Darryl Johnson

"I was born in the District of Columbia and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I was in the foster care system until the age of 10 when I was adopted into a loving family. Before I was "Darryl Johnson", I was "Darryl Green". I was named after a biological father that had never been in my life. To an extent, I was happy to change my name. 

Growing up, you'd hear many kids my age say they wanted to be doctors, teachers, or firemen. I wanted to be an artist. A cartoon sketch artist to be exact. I loved the exaggeration of characters, the colors, and the detail but I never had the guidance because I was told that being an artist is something to be done on the side. I was told that I needed a career. So as I got older I slowly pushed away the pencils and drawing utensils and focused on making money, finding a career and not doing what I felt would make myself happy. I went through the motions of college and got an associates degree, but fell short of my bachelors for lack of financial aid.

 I felt unprepared going into life after high school so I changed my goal. I changed my whole mindset. I thought about producing music for a while, but my goal now is fueled by what I actually want to do rather than listening to others telling me what they think is best. The objective is to find what makes yourself happy. When you find what drives yourself, push forward. Even when all else pushes against you. 

Now I am in the military. Being in the military is only a stepping stone in a goal I want to achieve. I decided to do something different with my life. My goal is to become a therapist/counselor for high school students looking for a path and hoping to prepare them for life after high school."