‘I’m setting myself up for success wherever I go’
This story was written by Caroline Daly ’24 and originally published on unc.edu
Senior Nyah Johnson’s experiences at UNC Hussman’s FashionMash and Xpressions prepared her for a fashion magazine career.
One of Nyah Johnson’s first memories is of a Carolina men’s basketball game in the Dean E. Smith Center, watching Tyler Hansbrough ’09 play and posing for a picture with Rameses.
Throughout her childhood in Youngsville, North Carolina, she heard many stories about Carolina from her mom, Geneva Johnson ’93, who graduated in a year when the Tar Heels won a national championship and beat Duke. “Then now my senior year, UNC beat Duke with that Seth Trimble 3-pointer, which made me so nostalgic,” Johnson said.
Johnson knew Carolina was home after taking a campus tour in high school. Sitting at Top of the Hill with her mother, she told her, “I see myself here.”
When she read her acceptance email, Johnson and her mom danced, happy about continuing a family legacy.
“UNC was the best option for me both financially and mentally,” she said. “Being part of the Carolina community gives you such great opportunities and resources at your fingertips.”
Finding her passion
Johnson came to Carolina with interests in environmental science and politics but rediscovered a love of writing and journalism on campus. She joined BlackINK Magazine, a student-run news outlet on campus that empowers Black students to write about their experiences.
She also applied to the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, participating in its FashionMash program in fashion communication and marketing. FashionMash teaches students about the fashion industry and how to produce a robust portfolio of professional work.
The program dives into branding with classes in experiential marketing, art direction, and editorial and product design. Throughout the academic year, students work with clients like Ralph Lauren or Levi’s to learn more about fashion through their products.
At Xpressions, a fashion literary magazine that is part of the FashionMASH program, she combined her passions for journalism and fashion.
“I enjoyed being on the art direction side and storytelling,” said Johnson. “It was similar to journalism: I was telling a story but in a different way, through image and visuals instead.”
Giving back to Carolina
In her sophomore year, Johnson applied to be a Sean Douglas Fellow at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History. The initiative helps undergraduate students gain professional development experience through internships with the Stone Center’s director.
Johnson, whose mother’s college roommate took classes with professor Stone, created an internship project about her early love of ballet, reviving her interest in the dance. She hosted a dance showcase with friends who had similar experiences, culminating in a video of all of them together. After her fellowship, she continued to work at the center, helping plan and promote events celebrating art, culture and history, including the center’s Diaspora Film Festival.
“My work at the Stone Center has strengthened my ability to merge storytelling, art direction and community engagement,” said Johnson. “These are spaces that gave me so much joy and clarity, and I want to give back.”
Johnson hopes to work as an art director for a fashion magazine in New York after graduation.
“Each opportunity led me to the next, to get more clarity on the direction I see myself going post-graduation,” said Johnson. “UNC has so many amazing alumni, professors, teachers and mentors. I feel very confident with the resources I’ve gained at Hussman, FashionMash, Xpressions that I’m setting myself up for success wherever I go.”