Thursday, June 15, 2017

Part of a regular series.

Throughout the year, GNACsports.com uses this space to profile conference student-athletes who are members of their respective institutions' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In addition to providing feedback on the student-athlete experience, conference and institutional SAAC members also offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes' lives on NCAA member institution campuses. Click here for more information on the function of SAAC at the NCAA level.

Name: Qwynton "Qhai" Johnson
Sport: Men’s Soccer
School: Concordia
Year: Junior
Major: Biology
Hometown: Nagoya, Japan

Extracurricular Activities: Ring and the Rose leadership group, coaching, lab assistant, Concordia University honors program.

What Is Your Favorite Class You Have Taken in College And Why: The favorite class I have taken was my introduction to psychology class. I was required to do a research essay on Alzheimers, which is an interest of mine. I also learned about the pioneers of modern day psychology.

Who Is Your Favorite Professor You've Had In College And What Did You Enjoy About Learning From Him Or Her?: I can't narrow down to a single favorite professor because I've had the privilege of learning from many extraordinary professors. The thing they all have in common is that they were willing to go out of their way to help me whenever I needed it. The professors at Concordia are really great people.

Years Involved With SAAC: Three.

The Reason You Chose To Get Involved With SAAC: I'm invested in my team and I want to do whatever I can to contribute to the team, both on and off the field.

Most Memorable SAAC Activity: The most memorable activity I got to do as a SAAC member was filling up back packs with school supplies and food and then going to local elementary schools to distribute them.

What Is The Most Important Thing You've Learned From Balancing The Demands Of Athletics And Academics?: It is extremely important to be able to time manage. A lot of athletes tend to wait till the last minute to finish their assignments and that can cause the assignment to be poor, turned in late or not completed at all.

What Does It Mean To Be A Division II Student-Athlete?: It means that you contribute the majority of your time to your sport, but you are still required to dedicate time into your academics. I believe different Division II programs across the nation are just as rigorous as certain Division I programs.

Future Plans After School: Applying for physician's assistant school to to become a physician's assistant.

Best Advice You Would Give To An Incoming Freshman: I would want to spend time with the founder of my religion, Mokichi Okada. He is an inspirational figure to me and I would be absolutely honored to be able to spend time with him.

Favorite Sports Team: Portland Timbers

Favorite Athlete: Zlatan Ibrahimovich

Most Memorable Sports-Related Moment: Coming back from my first ACL injury and getting an assist in the first game back.

One Thing That People Don't Know About You Is: I am both Japanese and African-American.