'Building relationships, trust, and consistency—that’s what I learned at Plymouth.'

"Building relationships, trust, and consistency-that's what I learned at Plymouth."

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Friday, October 11, 2024

On the job as an account manager for TPV, working with large IT dealers to sell Philips Monitors, Elijah Johnson '18 is as dedicated and consistent as he is welcoming, engaging, and trustworthy. He says that's because his "phenomenal" professors taught him to think in real-world situations, and his football coaches taught him structure and communication.

On the field, Johnson played tight end for the Panthers and saw his team rise from a 1-9 record in his freshman year to 9-1 and a conference championship senior year. "I'm proud of what we were able to do in that time," he says. "Building relationships, building trust and consistency-the base level stuff-that's what I learned at Plymouth State."

Because Plymouth State continues to fill him with gratitude, Johnson made a generous gift this year to Panther Athletics, and over time he wants to learn how he can best support the University's mission and goals, as well as students who need financial backing.

"I want to give back because of the people who helped me get here," he says. "Between athletics, academics, and my advisors, I had a lot of good people in my corner, and it was up to me to take their help and do the best I could."

Johnson was part of another team on campus, the Competitive Sales Team, which helped him earn a sales certificate in addition to his bachelor's in business management. Through the program, students work with corporate sponsors and have opportunities to experiment with selling their products.

"We learned how to understand what the client needs," Johnson says, noting he wasn't able to pursue an internship during the summer breaks because he was working to help pay his tuition. "The program gave me real-life lessons and an understanding of the sales world."

Johnson lives in the Phoenix area now and works for TPV, selling to large corporations, small-to-medium businesses, and government organizations. "The thing I like the most is problem-solving, coming up with solutions that benefit all parties involved," he says. "I'm learning about new technology every day, in my own field and others."

GIVE BACK FOR TODAY'S STUDENTS

There are many ways to make your gift, including monthly automatic payments, qualified charitable distributions from your IRA, donations through your donor-advised fund, gifts of stock or property, or establishing a legacy gift in your will. For more information, visit plymouth.edu/giving, or contact Director of Development John Scheinman P'19, P'21G by phone at (603) 535-2805 or via e-mail at [email protected].

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