“I’m grateful to say that I have lifelong friends from both Humber and IGNITE. [I] just love you guys.”
Erika Johnson
We all grow up hearing about the word “change.” The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as to become different or undergo transformation or transition. But in real life, change is rarely that simple. It’s uncomfortable, unpredictable, but sometimes, exactly what we need.
For Erika Johnson, that became the defining theme of her post-secondary journey.
A Humber Polytechnic and IGNITE graduate, her path might seem straightforward today. This year, she was named the Canadian Public Relations Society’s New PR Professional of the Year. But if there’s one word that’s inaccurate to describe her story, that’s straightforward.
As part of our series celebrating IGNITE alumni who helped shape the organization’s 25 years, Erika’s story reminds us that change is an important aspect of growth.
Coming to Humber
By now, you know Erika as a public relations professional. If she’s in PR, it’s easy to assume that she has a communications background, right? Well, the fact is that her journey started far from that.
Erika first attended Sheridan College, where she completed a diploma in police foundations, and later attended the University of Toronto to study criminology.
Excited to start the new venture and to be part of a prestigious school, Erika immersed herself in the program for two years. But as time went on, something didn’t feel right. She said it was a challenging time in her life as she felt uncomfortable, sad and lost.
“I don’t think anybody wants to tell their parents, ‘Hey, this is not for me, I want to drop out of university,’” Erika said.
After some reflection, she began searching for an option that aligned more closely with her interests. She always had a passion for writing, whether that’s journaling or sharing commentary on pop culture.
Erika wanted something that wasn’t strictly journalism or marketing, but that still lived within the media sphere and combined her passions for writing and community building.
That search led her to Humber’s PR program. “In full transparency,” back then, she had no idea what PR was.
“I like to write, this [program] says it’s very writing-intensive. I joined the program on a whim and then it changed my life from there,” Erika said.
Transforming her career
At Humber, Erika always noticed the bright energy of the IGNITE team in the hallways. “There’s no being at Humber without seeing the IGNITE team,” she said with a laugh.
Erika said they were always smiling, playing music and giving out popcorn. Their energy always intrigued her.
In her second year, she saw that IGNITE was hiring for the events assistant position, now the brand ambassadors. With prior experience working in events, applying felt like a no-brainer.
“I do events. They have great energy, I have great energy. Why not?” Erika said.
But her interview led to a surprising outcome. Marlon Peters, then IGNITE’s event coordinator and now manager of student engagement, quickly realized her potential.
Marlon said that from the moment of the interview, he could tell she was outgoing, mature, supportive and a natural leader. He offered her a higher position on the spot, as an events lead.
For Erika, being recognized for her experience, knowledge and passion showed her something that she didn’t even see in herself yet. Taking on a leadership role made her really happy.
Her day-to-day as an events lead was a mix between on-the-ground engagement and behind-the-scenes coordination. She helped plan and host student activations, supported logistics of larger events like IGNITE Real Talks and managed scheduling within her team.
“Sometimes it was doing outreach to vendors, sometimes to speakers, research. It was a lot of fun and something that I was always passionate and still passionate about,” Erika said.
The role also gave Erika the chance to connect with students across Humber’s diverse community. Spending hours at events, she would hear stories from local Toronto students to international peers from every program imaginable.
“It really just filled me with joy and excitement. When you think about the student experience as a whole, you need stuff like this to really provide a full experience, especially in a commuter school,” Erika said.
“Being able to add that fun and joy that sparks people’s days was something that made me really happy.”
Now, Erika felt she was in a place where her studies and her work aligned perfectly.
Stepping into a different role
While Erika enjoyed being part of the team that made student life fun, her passion for community building soon led her toward advocacy.
Even within PR, she said it’s not a secret that representation is an ongoing challenge.
“We need more voices of colour and everybody to represent Canada’s diversity,” Erika said.
After a year in the events department, Erika transitioned into the student engagement coordinator role, now the student advocates.
She worked alongside faculty, as well as representatives from Humber and the University of Guelph-Humber, to identify ways to improve the student experience.
It was during that time that Humber was developing its equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging strategy plan. Erika sat at the discussion table representing students’ voices.
She contributed to the creation of a strategic plan, helping shape an inclusive vision for Humber.
“I think that was probably one of the biggest achievements that I had. To take part in such an amazing movement for the school and in the right direction,” Erika said. “Just knowing that I contributed to something that’s going to change the lives of students and help diversify the world was really exciting for me.”
Through her time at IGNITE, Erika worked closely with Peters and manager of leadership and advocacy Kristine Galvan. Both became key influences in her growth.
She said it’s very important to have people who encourage you to grow and learn and see your potential before you see it yourself.
Her experiences at IGNITE were the building blocks that helped her become the person she is today.
Looking back, Erika believes many students don’t realize just how impactful IGNITE is
“I almost want to say it is underrated at times,” she said, adding that a lot of the advocacy work and on-campus services are funded by IGNITE, such as the Soupbar.
“I think IGNITE is very important and I hope that student funding remains for IGNITE,” Erika said. “I’ve been to three different post-secondary schools, and my experiences were not as great as they were at Humber.”
“I’m grateful to say that I have lifelong friends from both Humber and IGNITE. [I] just love you guys.”
Welcome change
Change and growth. Two powerful words that, when you learn to let them work together like Erika did, can transform your life.
And as the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines, to change is to undergo transformation and transition — and Erika shows that transformation can lead to incredible growth.
So as IGNITE celebrates 25 years of change and growth, I invite you to reflect on your own journey.
What’s one change that inspires you to keep working hard every day?
Let us know in our socials @shareignite!
Feature image courtesy of Erika Johnson.
Do you want to know more about other IGNITE alumni and their stories? Check out how Shugufa Kaker found growth and leadership through IGNITE!
Follow us on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok for all things student life.
