JTC 24: Excelling at Everything

When Elizabeth Johns arrived at the University of Mississippi in fall 2020, she knew no one and very little about her surroundings. Still, the native of Orange, Texas, says she felt at home every time she stepped on campus.

"I visited Ole Miss a lot when I was in high school for a number of visit days, and every time, someone would go out of their way to make me feel more comfortable and more at home," said Johns, who graduates in May with a degree in communication sciences and disorders. "These encounters were sometimes students, academic advisers.

"One time, one of the vice chancellors invited my parents and I to see the Lyceum on a Sunday night just because we were there at the same time that he was."

As an entering freshman from another state, Johns found that she missed her parents, Bret and Rebecca, and her older brother, Spencer, particularly while most campus activities were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It was really difficult, because it felt really lonely to be so far from home and feel like I didn't even have the opportunity to meet that many people," she said. "To overcome this, I just had to keep pushing and hoping that some level of restrictions would be lifted. I tried my hardest to meet people in my dorm and in my classes."

One of the most encouraging things that happened to Johns during this time was a one-on-one Zoom meeting with Jennifer Parsons, her Honors 101 professor.

"She really encouraged me to keep going," Johns said. "Although it felt really hard at that time, she said that I was doing well academically and I was doing the best I could at that time. I have never forgotten that conversation with Dr. Parsons."

As campus returned to normal, Johns had plenty of opportunities to interact with others, serving as both an Ole Miss Ambassador and as an ambassador for the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College.

Johns said she chose communication sciences and disorders for her major because she knew she wanted a career in which she could help people and make an impact.

Once I got into my major, I fell in love with the field of audiology. I now look forward to helping people hear either again or for the first time."

"In high school, I thought I was going to become a speech pathologist, and this was something that was really exciting to me," she said. "Once I got into my major, I fell in love with the field of audiology. I now look forward to helping people hear either again or for the first time."

She plans to pursue a doctorate in audiology at the University of Nebraska.

Johns has excelled in the classroom, maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout her time at Ole Miss. Recognizing her achievements, the School of Applied Sciences named her as class marshal.

"I had never imagined that I would be asked to hold this honor, so I was mostly humbled that I was asked to serve in this position," Johns said. "But what made this really exciting was when I was able to tell the professor who wrote my Taylor Medal nomination that I received both the Taylor Medal and was asked to be class marshal. We were able to celebrate together."

She also has impressed with her research efforts, and was chosen to present her thesis research last fall at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's convention in Boston.

"In preparation for this convention, I completed my thesis a semester earlier than many of my peers, while at the same time juggling an 18-hour load and applying to graduate school," she said. "I felt more than prepared, and it was really exciting because a ton of other Ole Miss students came to my presentation to support me.

"It was really special to share that experience with other Ole Miss undergrads."

Johns said she has had a number of role models on campus. One of her first was Emily Reid, a sorority sister in Alpha Delta Pi who graduated in 2023 in communication sciences and disorders.

"Emily has always been an inspiration to me, because she juggled so many responsibilities during her time at Ole Miss, but was able to keep her grades up along with having time for each of her friends," Johns said. "This was something that was really important for me because I would be so worried about school.

"Spending time with my friends allowed me to get my mind off school and have a mental reset before I get back to work."

Johns' other role models are her audiology professors, including Haley Messersmith, Anne Williams and Rebecca Lowe.

"Each of these professors have been such benefits to me in my academic journey to becoming an audiologist," Johns said. "I believe much of their guidance has helped me not only achieve much of what I have, but they also empowered me to pursue audiology as a career, instead of sticking to my original career plan."

Williams said Johns is one of the strongest students that she has taught in her 16 years at Ole Miss, noting that she is always on time and well-prepared.

"Two things will always stay with me," Williams said. "One is the level of preparation that she gave to each assignment regardless of whether the assignment was large or small.

"The other memory that I will treasure from Elizabeth is her sense of humor. To me, at least, she would come across as very serious but then she would say something that would crack me up. Needless to say, she is one of my favorite students."