The Way College Should Be

Alexia Johnson Leans In to Professional Development, Support to Launch Career

Jeremy Handel

Staff Writer

Some people head to college to find themselves and figure out what they want to do with the rest of their life. Alexia Johnson (’26) already had the path figured out; she just needed the vehicle to start traveling it.

“My career goal is to get into marketing for a large corporation,” Johnson declared confidently. “SMC was pivotal in getting me started on the road to achieving that goal.”

Alexia wasted no time turning her experience at SMC into the first step on the road to her future career. With the lessons learned and skills acquired from completing her senior capstone project, she landed her first marketing job before she graduated.

To anyone who knows Johnson, that wouldn’t be a surprise. She’s known to be an overachiever, particularly in academics. Johnson entered SMC as a junior after earning her associate degree in high school through a dual enrollment program at Piedmont Technical College.

That hard work carried over into her time at SMC. In addition to academic achievement and success, Johnson also played two different sports at the College. But that career goal was always No. 1.

“I’ve always put academics ahead of athletics, and one of the reasons I chose SMC was its commitment to academic achievement first,” she said. “The small class sizes also provided good connections with professors, and I value one-on-one time with educators in order to learn.”

She was also drawn to the Camak Core professional development program at SMC and the real-world opportunities it would give her, including that capstone project that led to her new career position.

“I used my capstone project as a portfolio of my skills in digital marketing, which catapulted my chances of getting the position,” Johnson said. “Without that portfolio and the real-world experience I gained through the Camak Core, I wouldn’t have been able to showcase my talents properly to get the job.”

The job was a promotion at her employer at the time from an event worker at one location to regional marketing director overseeing digital marketing, social media, event planning, and more for three locations.

Johnson said that beyond the capstone project, the Camak Core was instrumental in helping her earn the position by teaching her critical skills, including communicating in a professional setting, making meaningful connections through networking, and being confident in presenting yourself and your ideas.

“Honestly, the Camak Core was a huge pain in my side when I started the beginning courses, but as I moved up, I was able to see the value of what was being taught applied in my professional life,” she said. “Now I understand that the program gave me the skills and confidence to achieve my professional goals.”

Not only did Johnson warm up to the professional development curriculum, but true to her academic past, she excelled at it.

Johnson was one of three finalists, out of 76 participants, chosen to present at the 2026 APEX Showcase at SMC. Her project, “Rescue and Renew,” focused on increasing dog and cat adoptions at the Spartanburg Humane Society through improved and increased marketing and social media tactics.

She focused mostly on creating a social media campaign featuring the dogs available for adoption with a goal to increase their weekly adoption average by five dogs. She achieved that goal, and the Society had nearly 120 adoptions over the course of her six-week project – including one to Johnson herself. In addition to the promotion at work, her success and her presentation skills earned her $750 for second place in the APEX competition.

Johnson’s journey wasn’t without obstacles, and she said another aspect of SMC that really helped her succeed was the tremendous support system the school provides.

“During my time at SMC, I noticed the support comes from all different parts of the College,” she said. “It’s important to find your support group, the people who believe in you and will be there for you. Looking back at it, I wouldn’t have chosen anywhere else to be.”

She pointed to some particularly challenging times for her when she had to work through the physical and mental pain of three different surgeries from injuries sustained in her athletic career.

“At times, I didn’t think SMC was the right place for me, but my friends and professors were always able to show me that I was right where I was supposed to be,” Johnson said.