By Stella Yackee
Reese Johnson is an 18-year-old, 2024 graduate of Monroe County Middle College and Monroe County Community College. She was born and raised in Monroe and is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Johnson, who is gay, says that from the second she toured MCMC, which is located at MCCC, she knew that the MCCC campus was the place for her. She remembers how she loved the diversity posters hung up around the college and how the campus environment made her feel safe and comfortable.
Among the many accomplishments Johnson has achieved is her youth group, PRISM. Johnson came out to her parents at the end of 2020, right before New Years Eve, and started PRISM on Jan. 1, 2021.
She received acceptance and support when confiding in her parents but found some of her friends did not have the same experience. Realizing that others did not have the same kind of support, she decided to create a group that would provide that.
Johnson’s support group, PRISM, is not only meant to create a safe space for youth and teens who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, but also to educate people who may not support or understand it.
As the reigning Miss Monroe County, she competed this month in the Miss Michigan Scholarship pageant. She was recently accepted into the University of Michigan's Stamps School of Art and Design, where she will major in graphic design. Her Miss Michigan title has given her a large platform to expand her advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.
Johnson stopped partaking in pageants for a while when she was younger but ended up coming back to join her cousin in competing for Miss Monroe County Outstanding Teens. She did not place but won the non-finalist interview, which resulted in her falling in love with the pageant world again.
Post-COVID, she was unsure if pageants were truly her thing. She feared not being supported after coming out as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Ultimately, she decided, “If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it as Reese, no one else.”
She went on to become not only the youngest title holder, but also the first title holder to be openly a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
One of Johnson’s favorite ways to spread awareness is by simply wearing her Pride pin. She continues to spread awareness through PRISM meetings, events and LGBTQ+ ally training.
She recently provided ally training to employees of MCCC during a presentation as part of the college’s ongoing diversity events series. A recording of that training session is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOJv7IwPs9Y.
“People fear most what they don’t understand, so if I can help people have a better understanding, maybe it won’t be so scary,” she said.
MCMC and MCCC have allowed her to mature and become independent, Johnson said, leading her to her successes.
“Having access to free college courses in not something you get very often,” she said, referring to MCCC’s dual enrollment program. “To use those opportunities to take classes [that address areas] like women’s and gender studies and gender and sexuality psychology to help further my knowledge has been great,” says Johnson.
