Oregon GEAR UP

Name: Bryan Johnson
School: Stanfield Secondary School
Position: Principal, Head Baseball Coach
College: Undergrad: University of Washington; Eastern Washington University. Masters/Admin Credentials:  Washington State University
One fun fact: Played college baseball at the University of Washington and played minor league baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.

Describe your educational journey:  I grew up with college as an expectation and a great opportunity from my parents, and not an option. I had a number of family members who were educators. Both of my parents were teachers, my grandparents were educators, my siblings are educators, and my wife and her family are all educators. That said when I went to the University of Washington I tried a number of different  majors but could not find one that I wanted to do for a career. After playing minor league baseball for a couple of years, I decided I wanted to be a teacher and a coach. I went back to school at Eastern Washington University, as UW did not have an undergraduate teaching program. I earned my M.Ed. and Principal Certification from WSU and never thought I would be a principal, but found that I enjoyed serving in a leadership position. Education is a great profession because you have the opportunity to impact student lives on a daily basis.

The impact of GEAR UP: GEAR UP has provided our students in rural Eastern Oregon to see colleges all over the northwest.