As the child of a paralympic athlete who competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Davon Johnson’s world evolved around sports between his father’s success in the 200- and 400-meter sprint and his own involvement on his high school track team. So, when it came to considering a profession to aspire to, sports broadcasting seemed like it would be a natural fit.   

“I have five brothers and grew up with three, and we used to make videos all the time,” Johnson, age 27, said. “I like entertaining people and I used to do talent shows.” 

But considering a profession in broadcasting did not come to mind for Johnson until a fateful day back in 2015 when he had planned to join the Navy and was on his way to New Jersey to sign up.  

“When I went to meet them at the train station and nobody showed up and I waited there for two hours, I took that as a sign I wasn’t supposed to join the Navy and that’s when I decided to go back to school,” he said.  

Johnson began thinking about all the things he liked to do in life and how that could translate into a profession. This was a change of heart from his initial thought that college was not for him, after dropping out after a semester at Montgomery County Community College in 2012 and becoming a cook at a restaurant.  

Renewed focus 

But in 2016, Johnson was ready to go back to MCCC with a renewed focus on sports broadcasting, however, it wasn’t long before a new interest diverted that plan.  

“Something told me I needed to try theatre for whatever reason,” he said. “I had never done it before.” 

An MCCC theatre assistant professor had a large impact on his decision.  

“I had met Tim Gallagher and that changed my life, so I said, ‘let me go for theatre and I signed up for the summer of 2016 and took two random classes until I got into the theatre major that fall,” Johnson said. 

It was during a director’s class in the spring when he was asked to be in a show to play the role of a father.  

“They had an audience there and I fell in love with theatre at that moment,” he said. “I thought, ‘this is it, I’m in the right place’.” 

Helpful lessons 

During Johnson’s time at the two-year Theatre Arts program at MCCC, he learned some lessons that stuck with him. One had to do with him letting go of a feeling that he needed to compete after transitioning from the world of sports.  

“I had done a show ‘A Raisin in the Sun‘ and was upset I didn’t get to play the main character,” he said. “I had a meeting with Tim Gallagher, and he became like a father figure to me – he taught me what it meant for me to be an actor and a human being.” 

The helpful lessons Johnson learned from Gallagher began impacting his approach when going into auditions.  

“Now I don’t worry about if I get a certain role,” he said. “As long as I’m a part of any process, I don’t mind where I end up – I'm just happy to be a part of the process.” 

Gallagher said that he enjoyed his experience in teaching Davon.  

“He ranks among the top students we’ve ever had at Montco in our theatre program,” Gallagher said. “His leadership skills and tenacity for betterment are second to none.” 

Team player 

Being a team player made Johnson a valuable member of the program.  

“When he was acting in a show, he would also volunteer to come in and work on the set or the lights on his off days,” Gallagher said. “Sometimes three or four days a week he would be in on his own building scenery or painting or hanging lights.” 

Davon’s hardworking nature, curiosity and mindfulness of his classmates led to him being a wonderful mentor to many younger students.  

“In all of my years at Montco I don’t know that I have seen more growth in one individual than I did with Davon,” Gallagher said. 

In 2018, after graduating with an Associate of Arts degree, Johnson headed to Temple University to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre.  

“There were hundreds of students in the theatre program,” Johnson said. “It’s easy not to get seen there, but I ended up finding a couple of mentors there who helped me grow a lot.” 

It was with the mentors that he discussed the possibility of going to graduate school after getting his Bachelor of Arts degree, and what the benefits might be for his career.  

“It could allow me to teach in order to work and it would put me more on the track of where I wanted to be,” he said.  

After a competitive audition process, 30 graduate schools expressed interest in Johnson, who decided to accept a full scholarship from Ohio University.  

Current goals 

Now in his second semester of graduate school, Johnson shared his current goals.  

“I have really lofty goals,” he said. “One day I do want to win an Oscar, and I want to bring acting to Philadelphia, so people have opportunities.” 

His plan is to start a production company to enable more films to be shot in Philadelphia, which he hopes will lead to more employment opportunities for actors, so they don’t have to move to New York City or Los Angeles to find work.  

Johnson credits MCCC for where he is today.  

“I always tell people, ‘If I didn’t go to Montco, I don’t know if I’d still be acting today,” he said.  

He described the attributes of MCCC that had the biggest impact on him. 

“Just because of how different the process is compared to other schools and the family element that Montco has that everyone really cares for each other,” he said. “That really impacted me, and I think that’s a big part of who I am today and the artist I am today.” 

Gallagher noted that Johnson is a very humble person, which enables him to have the ability to follow his curiosity.  

“Following that curiosity has helped him become, not only a fantastic actor, but a gifted theatre artist,” Gallagher said.  

While working in the theatre program, Gallagher said Johnson developed an understanding that working in theatre is a career of service.  

“I think initially, like many actors, he was focusing more on himself as an individual within the art form,” Gallagher said. “When he graduated from Montco, he understood his role as an artist is a role of service to the community at large – a role that will allow him to give back to his community through his art.”