Asia “AJ” Johnson is a first year journalism major, S/O to the SCRIPPAS, and she is a member of the women’s cross country and track and field team. No pun intended, but AJ came to campus and hit the ground running. AJ is a top 5 runner on the team. At the HBCU Challenge in Cary, N.C. AJ’s top 10 finish contributed to Hampton’s 1st place victory. This Jersey girl may have ran her way to our Home by the Sea, but there is more to her as a person than just running.
HC: During the recruiting process, why did you choose Hampton University?
AJ: My cousins went here, they are alumni, and so in my junior year of high school my parents were like “hey why don’t you go here?” I started looking into the school and talking to the coaches, and now I’m here.
HC: How did you get introduced to running?
AJ: My sister, who is 5 years older than me, started running first and me being a little toddler said, “I want to do want my big sister does.” So that’s exactly what I did.
HC: Tell me something interesting about yourself, something that most people don’t know.
AJ: My old teammate is a 2016 Olympian, Sydney McLaughlin (400 meter hurdler, and the youngest American track and field athlete to make the Olympic team since 1980).
HC: What is something that helped you adjust to being a college student?
AJ: Being that my parents aren’t around, I have been on top of my school work. I actually need to take care of what I need to take care of.
HC: What do you miss the most about home?
AJ: I miss the music from back home. I feel like Jersey people are “one.” Here, people are just like “yeah Jersey,” but when I go home people are like “JERSEY!!!!”
HC: Many people can’t imagine running 16 miles a day, what do you like about running?
AJ: The feeling of accomplishment after you finish is unreal. Knowing that I have the endurance to do things others can’t, makes me feel like it pays off in some sort of way. Distance runners get a lot of props for doing what may sound “impossible.”
HC: What advice would you give to high school seniors applying for college?
AJ: You have to think about every aspect of where you are about to go. For example, are you comfortable with the dorms?, Do you like the food there?, Do you like the campus? Don’t just go to school because the academics are good, you have to get the right vibe from people too.
HC: What are your plans for the future, after college?
AJ: I don’t think I’ll leave Jersey. I’m a Jersey girl at heart. I want to get a steady job first, before I focus on finding a man. I want to provide for myself. I don’t want to be one of those girls that depends on a man. Girls talk about having a fairy tale wedding, but with me, if a guy comes along then he comes along. I want to focus on providing for myself and my family.
What do you like to do when you aren’t running? Any hobbies?
AJ: I like to make films/home videos. I did a “movie” on dropping my sister off at college her freshmen year. Then I made one when my family and I traveled to Atlanta for Thanksgiving. I burned the video on DVDs, and sent them to my family members.
HC: It’s April 2020, graduation is slowly approaching, what would you hope to have accomplished in your years at Hampton?
AJ: If the workout gets hard at track practice, I usually let off the gas, but I hope to have gotten stronger in that aspect. I want to be stronger mentally because right now, I’m very shaky. Sometimes I’m emotionally disconnected from people, so hopefully I know how to change that and learn to love by graduation. I may or may not want a job by senior year. Some seniors go to class, and then go to work, but I don’t know how that will work in regard to track. I definitely want to get somewhere with journalism.
HC: How can we find you on social media?
AJ: twitter-@asianoelxo_, IG-asiajo, snapchat-asiajo