking to us when we collaborated with JLCO. His music is the reason I started listening to jazz as a kid. I also love Hubert Laws, a jazz flutist. Also, Tyler The Creator. He's Nigerian and he has a really interesting backstory that inspires me. His dad left him as a kid and he kept making beats and continued working on his passion, focused on what he loves. He wanted people to hear what he had to say. It didn't matter what people thought, he wasn't afraid to say what he needed to say, unfiltered. He's also an entrepreneur. He's such a prominent Black figure in my life and his personality is so cool. When Black people aren't afraid to say what they have to say, it's really important for us to see. I also love SZA and Lauryn Hill.
"It's so important we do something related to Black culture in music. Only four percent of the people at Michigan are Black. I want to make it more accessible. A lot of people don't apply here because they think they won't get in because they are from underprivileged and underrepresented schools, and they don't see people like them here. I want people to know that they can come here. I know that if I had seen that before I applied I wouldn't have been as scared.
"I don't really see people who have my skin color when I walk down the street. I feel like a lot of Black people don't feel welcome in places outside of Trotter [Multicultural Center]. It feels like the only building that represents that diverse nature of the university. I want Michigan to be more welcoming so that they feel comfortable applying in the first place; knowing that people of a similar background will also be in that same boat. When RJ (another piccolo player) and I became close friends, he told me he felt more comfortable applying because of the social media takeover I did on the band Instagram last year. He saw someone who looked like him. I think doing a Black appreciation show would mean so much.
"We have so much room and money and all the resources to improve, but it's so hard to put ideas into action and I just want it to happen. I wish it was easier to be more diverse. Racism is learned. It's not inherent. It could be fixed, all these issues can. We have to have more of an open mind and not teach kids our own faults.
"My advice for Black students is: don't be afraid to seek your truth and make a change—shake the table a little bit. Your cultural background and everything about you matters. Just because you are a different color as the majority of people here doesn't mean what you say doesn't matter; your ideas are important, don't be afraid to share them. Don't be afraid. Be you. You are who you are. You can't change that, but you can make it known and be proud of it."
