Maggie Johnson: Taking the next step

By: Andrew Nowel, Sports Layout Editor

Canisius is a university where connections and opportunities from alumni heavily influence students as they prepare for life after graduation. Maggie Johnson, a senior finance and economics double major, is one of the many examples of students finding opportunities as graduation draws near. Johnson will take on a role at Honeywell Aerospace in two months and Canisius has not only prepared her for the next chapter in her life, but has given Johnson all the needed skills to go out into the real world.

Johnson grew up around Buffalo near Darien Lake and struggled her freshman year at Canisius. “My freshman year is night and day [compared] to me now and I’m now very comfortable stepping out of my comfort zone,” said Johnson. She sets boundaries by understanding the importance of recharging her social battery. Johnson lived on campus during her freshman year and felt she needed to always be in social situations, but over time has realized the importance of self-time. “I think that’s a very important skill to learn, being able to set personal and work boundaries,” said Johnson. 

This past summer, Johnson was given the opportunity to intern in Phoenix, Ariz. at the Honeywell Aerospace headquarters. Living in the dorm her freshman year was very helpful for the big change of living away from home across the country during the summer. “The dorm experience has set me up being comfortable being away from home,” said Johnson. During her internship, she worked with the aftermarket team, focusing on parts that were needed for airplane engines across the country. She focused on using Microsoft Excel to categorize data, which in the day and age of technology, most companies utilize for sorting inventory. “This past summer, I focused on Excel and pivot tables. Pivot tables help to categorize items with math functions, making it easier for companies like Honeywell to organize parts,” said Johnson.

As Johnson went through her college experience over the last four years, she began to explore the city of Buffalo which helped her personal comfort level when she interned in Phoenix over the summer. “I loved to go to Elmwood and Spot Coffee to do homework,” she said. It’ll be an adjustment for Johnson when she moves back to Phoenix in January as she will not be living downtown like she did over the summer, but in the suburbs. However, the communities that Johnson has found in Buffalo, whether that be at a gym or other places, is something she hopes to find in Phoenix. “I am looking to join a book club and I like staying busy, so I’ll probably find a part-time job. What I’ve found is like-minded people that like the rush and staying busy, connecting with each other because they have a similar mindset of being on the constant go,” said Johnson. 

With only a month left at Canisius, Johnson is excited and ready to enter the next chapter of her story. Even though she’ll be leaving Buffalo, she will always have the Griff connection to Canisius through her student experience and Alpha Kappa Psi, the business fraternity at Canisius. The skills she learned from being the Vice President of AKPsi will help guide Johnson at Honeywell Aerospace for years to come. As Canisius students, faculty and alumni always say, ‘Once a Griff, always a Griff.’

Maggie Johnson Headshot via Maggie Johnson