Lavon Johnson
EY
New York City, NY USA
"You can’t let someone else tell you who you’re going to be."
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Lavon's work combines: Business, Numbers, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
People told me that I’d be a statistic of my environment growing up and that I would fail and should give up. One of my college advisors even told me that my work so far in school was not up to par and that I should change majors. I've realized that nothing anyone says to me as discouragement is a reflection of who I am or what I am capable of achieving. It is important to not take it personally. I smile and thank those who doubt me for their feedback and I keep pushing towards my goals.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Accounting
Michigan State University
Bachelor's Degree
Information Technology
Michigan State University
Graduate Degree
Accounting
Michigan State University
Certification
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Growing up wasn’t easy—I grew up in foster care and was never given much guidance on educational or career paths.
2.
No one wanted to take care of me and my siblings because there were so many of us, so my great-grandmother ended up taking us in.
3.
When I was in high school I wanted to be a nurse, but my school shut down the nursing course, so my basketball coach pushed the whole team to pursue accounting instead.
4.
Accounting clicked easily in my head and I was good at it, so I took an accounting internship at a foster care agency and then decided to major in accounting in college.
5.
I got both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Michigan State University—I ultimately chose to go to college because I wanted to leave my unstable, difficult past.
6.
Advisors in NABA (National Association of Black Accountants) and MBS (Multicultural Business Students) gave me the insight and encouragement I needed to become disciplined in this field.
7.
I found a mentor at Discover EY who helped me get a college internship with Ernst & Young, which then led to a full-time offer—he’s still my mentor to this day.
8.
I currently work as a senior in the financial services practice at EY and am on track for a promotion to a manager position.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Teachers:
You're not good enough and you should give up on your dreams.
How I responded:
People told me that I’d be a statistic of my environment growing up and that I would fail and should give up. One of my college advisors even told me that my work so far in school was not up to par and that I should change majors. I've realized that nothing anyone says to me as discouragement is a reflection of who I am or what I am capable of achieving. It is important to not take it personally. I smile and thank those who doubt me for their feedback and I keep pushing towards my goals.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I grew up in foster care and moved from house to house since age four. It was challenging but I was determined to work towards my goals and not become another statistic.
Growing up in foster care, money was always an issue. One reason I chose to pursue accounting is because it will always lead to stable jobs no matter how bad the economy is. I practice financial discipline so I’m never struggling financially again.
It's easy to fall into the mindset that I'm going to fail because of my past and the nature of my industry, but I work hard to maintain positive self talk. I also go to therapy to help me deal with my past in a healthy way.