My Carolina Experience: Tristine Johnson
May 19, 2016 | Track & Field
My Carolina Experience: Tristine Johnson
By Zoya Johnson, GoHeels.com
With a personality like Tristine Johnson's, staying in a person's shadow would be more of a feat than struggling to get out from one, and with a three-time Olympian for a father one can only imagine the type of personality that would take.
From the beginning, her outlook on the world was larger than life. Heroes were real for Johnson because some of the world's fastest and strongest men and women were some of her family's closest friends and teammates.
Despite both of their backgrounds in track, Johnson's parents never wanted her to feel pressured into the sport. Regardless, nothing filled Johnson with excitement quite like being on the track. By the time she was in high school, it was clear that she had real potential to be great. It was also clear that she had every intention of following in the footsteps of her parents and continuing their Carolina legacies.
“I visited other schools and was impressed, but no other school gave me the same feeling I got when I was on Carolina's campus. When I was recruited and offered a spot on the team it felt like I had met my first major academic and athletic goal.”
Before making any goals for her career, Johnson had many examples of the types of greatness she could pursue on and off the field in her Tar Heel teammates. She had upperclassmen who were active in the outreach community, some with near perfect grade point averages, and others who were breaking school records.
As Johnson settled into campus life she found herself progressing from looking up to those athletes to emulating them, as she began to make her own name in every arena she could.
“As student athletes we have many community service opportunities through Carolina Outreach, so I began to take advantage of that. Around that time, I was encouraged by an older teammate, Ariel Roberts, to get more involved in the Carolina Leadership Academy and I believe I was able to use what I learned there to find my voice. From there, Cricket Lane was my guide, and the lessons I learned gave me the confidence to not only step my game up as a student athlete but as a leader in every aspect that I felt I was previously lacking.”
Through that pursuit, Johnson was presented with the opportunity to speak at an event for an organization called, Healthy Girls Save the World a few times a year. Dedicated to promoting the message that beauty is not just skin deep, the program uses its three pillars to teach those involved about attaining healthy bodies, healthy minds and healthy relationships.
HGSW hosts a series of low cost events on UNC's campus as well as in the surrounding areas in partnership with local organizations, UNC sports teams and experienced speakers. The events serve to give girls in grades six through nine tools to step outside of damaging societal influence and mentalities. Johnson loved being able to give back on such an impactful level at the engagements, and thus decided to take on a leadership role with HGSW.
Eventually Johnson went from program coordinator, to Vice President, to co-president of the organization.
“Getting involved with HGSW was the best decision I made as a student-athlete. It shaped who I am and what my views are and really helped me understand what my coaches meant with they said 'The uniform never comes off.' ”
By her senior year Johnson had taken her mentality to be her best completely to heart. She took on an internship with Northwestern Mutual, qualified for the NCAA Championships three times, and became a Veteran Leader in the Leadership Academy. Academically, she completed a Global Studies major with a concentration in Global Politics, Nation States and Social Movements while minoring in Social and Economic Justice and Hispanic Studies.
“My coach, Steve Rubin, helped me prioritize my schedule and put the future into perspective for me. He was the first coach to tell me that I was enough for anything I wanted to do. His belief in me gave me the courage I needed to buckle down and apply to graduate school while continuing to pursue my dreams on the track.
“Now, as I purse my graduate degree in Public Administration and Policy I appreciate just how much my Carolina experience changed the way I look at the world. It taught me to value the beauty of difference, and helped me to be unafraid to speak up for what I believe in. So much so that one day I hope to become a mayor or city manager.”
Unknowingly, Johnson has become her own kind of superhero, and though her hope is to be an Olympian first, she has no plans of ever discontinuing her pursuit of making the world a better place.
“When you commit to UNC, you become a Tar Heel for life. The culture, the lessons, and the experiences never leave you. So if you have that opportunity to become one, go after everything you want from the day you step foot on campus.”