SALUTE TO GRADUATES TRIBUTES: Rust College’s Mariah “Nukie” Johnson earns degree nearly fours years after her mother’s tragic death
Andre Johnson 
MAKING HEADLINE NEWS SALUTE TO GRADUATES TRIBUTES 2018
The very moment Mariah “Nukie” Johnson had finally possessed arguably the most expensive piece of paper in her young life, she simultaneously heard what appeared to be a soft whisper, one that was uttered in the midst of those scattered cheers and rounds of applause.
“What went through my mind the moment I grabbed that diploma was I could hear my angel saying, ‘Job well done. All the crying, stressing, and nagging…you made it through,'” Johnson said.
The angel to whom Johnson is alluding is her mother, Kiva Johnson, who died in June 2014 as result of injuries she sustained in a car crash in Southeast Memphis.
On Sunday, Johnson, 21, was amongst a gallery of candidates for degrees during Rust College’s commencement exercises, an achievement that headlines Making Headline News’ annual Salute To Graduates Tributes.
For Johnson, such a milestone didn’t merely come easy for the Memphis East High School graduate whom, as she puts it forthrightly, had contemplated throwing in the towel time and again as a college undergraduate.
To her credit, though, a remarkable sequence of events had ultimately unfolded during her sometimes stormy journey toward commencement day, a trend that was highlighted by her persevering in a such a way that she eventually made good on her promise to her mother, who passed away at the tender age of 36 just two days after Johnson’s 18th birthday.
“Her most memorable advice to me was that I always keep God first no matter what the situation is,” Johnson said.
That Johnson had kept God the Focal Point in her educational endeavors undoubtedly is the No. 1 factor that greatly enabled her to reap the fruits of her labor, according to her father, Marlon Johnson, who was overcome by emotions the moment his daughter’s name was called to receive her degree.
“I’m extremely happy for her,” Johnson, a longtime Memphis, Light, Gas, And Water Division employee, said of his daughter’s latest milestone. “It’s been very rough these four years…thought that she’d give up, but she hung on in there. That’s why tears flowed down my face while watching her walk down that aisle.”
For what it’s worth, Johnson’s final semester as a college undergraduate was, by all accounts, a memorable one, despite the flurry of hurdles about which she had to clear.
Months before earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Childcare Management from Rust College, a historically black institution in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Johnson became the first member of her family to join a Greek organization when she pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Johnson’s cousin, Kayla Crawford, joined the same organization weeks later at the University of Memphis.
Next up for Johnson: She will enroll this fall in graduate school, possibly at nearby Rhodes College in Memphis, where she plans to pursue a Masters Of Arts Degree In Urban Education.
“I’m patiently waiting on Rhodes College to accept me in their Masters (program),” said Johnson, adding that she’s keeping her post-graduate options open. “This milestone I’ve reached was pure happiness.”
Interestingly, it is the kind of happiness that has only fueled Johnson’s desire to steadfastly live out her mother’s legacy.
After all, she knows full well that nothing is too hard for God, something her heavenly angel had always instilled in her.
“It is imperative to keep living out her legacy, because I’ll always remember who I am and I’ll be able to pass the legacy to my kids,” Johnson said. “Forever in my heart, always on my mind…I love you my sweet angel.”
MARIAH JOHNSON’S OPEN LETTER TO HER FATHER
Daddy, hey, it’s me…your Nukie. Thank you for being such a wonderful dad. Thank you for pushing me and living through me, because a lot of things I wouldn’t have done if it wasn’t for you. Such as: band and college. You’ve loved me no matter how much back talking I did. Thank you for showing me how a real man should be head of household and showing me the correct way to be loved. I love you so, so much.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Whether your child has already graduated or not, if you would like to pay homage to his/her accomplishments with a unique Salute To Graduates Tribute that will feature a story like the one above with multiple photos, call Reporter Andre Johnson at 901-690-6587 or Facebook message him under “Andre T. Johnson” for details.
Andre Johnson is Founder and Publisher for Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former staff reporter of sports for the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson covers the NBA Southwest Division from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send email to [email protected] or to [email protected]. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist.
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