A Valedictorian's Unexpected Journey

Published on Sep 10 2025

At 42 years old,  Greg Johnson, a self-described “Yooper” from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula walked across the College of the Redwoods graduation stage in Spring 2025 as valedictorian—surprising no one more than himself.

But before his CR journey began, life had already taken him through a patchwork of cities: Winnemucca, Las Vegas, Cleveland, La Honda, and ultimately Eureka/Arcata, where he’s spent the better part of 21 years. But it was a deeply personal and painful experience in Cleveland that quietly laid the foundation for the student, and the human being, he would become.

At 21, he left Las Vegas to care for his grandmother, who was battling small cell carcinoma. “Something inside me knew I had to,” he recalled. Her passing, which happened right in front of him, was devastating, yet formative. “Although there was a great amount of emotional pain… I still knew I had done something great by stepping up when my family needed me.”

That instinct to step up would guide him again years later, though this time in an unlikely place: a college classroom.

Originally, he toyed with the idea of studying video game design. A lifelong gamer and visual artist, it seemed like the perfect fit, until it wasn’t. A promotional video from a prospective school killed the spark. “I knew my passion for art had been mostly dead long before that,” he said. “Art and I were done.”

What followed was a spontaneous appointment with a CR counselor that unexpectedly led to enrollment. “I accidentally became a full-time student,” he laughed. “If I had spent time thinking about it, I may have very well talked myself out of it.”

In need of a general education math course, he signed up for Contemporary Math. What he found there was more than formulas and homework, it was purpose.

“Math scared me... it had been over 20 years since I had a math class,” he said. “But I discovered my love for mathematics while going through the course book before the semester began.” The lifelong puzzle-solver had found a new obsession: computations, logic, and “chunky problems” that brought satisfaction and calm.

From there, he dove headfirst into his studies with razor-sharp focus. He leaned on campus resources like EOPS and found casual camaraderie in the chess club. Most of all, he adopted a mindset that many students could learn from: ask for help, do the work, and don’t wait until the last minute.

“Being proactive is a much easier and softer route,” he emphasized. “Sounds like a no-brainer, but I’ve found that so many students would rather just let things fall apart and deal with it after.”

Despite excelling in the classroom, self-doubt still crept in, especially in moments when he felt the weight of his age. “I’m a 42-year-old math major,” he said. “Feelings of ‘I’m too old’ or ‘I’m definitely going to fail’ are natural. But feelings aren’t reality. Do the work.”

His academic success wasn’t just about grades; it was about growth. His biggest takeaway? “Hard things are doable. Just take it one step at a time.”

That perspective carried him all the way to valedictorian, a title he describes as “unexpected and a huge honor.” But his proudest moments were often quieter: helping classmates with math problems and reinforcing his own understanding in the process. “It felt good to help others,” he said. “And by helping them, it helped cement the operations in my own mind as well.”

Now a mathematics major at Cal Poly Humboldt, he's entering his second semester with a clear sense of purpose, and very sore calves. “Nothing can prepare you for all those stairs and hills!” he joked. “I told my mom, ‘I never thought I would be a bodybuilder from the knees down!’”

When asked what success means to him now, he points to the journey and not the destination. “What most people think of as success is materialistic... but if material things meant success, then every rich person should be a glowing ball of joy, right?”

His definition is simpler: "To be of service, to live in gratitude, and to practice patience and kindness."

As for any regrets? “No. I don’t think like that. There is absolutely nothing we can do to change the past. Learn from it as best we can and move on.”

Before signing off, he adds one final note of appreciation, for the CR community, for the deer that visit campus when it rains, and for the unexpected joy of becoming a student again.