FACES OF LIFE
A Tale of Two Majors
Tatum Johnson
Student : B . S . Biopsychology and B . S . Computer Information Management
Tatum Johnson is a student at Life University who is dual majoring in the Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology and Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Management ( CIM ). She is from Minneapolis , Minnesota , and lives with her mother , father and two younger brothers who are almost done with high school .
Johnson has been at Life U for four years and plans to graduate in Summer 2021 with her CIM degree . After that , she will only have two quarters left to earn her Biopsychology degree .
“ I always wanted to leave my nice little bubble in Minnesota ,” Johnson said . “ I also play Rugby so the fact that I get to play a sport down here that is D1 Elite and further my education made it a perfect match .” She started at Life U pursuing just the Biopsychology degree , considering neuroscience or some other kind of doctorate after graduation .
But then , Johnson discovered another passion when she took Computers 101 and loved the teacher . “ If you told me in high school that I was going to be a computer major , I would have laughed at your face because I hated computers ,” she recalled . “ It is a testament to how passionate the teachers are that they changed my mind to consider a whole other career that I never expected . I now have an internship working in marketing and databases , and have realized this is where I want to carry myself .”
Johnson continued , “ I love studying at Life U because I was able to dual major and the computer track is completely different than the Biopsych track . But every teacher in each track is very interactive with the students .” She feels like studying for both degrees has provided her with a perfect yin and yang situation .
In addition to pursuing two different degrees , Johnson is very involved on campus . “ I am on the women ’ s rugby team , I am a Resident Assistant ( RA ) at Life Village Retreat ( LVR ), and I work as a work study in the Enrollment department .” She enjoys going around campus and meeting new people because she isn ’ t from Georgia and was determined to make connections with the people around her . “ I knew I was going to be here for a while , so I knew the best way [ to make connections ] was to work with them and live with them .”
“ We aren ’ t asking you to leap over the moon in two steps ; it ’ s a process . It ’ s okay to alter your plan as circumstances change in order to care for your needs .”
After she graduates from Life U , Johnson plans on getting a graduate degree from the University of Minnesota . She misses her family and looks forward to going back home .
“ After I am done with all of my education , my goal is to enter the medical field in IT ,” she explained . “ I want to try and combine my experience with programing , databases and app with my knowledge of biology and biopsychology to make a better experience for patients and their families .” One goal is to help people easily fill out paperwork or figure out their next step as a family because she knows firsthand how stressful it can be .
“ I actually had two surgeries myself because of rugby ,” Johnson shared . “ I was supposed to start Life U in the fall four years ago but I was selected to play against Canada with my high school team . During an injury at the game , my ankle had an open dislocation — None of my bones broke but my foot disconnected from my leg .”
Due to the injury , Johnson had to undergo rehabilitation and surgery . “ I looked like Frankenstein — I had bolts in my knee and my legs .”
After pushing through all the hard work to recover , she felt like getting to Life U was a reward . Then , during her sophomore year , she tore her ACL and had to go through another round of surgery and rehab . These two experiences fueled her passion for making the experience easier for future patients .
Johnson ’ s advice to anyone contemplating joining the Life U community is that everyone ’ s path is different . “ Whatever is best for you is what ’ s best for you ,” she emphasized . “ Just because I am doing something doesn ’ t mean you have to follow .”
Johnson encourages prospective students to talk with their families and actively choose what they want to do with their life .
“ Take it step by step ,” she said . “ We aren ’ t asking you to leap over the moon in two steps ; it ’ s a process . It ’ s okay to alter your plan as circumstances change in order to care for your needs .”
62 Alumni . LIFE . edu | 2021