Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546131
August/September 2026 | maconmagazine.com 73 Wesleyan freshman is say yes to anything and everything that comes your way. Even if you might be afraid to do it, even if you're scared of what that looks like, say yes—because you might not know what you're going to like. If someone's asking, you say yes. I'm very passionate about women's education. I want to work in sports, and that's a very male-dominated field, so I want other girls to see my story and feel encouraged. To go for it, to just break into it, because the worst someone can say to you is no. I've learned to never take no for an answer. I had open heart surgery at four months old, and they said I'd probably never play sports. I played sports all my life. I want to be one of those stories that little girls can look up to. I've always struggled with confidence, with being self-assured, but I've figured it out since I've been at Wesleyan. I'm not afraid to let my voice be heard. Community is what fuels me to be successful and to be a leader. I don't want to let them down, and so that's what drives me. If you're nervous, it means you care. So if you're nervous, a difference, and he didn't send you to fail, but you must still be rooted in your identity and your purpose. Think like a point guard in basketball, a facilitator in success. I am able to score, but I love to assist others in their goals and work as a team. I love setting up the strategy. I would rather have an all-around game in points, assists, and rebounds. I want everyone to score, to make a positive impact. You are here to make a unique difference because you are unique. Look for the good. E R I N R O B I N S O N H A L L I would tell any leader that what we need is you. Not some curated or tamped down version of you, trying to please or equivocate or justify your presence. We need the gifts that you have to offer this world, and we are better when you bring that whole self to every space where you are leading. Make us laugh, make us wonder, make us uncomfortable. Speak firmly with your whole, bright heart, because that's the light we need here. Nothing less. What matters to me most these days is being able to answer the question, don't let that turn you away from doing something. Let it fuel you. Let it drive you to do good. 40-65 D O M I N I Q U E J O H N S O N I would title myself as the Urban CEO, Urban Bible Scholar. I'm big on public theology and community engagement. East Macon has shaped me to be a person of service; that no matter where I go, that I have a place I can come back to call home. And so it shaped me in that way, just to be authentic. I love authenticity, particularly for those from Macon or East Macon. So I think that's how it shaped me, with a view of serving. I'm very proud of my children, being a widower and their mother being gone for two years. I am also proud of more than 100 who have graduated from ULA, the Urban Leadership Academy. I would tell an emerging leader to have their identity rooted in who they are. Know who you are. God is sending you out in the world to make From left: Erin Robinson Hall, Dominique Johnson, Kathryn Dennis.